During our initial meeting, AJ appeared quiet and disengaged. His background included a history of special education services and struggles with both traditional school settings and homeschooling. The turning point came when we openly discussed his educational history, current challenges, and his personal concerns. By creating a safe space for AJ to share his thoughts and feelings, we gave him the validation and encouragement he needed to take an active role in shaping his learning journey.
Finding what works
At his parent's request, AJ was initially enrolled in online classes as part of his homeschool program. However, as his academic performance began to decline, it became evident that a deeper exploration of his learning needs was necessary. Through open communication and ongoing collaboration, we identified that his struggles with online coursework stemmed from challenges in his reading fluency and understanding. At the same time, we discovered AJ's genuine passion for landscaping, yard maintenance, and hands-on projects.
Truly Personalized Learning
Guided by this newfound awareness, we transitioned AJ to a project-based learning approach tailored to his interests and strengths. His new program shifted focus from traditional online classes to YouTube tutorials and practical, real-world projects and assignments. AJ thrived in this environment, tackling projects like creating instructional videos on snow removal, assisting with home improvement tasks, and engaging in landscaping endeavors. Weekly check-ins provided a structure for AJ to discuss his current projects, orally summarize learning content, and share both his successes and challenges. This approach allowed AJ to learn and work through his strengths, passions, and interests, and also provided accountability, fostering his independence and self-confidence.
Unlocking Potential
Through personalized, passion-driven education, AJ unlocked his potential and gained a strong sense of purpose. By the time he graduated in May of 2024, AJ had developed the skills, confidence, and motivation to pursue his interests with enthusiasm. Invata was honored to be part of AJ's transformative journey and to witness the remarkable progress he achieved.
AJ provided the following review on May 16, 2024:
“The best homeschooling I have seen! Invata makes schooling very flexible! Invata allows you to build your own schedule. For example, if you want to only focus on language arts on Monday and math on Tuesday, you can go right ahead and do so. There’s nothing stopping you from doing that! Invata builds a personalized schedule for you every year, making your own targets and goals for that year more manageable and easier to achieve. You can even make your own classes for real estate, marketing, stocks, landscaping, business…the list goes on for miles!”
After he graduated, he texted his Invata Advisor and said…”It feels like I’ve waited forever to get to this point!”
