This is part 2 of a series about hybrid schools in Georgia and how they can be part of the solution for intentional parents looking for educational alternatives for their children.

School problems are one of the top reasons parents experience fear or anxiety for their children.

Several sources boil down parents’ fears to three areas: success, safety, and wellness.

Under those categories, many parents say they fear:

  • That their students will struggle or are struggling with grades
  • Bullying in schools
  • Violence or poor peer influences in school
  • Mental health concerns for adolescents and teens

So how do you know…

  1. When your child or teen is struggling in any of these areas?
  2. How to ensure his or her safety?
  3. Which friends are a good influence and which ones aren’t?
  4. If your child or teen is struggling with depression, anxiety, or if it’s just the hormonal shifts common to adolescence?
  5. If the challenges your child is facing in a particular subject are normal or if he/she needs extra help?

When school problems persist, engaged parents will usually be able to tell. Students decide they don’t like school anymore, they are difficult to motivate toward homework, and they may shrink back from previously-held hobbies and/or friendships.

You know your child. So whether it’s a friendship that’s questionable, an environment of uncertainty, a struggle with hope, or dropping grades, there is a solution.

First, we recommend approaching your child. Ask her how she is feeling, what kinds of activities she wants to do this weekend, and which friends she wants to see soon. If you see a dip in grades on your student’s progress report, ask what his biggest challenge is with schoolwork or why it’s not interesting anymore.

Second, we recommend asking your child’s teacher for input. Maybe he has noticed that your once-sunny child is a little down. Or perhaps she’s been meaning to email you about missing homework assignments.

Third, consider the environments your child is in and how your child is wired. For example, let’s pretend your child is naturally introverted and you know she spends the bulk of her time around friends, in classes that are large. Then, after school two days a week, she rides on the school bus to and from large sporting events where she is participating in a sport and she rarely has time to catch up on homework let alone free time.

Perhaps the school problems you see are not really school problems for everyone – maybe they are just school problems for how your child is wired. Or maybe their current school environment just isn’t able to offer what you’d like.

Knowing what your child needs and finding a solution to meet that need is where a hybrid school might be really helpful. Even mental health struggles can be addressed through school change that supports what a student is learning about himself through counseling, at church, and in the home.

Like many hybrid schools, Learnwell North Georgia offers small class sizes and the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways. However, unlike many other hybrid schools, Learnwell North Georgia also offers:

  • A high school option (beginning in fall 2023) that’s an explorative, skills-based opportunity to not just meet Georgia state standards but also to thrive in areas of individual student interest and talent.
  • Opportunities for individualized instruction based on how a child learns best.
  • An engaged community of parents who partner with the teachers to go beyond just grades and standardized measures of success. (Parents are much more than homework monitors here.)
  • An emphasis on play-based learning, especially for younger students.
  • Leadership skills mentoring – from kindergarten through high school.
  • After-school enrichment programs.
  • Real-world applications for what students are learning as they go from middle to high school (beginning in eighth grade).
  • A faith-based approach that helps students understand they were designed with a purpose for a purpose.

If you’d like to explore more about how our unique hybrid school works, contact us for a tour or attend a Discover Learnwell event.