The Happy Homeschooler Podcast

High schoolers have a lot going on- from expectations and normal pressures of high school to extreme feelings of stress, understanding how to manage the stress they feel is an important skill for your students to have.
Stress is normal!
With all that your high schooler is likely to have on their plate (classes, assignments, college applications, extracurriculars, a social life, and more), it’s normal that they’ll experience stress from time-to-time. Homeschooled students may experience less stress than students in traditional schools because they have more time available to them, more flexibility, and are less likely to compare themselves to others.
How do you know your child is stressed and what can you do?
If your high schooler is experiencing more extreme levels of stress, you may notice this from their increased irritability, less ability to focus, stomach issues, headaches, and more illnesses. Your student may also complain of stress or talk about how much they have going on.
Even at “typical” levels of stress, there are ways that you can help your student. Getting organized and creating routines can be useful, along with tools like using breathing intentionally to calm down, and monitoring their self-talk, changing it when needed. We cover details on these ideas and a few more ideas in the episode.
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Our guest on this episode is Dr. Annise Mabry, a woman who spent years in public education as a teacher and administrator. When the public-school system failed her children, again and again, she took her knowledge, passion, and experience to create a solution that worked for her family, and for others. Tiers Free Academy was born out of the need for an alternate model.
When Dr. Mabry realized that a different model of education would be best for her children, she researched what she needed to do; she learned about the laws and was inspired and empowered by what she learned. But, she didn’t just stop at helping her children, she continued on to create a program that would support others in their homeschool journey. She pursued non-profit status and created a school and system that allows her to not only help students of all ages receive their high school diploma, but also empower families to support their children in their educational pursuits.
Dr. Mabry Practices Educational Disobedience
Thankfully, Dr. Mabry doesn’t get bogged down by people telling her she can’t do something, and she doesn’t stop when something gets hard. When she was told she could be a great administrator if only she was obedient (our host, Sara’s jaw dropped when she heard this!), she realized that she was going to practice educational disobedience in an effort to do what was right for the students she worked with. She has a book out that talks all about Educational Disobedience and shares more about her story and experiences.
Dr. Mabry has created an academy that not only supports students, but also their families. When she started homeschooling, there weren’t the number of groups and type of support that you can often find now. We’re thankful that she’s developed one of the programs that really aims to help students of all ages (she recently gave honorary diplomas to individuals in their 60s!) and the family members who support them.
We love the passion that Dr. Mabry brings to everything, and she has that much passion for Transcript Maker too! If we had a fan club, she’d be the president. We know that people have questions or concerns about moving away from their usual ways of managing transcripts, but Dr. Mabry reminds us of the reasons manual transcripts don’t really work and she shares what she loves about Transcript Maker. All members of the Transcript Maker team blushed while making this episode!
Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Tiers Free AcademyPick up Dr. Mabry’s book, Educational DisobedienceWhy you probably want to move away from manual transcriptsSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more

Online education is a fantastic option for high school students because it’s flexible, can allow for students to learn at their own pace, and helps to meet the needs of different learning styles. Online learning options are a good choice for private schools and the students they serve.
Defining online education and the benefits for high schoolers
When we say “online education” there’s actually a spectrum of what that might mean. Some classes will be 100% online, with students never attending onsite or meeting in person. Then, there may be hybrid courses where students do some portions of class online and other parts in a traditional classroom. There are other classes which may meet together for everything but exams that happen online. And there are certainly other models besides these.
You may have concerns about the quality of education in an online course or degree program, but the truth is, these online classes can actually be harder for students because instructors often expect a lot of the students to show that they are participating and learning. If you’re researching online courses and programs, be sure to check if the program is accredited.
Giving high schoolers the option of online learning can be great: it takes away the barrier of physically getting to campus. Whether a student has a health, transportation, or time availability issue, online options make school more accessible. Additionally, many colleges are moving toward online offers and many careers require employees to be tech-savvy, so online classes in high school prepare students for their future.
Why might your school want to offer online classes and how can you do it well?
In addition to giving more options for your students, you expand your reach to who you can serve when you offer classes online. Your students (and faculty) are no longer bound by geography. Even if your students are close by, giving them flexible options increases their satisfaction.
If you decide to move forward with online classes, be sure to have the technology to do it well, set clear expectations for your students and faculty, and remember that even though you want your students online to learn what they would in a traditional classroom, how they learn it and show their understanding may be different than the face-to-face environment.
Resources Mentioned:Confirm an online program’s accreditationOrion High School is a premier online school for a reasonSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more