The Happy Homeschooler Podcast

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

When it comes to high school transcripts, consistency is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s large details like GPA or course name, or small details like a comma in your school’s name, consistency in your high school transcripts is critical! Matt Bass, founder of Transcript Maker gives insight into how to create consistent transcripts in an efficient way.
Where should there be consistency?
When it comes to your high school transcripts, there are a number of areas you want to have consistency, including:
School name (Being consistent between transcript, website, business cards, etc.)
Course titles
Branding
Formatting (making sure all transcripts look the same, but also within one transcript, for example, the column widths are consistent)
Why are there inconsistencies?
Often times schools will notice a lack of consistency when doing transcripts manually. It becomes almost impossible to keep data consistent across different student’s transcripts, and your final product may not always look the same. If you’re doing your transcripts manually (which we don’t recommend, in part, because of the lack of consistency), you’re going to use a lot of time trying to get all of these details addressed, and you might still miss some.
Why is consistency so important?
You want your transcript to represent your school and your students well. When you’re sending transcripts that have issues, you do your students a disservice while also losing credibility with the schools your students are applying to- you don’t want that!
We know that schools and families would like to have consistency within their transcripts, but it may not feel like the biggest priority, so we’ve made Transcript Maker easy to set up and have taken care of these areas where consistency matters. When you have a system that’s easy to use, you become more efficient, your transcripts improve, and your school and students are represented in the best light.
Resources Mentioned:7 ways you know it’s time to move away from manual transcriptsSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more