E 253 Helping Your Teen Set Goals That Actually Work

 What if helping your teen set just one clear, meaningful goal could shift their entire future?

In this episode, I’m joined by Phylicia Littleton, a National Certified Counselor and career consultant at Pearson Virtual Schools. We dive into how school counselors and parents can help teens set SMART goals that lead to real academic, emotional, and career success.

You’ll learn:
✅ How SMART goals improve motivation and reduce anxiety
✅ How to support your teen with realistic and effective goal setting
✅ Tips for time management, career planning, and building future readiness
✅ Why just one well-chosen goal can build lifelong confidence

Whether you're a parent, educator, or school counselor, you'll walk away with practical strategies to help teens turn their dreams into action, starting today.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more content on supporting teens through anxiety, growth, and success.

🔗 Learn more about Phylicia Littleton and Pearson Virtual Schools:
Pearson Virtual Schools
Contact Phylica on LinkedIn

Instagram


📌 Watch next: https://youtube.com/shorts/o0aUGL5r79k
https://youtu.be/Y-piemhZHiE 

 Struggling with anxiety in your family? If anxiety is causing tension, fights, or disconnect in your home, you don’t have to face it alone. I help parents bring more peace, confidence, and connection to their families. Let’s talk—schedule a free consultation today or email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com

Find my podcast
Email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com
Text me: 785-380-2064
More information

Transcript

 What if helping students just set just one meaningful goal could change the entire trajectory of their future? Have you ever wondered why some students thrive with a clear sense of purpose while others seem to drift despite having big dreams? Today we're diving into these questions with my guest, Felicia Littleton, national Certified Counselor, school Counseling leader and career consultant at Pearson Virtual Schools.

I. With experience across both in-person and virtual settings, and a passion for turning vision into action. Felicia is here to share practical, proven strategies that help students not only set goals, but actually achieve them. Get ready for insight, inspiration, and a few success stories that might just change how you support your students [00:01:00] and or children from this day forward.

So let's jump in. Felicia, I am so glad that you are with us today. Thank you, Cynthia. Thank you for having me. Sure. Well, I am excited to have a fellow school counselor with me because I think you might be the first one that has been on my podcast. So it's pretty exciting and I That is exciting. Love being a school counselor and I, it was when people talked about their dream job, I always said, I'm doing my dream job.

This is what I wanna do. And absolutely, I'm still doing it just in a different way now. Mm-hmm. So do you feel the same way about school counseling? 

Phylicia: I do. I love it. When I was younger, I always knew I wanted to work with students. I wanted to work with children in some capacity. Um, but I found that love for school counseling and I started and I just can't stop.

Cynthia: Oh, I love it. Tell us a little bit about what you do with Pearson Virtual Schools. 

Phylicia: Yes. Um, well currently I am a [00:02:00] counseling income career consultant. Um, and so my job is to work with lead school counselors, um, in various schools called Connections Academy. Um, I work with about 11 US schools in about nine different states, um, where I help them to create and implement their comprehensive school counseling program.

So I help support them by gathering data. And helping them to set set goals so that students can be successful within their schools. 

Cynthia: Hmm. I love that. Well, my audience has some school counselors in it because since I am a school counselor, my friends and colleagues and people that I've met over the years are part of my audience, but so are just parents and maybe sometimes my school counselors are also parents.

But today, I thought as we talk through some of these things, I'd love to hear, you know, kind of what you think about how a school counselor can do these things, but also how could a parent do it at home with their own children? Because [00:03:00] really I, as a school counselor and a parent, many times, I could see how I could do the same thing in both areas.

Mm-hmm. Like how I was treating the kids at school is, you know, and helping them with goal setting or. Career planning or whatever, I could be doing that as a parent too. And so a lot of, if, if people didn't have that knowledge of what goes on at school, they wouldn't know what they could do at home too.

So we're gonna kind of be talking about goal setting today. So one of the, kind of the trademarks of education and probably maybe the corporate world, is creating smart goals. Not everyone's gonna understand what a smart goal is, so can you tell us, first of all, what a smart goal is? 

Phylicia: Absolutely. Um, so SMART is an acronym and it stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

Um, and so when we talk about a goal that is specific, right we learn that it helps to, you know, [00:04:00] ease the. Anxiousness of people in general when you have a specific goal, and then it's not all over the place, right? Um, with Measurable, we want to be able, at the end of the goal when we look at the results, but we want to be able to measure the results of those goals.

Um, with Achievable, we just want to make sure that we are not setting the bar too high, right? We want to make sure, um, that's achievable and it is attainable for our children, um, and our students, um, that it is relevant. To what we want to achieve, right? So we don't want to have a farfetched, um, goal that we are not motivated to attain.

We want it to be relevant to our current time and the future because we have to keep the future in mind as well. Um, and we definitely want the goal to be time bound as well because we don't want to just aimlessly try to reach a goal without some sort of time limit. And so that is why. Um, we make sure that we tailor [00:05:00] their goal to be a smart goal so that, um, our students can attain those goals.

Hmm. 

Cynthia: I think that's such a great idea. 'cause when I think about in school, I created smart goals for myself as a counselor and how I fit into the school setting and like what I was gonna be doing in my office. Mm-hmm. And our team had goals like that, but I don't ever remember doing that with students, which is so interesting.

Um, so, and your, you have the idea that just one smart goal or one goal that's really well put together can change. A child's future, so absolutely. Tell me like, how, first of all, let's talk about school counselors. How are they, or what could they be creating these smart goals about with the students? 

Phylicia: All 

Cynthia: right.

Phylicia: Um, so school counselors have the privilege, and I say privilege because I love working with students every day. School counselors have the privilege in working with students, um, in [00:06:00] different, what we call domains, right? Um, so we focus on students' academic su success. We look at their post-secondary success, and then we also fo focus on their social, um, emotional skills.

Um, so depending on where the student needs that extra assistance is where a school counselor can help. Student to set goals, right? Um, so say for instance, a school counselor is focusing on academics for a child who a child wants to, uh, set a goal to do better in school, right? Not very specific. So a school counselor can work with the student to pinpoint and what areas do we want to focus on so that you can be successful.

Um, and maybe the student has recognized that an area that they would like to improve in a specific subject, maybe social studies. Um, so from then, a, a school counselor can help and review the student's data, um, reviewing [00:07:00] the student's grades, test scores with the students, and help the students implement those facets of the smart goal so that they can achieve, um, their goal in doing better, um, in history.

And let's say that specific goal is wanting to make a b, um, in history at the end of the quarter, right? So we have a. Specific, we can make it measurable because we can look at what the student has currently as far as grades, and we can assess that at the end of the quarter. It is achievable for the student and is relevant to what the student wants to achieve.

And it is time bound because we've set the time limit for the end of. Of the quarter for the student. Um, so just looking at the academic domain, that is how a school counselor can help a student achieve, um, by setting a goal that is specific to the student. But of course, like I said, that can work in various domains as well.

Um, and looking again as students post-secondary success, which, you [00:08:00] know, the academic goals can lead to success in those post-secondary goals and social emotional goals. Um, so it can definitely help with the trajectory. Of the students', um, success of just, just looking at that small one step and, and, and having success in history can kind of change the student's mindset in other, in other subjects and just the rest of the school year and the rest of their time in high school as well.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. Well, and as you're talking about this, I'm like, well, I, I totally did that. We just didn't call 'em smart goals. Right. I remember meeting with certain ones that like, if they had really low grades, like maybe they had a 30% in something and I would look every week, we'd. Meet and we'd look at where are you at?

Where are you at? Yes, where are you at? How are, how are we moving forward in this, in this goal? And it was amazing. Like if you just look at somebody at each quarter. You may not realize [00:09:00] like how much improvement they've made because maybe mm-hmm. At the end of the quarter they still failed, but they're at 50%, but they were at a 30% Absolutely.

To 20% raise in their grade. Mm-hmm. And so I, 'cause I sometimes worked with some kids that. We're pretty at risk. And so even just celebrating that 20%, you know, you still didn't pass the class, but you did all this stuff. Now how can we absolutely take this, you know, this motivation that you found in doing this, and let's do it again.

But next quarter we'll actually get over that line where we're. We're passing that class, we're doing that. I know that in this you know, parents can, can take that and, and understand how they could talk to their child about let's have a goal and maybe they could have a goal about chores or getting their homework done or you know, don't throw a fit when it's time to get off your device, or I dunno, like whatever.

So they could come up with some different things like that. So that makes sense. But what I found with parents, and really [00:10:00] this would be my. Sometimes a problem for me is that if a child was failing five classes, mm-hmm. I want 'em to fix all of 'em. Like, because we gotta get going and we gotta do this stuff.

But it really is important to just pick one first. Like don't have five smart goals. All this different stuff you've gotta do. Because even though, yes, it's important to do those five things, we need to kind of pick something to start with. Right. Right, right. 

Phylicia: And I'll say, you know, to, to prioritize, right?

Yes, yes. Um, and so, you know, if a student is failing a, a lot of classes, you know, we don't want them to continue to fail all of those classes. So it's so important to just prioritize, you know, what the student needs to do. Um, and a big part of that is. Ensuring that our students have developed time management skills.

Sometimes students don't know how to manage their [00:11:00] time. Um, and that's where parents play a good part in being stakeholders with the school counselors to help students develop those time management. Skills, learning how to prioritize their tasks, learning how to manage their schedules effectively, and just balancing that schoolwork and, you know, extracurricular activities.

Because our children are busy, right? Yes, yes. Um, they have a lot to do. They're, they're in school, they're doing things after school. They might be involved in their communities. Um, and so time management is. So important, um, as far as just learning what works best for our children and our students. Um, you know, sometimes for students, uh, I know I'm a list girl, right?

And so mm-hmm. Um, just creating a list and, um, just prioritizing it by numbering what needs to come first with, which is what is more urgent. Uh, what is more time bound is, is very important for me and it helps me to be successful. I, I use Post-it notes, but you know, mm-hmm. Our [00:12:00] students there, you know, they have technology at their fingertips and so they can use different apps like, um, like a to-do list on their phones or notes on their phones to make sure that they're keeping tabs of how they can manage their time, um, using some management.

Systems like a, like a Google Calendar or a Microsoft calendar or calendars in their phone are so important because I like to say, I tell my students all the time, and you know, my colleagues, if it is not on my calendar, it doesn't exist. Right? That's right. Um, and so for our students that are so busy, it's, it's so important that they take advantage of the resources and the tools that are out there for them, um, so that they can manage their time effectively and that will show up.

You know, for them as teenagers and then also when they're adults as well. 

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. I think that's so important for school counselors and parents to know that there are different ways to do this time management. Mm-hmm. There's different ways to get your homework done. There's different [00:13:00] ways to you know, keep up with your chores or get off your devices or whatever.

And I would see sometimes where people would try to teach a certain way, like, this is how you do it. Right. If it doesn't fit for that child's personality, then you're really just fighting them then about doing that. You know, like if it's like, absolutely use this calendar, and then they don't do it, and then you're fighting 'em about doing the calendar, right?

So I really do, with my own clients, I'm, I'm always sort of doing some interviewing with them, like, you know, would you use this? Would you do this? What, you know, like, what do you already use? What. Are you interested in using, you know, like just really trying to get down to what will you actually do? And I always told students, and I tell my clients now.

Don't say that you'll do something because you think that's what I want you to do. Mm-hmm. Say it because you will do it. Because if we create this elaborate plan and these goals and it all is just so beautifully laid out, but you know, all along I'm not gonna do that. [00:14:00] Mm-hmm. Then, you know, you're wasting, you know, our time, your time.

Like, let's come up with the the plan. We're actually gonna do the very first time. Sometimes you have to do a plan and then be like, oh, I don't really like this part of it, or This part didn't work. Or, you know, that was the other question that I asked my clients is if they come back to the call the next week and say, well, I didn't do that.

I'll say, well, what were the barriers? What got in the way of doing this? Because maybe the way we've set it up is what? It just didn't work. And how can we tweak it or change it or pivot in some way so that we can still use the goal, but we're doing it in a different way. So you're probably seeing that too.

Phylicia: Yeah, absolutely. And one thing I like to remind, you know, the school counselors that I work with and parents, it's just a reminder of the generation that we are working with now with our teenagers. Um, they're generation alpha, so you know, they were born. With a cell phone [00:15:00] in their hands, right? Where, you know, the generations that proceeded them.

I remember, you know, if I wanted some information, I, you know, had a stack of encyclopedias in my house. I had a dictionary. Right. Um, so one thing we can also learn from this generation as well just by modeling some of the behavior that I talked about with the time management. Skills and some of the tools and resources that we use.

Um, and then, you know, like you were saying, if you have a client that did not you know, do a task, you ask them what barriers were in place for you. Maybe, you know, as an adult you model what you use, but you can ask them, well, what do you have on your phone? Or What apps do you have that could, could benefit you?

Mm-hmm. Um, just knowing that this is a very creative. Creative generation that we're working with. They, they know technology like the back of their hands. They can probably teach us more about technology and the usefulness, um, and the [00:16:00] effectiveness of different tools. Um, so we have to do better also just about listening to them and listening, uh, about their needs and what they're more accustomed to, um, and helping them to navigate some of the skills that they are lacking by learning more about the technologies that they're accustomed to.

Cynthia: Hmm. And I love when you're talking about role modeling or talking about how we do, not that they should do it our way. Mm-hmm. But I think it's really important for young people to see that adults also have to do the skill. Because I remember when I was a teenager, I thought everything adults were telling me were just about my life as a teenager.

And I thought, as soon as I'm an adult, I don't have to know any of this stuff. I don't have to do any of it. I don't, I don't have to have time management. I don't have to do stuff I don't wanna do, I don't all these things. And then I realize that I do have to do all that stuff. But I, even in the anxiety world, which is the world that I live in with teenagers and their [00:17:00] parents, I talk about how they should role model, how they're dealing with their own anxiety.

'cause everyone has anxious thoughts and, and some of us have diagnosable anxiety that we need to have treated. But ev even if we. Don't have diagnosable anxiety. We get anxious thoughts about things, whatever those things are, and so I would tell parents if you have like a big presentation coming up at work that you're nervous about, talk about it at home and say, you know what?

I'm really nervous about this presentation and here's what I'm doing to help. I'm getting really prepared for it. I'm gonna spend a lot of time like just really focusing on, I'm gonna practice it to and from work a couple of times. You know, in the car, I'm gonna talk out loud, I'm gonna, mm-hmm. You know, just, just letting them know that, oh, this is part of life.

Like when I'm older, I still get nervous. When I'm older, I still have to have time management, and I have to have goals, and I have to, you know. Create things in my life. I can't just go [00:18:00] around, you know, just waiting for things to happen. And so I think role modeling how you use time management or how you set goals in your own adult life or how you maybe do that in the school setting and then talk to students about how that works for them as adults, uh, would be a great idea.

And so can you give us a, an example of a career planning. Smart goal that school counselors and parents could, could help with. 

Phylicia: A career planning goal. So I, I like to use, um, with my students, um, what's called like a, a four year plan. Um, and I know school counselors use a lot of different career planning, uh, tools.

Um, some use like career cruising or Naviance or Zillow where they can. Um, work with students. It's kind of like their own personal. I usually, when I say Facebook with students, [00:19:00] they're just like, oh, you're old. You know, you, we don't use Facebook anymore. Yeah. But Uhhuh, um, it's like a, a student's own personalized page that they can use and tailor to their own, um, their own career goals.

Um, and within those tools, there are different assessments that students can take, like a, an interest inventory or an assessment that, um, can assess their, their strengths and their weaknesses, um, their assessments in there that can tailor the students' interests to, uh, certain career clusters. Mm-hmm.

And within those career clusters, students can kind of tailor. That to some careers that they might be interested in. Um, and so I really love using those resources, resources and tools. And usually when school counselors, uh, use a resource at such as that, parents also have access to those resources as well.

And so just really staying in the know with what your, how your students are answering those assessments right [00:20:00] after they take it. What are, what are they interested in, what. Are there, is their career goal as far as the career that they want to be when they get older, and what do they need to do to get to that goal, right?

Mm-hmm. Does it require any type of schooling? Does it retire, uh, require any type of trade skill? Right? So, I mean, you know, going are the days where we're telling students that college is the only way for them to be successful, right? I feel. That's what was told to me, you know? Yeah. As a teenager, like, yeah.

Mm-hmm. If you don't go to college or a university, like you're, you'll never be successful. Mm-hmm. But the honest the honest part of it is that, you know, we need different skills and knowledge to make this world go round. And so what's important is to know what is your, your students. Career goal, what job do they want to have in the future?

And what can we set in place now as far as middle school and high school and the courses that they're taking mm-hmm. So that they can attain [00:21:00] that goal 10, 15, 20 years from now, right? Mm-hmm. And so, um, it, what does that look like working with your child and students? To select classes that are appropriate to the skills that they want to have in the future.

Mm-hmm. Um, looking at some opportunities outside of school that, you know, your child can take apart of, as far as in internships or job shadowing, right? Mm-hmm. Parents, you have some friends that you know. Mm-hmm. They have jobs that your children are interested in. Yeah. Let your children. Speak to those friends about that, right?

Mm-hmm. Um, collaborating with your school counselors. If your student is interested in going to a college or university, let's start going to those college, uh, and universities and during tours. And now that we're really in the virtual age, you can do a virtual college tour now, right? You don't actually have to go in, in person.

Um, or again, if your student is not interested in going to a college or university you know, that job [00:22:00] shadowing. I know that at our local hospital, they have different programs that students can apply to and if they're in interested in the medical field, um, they can, you know, do some volunteer work there.

Um, so just setting up. The, the lining up the pieces for your children and your students to be successful just based on what they are showing interest in, um, will give them motivation to not only just set these goals, but also achieve those goals as well. But we have to make sure that we are putting those ponds in place to make sure that our students are motivated to achieve those goals.

Cynthia: Mm-hmm. I think, you know, asking kids what they want to do, which is what we used to do a long time ago, they don't even know, you know, uh. 1% of the jobs that are out there because mm-hmm. They're not exposed to those things. And so it, they can't choose just like out of the air, like, oh, I wanna do this because [00:23:00] they have no idea what other things are out there.

Or maybe they're choosing it based on what it looks like on TV or, you know, and that is not how it really is. So I love the job shadowing is to push that so much because you've got to actually get in there. And see what is this really like? Mm-hmm. And another thing that I really, talk to young people about is volunteering in something that's sort of adjacent to what you're interested in?

So, so many of my students over the years and even my clients are interested in animals, you know, a veterinarian or as working as a zoologist or something. And so like in my town, we have a zoo and they have. Um, opportunities for high school kids to go there in the summer and work with animals or, you know, to help volunteer at different things where you're around animals or our humane society has foster parenting and all different kinds of things that you can do with the animals, or you can go clean the cages or whatever.

Mm-hmm. [00:24:00] Where you are, you know, you're getting volunteer hours if your school needs that or you know, you wanna put that on a, a scholarship. Application or something. Mm-hmm. Then you're also seeing what is it like there? Yes. 'cause maybe I don't like it, but I thought I liked it because I like animals. You know, who knows?

And I wanted to be a nurse. But then, uh, and so I became a CNA, which was a certified nurse's aide while I was in high school, because I thought, that's my trajectory. It makes sense that I would do that before I went to college to be a nurse. And during that. Couple years that I did that before I graduated, I realized I am not good in emergency situations.

One time a patient was choking and I was like, I'm out. I don't mm-hmm. I have no idea what's going on here. Now. Part of it was my age, you know, I wasn't really trained for that particular thing, but I, I just got so like frozen. Right. When things like that were happening and I thought, okay, a nurse cannot get frozen [00:25:00] when things are emergencies because that's what you do.

And I just thought about how you went around and loved people. Mm-hmm. And talked to people, you know, like that. I can totally do that all day long, but that's not really what the job is. 

Phylicia: Mm-hmm. So, yeah. 

Cynthia: So I tell kids that story all the time because I still am in a job that helps people, which is my heart and is what I.

Supposed to be doing in this world. Mm-hmm. But I don't have to deal with emergency situations. Absolutely. That's, you know, wonderful. And even if it was a crisis at school, it was still different than what you're experiencing in a hospital setting? Yes. Many times I have a similar story. Yes. 

Phylicia: Mm-hmm. I have similar story.

I think when I took like interest inventories and you know, things with the career cluster, I think it always told me that I was going to be a pediatrician. Mm-hmm. Um, and so I took, you know, those tests and, you know, in my mind I'm gonna be a pediatrician because I loved working with kids. Um, and I wanted to help people just the same as your story, right?

Mm-hmm. [00:26:00] But I learned when I got to high school and I had to dissect a frog that I got a little squeamish. So, you know, that's probably, it's, it's so important to learn about your strengths and your weaknesses, because I can't be a pediatrician that's, that's. Squeamish at the side of blood or anything. So it's so important that, you know, when you do take these in interest inventories and other assessments that are related to career, um, that it might give you a certain result and you might be so excited about it.

But what's more important is. What are you going to be able to manage yourself? Right? I wasn't able to, uh, manage as a, being a pediatrician and, and seeing blood and seeing cuts. Um, but what I did learn from it is that yes, I still love working with children and I loved helping children, and that's really what mattered.

Um, and you brought up something else that was important. You know, we were so accustomed to asking, uh, students and children, what do you wanna be with when you grow up? [00:27:00] And what's important, the most important question is what problem are you trying to solve, right? Mm-hmm. Um, I love asking questions like, what problem in the world do you see that you want to solve?

Um, yeah. And that really gives them their why, right? Mm-hmm. It, it gives them purpose, it gives them, you know, it, it, it gets their brains moving about, you know. How they want to serve the world. And I think that is more meaningful for students that are looking you know, at at careers and jobs instead of just asking them what they want to be.

Because like you said, all students only know really about 1%. You know, of the jobs that are out there. Mm-hmm. But when you ask them what purpose, what problem do you wanna solve in the world? Where do you see a deficit that you can make a difference? Um, students are able to tailor a job to meet the needs that they wanna fulfill.

Cynthia: Yeah. Oh, I love that. That's so [00:28:00] beautiful. 'cause I always think about my corner of the world. What am I doing to make my corner of the world? Better and more beautiful and people are blessed and yes. And I really think that when people are thinking in that direction, you do have this sense of motivation to go do those things, that that light you up in that way.

And I think that's so important. And a lot of young people haven't quite, I mean, if I asked 'em that question, I'm thinking about my clients. A lot of 'em would be like, I don't know. But that's okay. Like this, that's what, uh, middle school and high school is about, like exploring and figuring, you know, trying different things and seeing how different things feel and seem.

And, and that's why job shadowing and volunteering are so important because not only is it just good to do those things, but you're learning about what you like and don't like, and you can only find that out by doing. You can't like read about it or take a test and it tells you what to do. I give a, a career [00:29:00] test to my clients too, because we do a lot of future planning.

Mm-hmm. As part of the anxiety. 'cause uh, a lot of people have anxiety about the future, about where am I gonna go, what am I gonna do? And so I just tell them that, you know, this test is supposed to help us maybe. Cut out some of the noise of the whole world. Yeah. But it doesn't mean that just because it says this is the career cluster that you might be interested in, doesn't mean you are.

And it's okay if you don't like any of these things and you wanna do something else. But I love your idea too, that you may love something in this circle, but it. Doesn't mean that you really will wanna do that. So like, kinda have to go both ways. Well, what would you like the audience to know about Pearson Virtual Schools?

Or you, or goal setting? You know, what it, what would you like to leave us with? 

Phylicia: I guess I would like to leave you with, I, I really fell into school counseling because I, [00:30:00] I saw a need. Um, I've been working with students and, and children since I was a child myself. Since I was 16, my first job was working, um, in a summer school program with children.

I've worked at like Boys and Girls Club, uh, YMCA, um, after school programs for Parks and Recreation. And I just really saw the need for this generation that had. You know, like social media and technology at their fingertips to know what was really going on within their communities. Um, I worked in a neighborhood where a lot of students really didn't leave that community, so they really didn't know what was out there outside of what they saw in their community and what saw in social media.

Um, and so a lot of my students want, you know, to be, you know, a celebrity, right? Mm-hmm. They want to be a professional athlete. They wanna be a. Singer, they wanted, they want to be on the big screen. Um, they wanna be an influencer. Yeah. Or yes, the YouTube [00:31:00] influencer. Mm-hmm. Um, and so I really felt that my job in, in coming into the counseling space was to teach students and show them, um, that there's more.

To the world in that there are a lot of people out out there that have different skills and talents and just learning about what students want to do and what they want their why to be. What story do you want to tell? Um, I love Hamilton and so you know who's gonna tell your story, so mm-hmm. That's what I love to talk to students about.

And I love working with students, especially in. Um, the virtual space, um, with Connections Academy coming from the brick and mortar setting to the virtual setting, um, you learn that students, you know, if they, there are students that do well in a brick and mortar setting, and there are students that do well in a virtual school setting, um, as well.

Um, and so just looking at. Um, what works for the student because every child, every student is unique and we just need to [00:32:00] learn, um, more about our students and their strengths, just to make them be more successful, um, in the world as they think about their today and as they think about their future as well.

Cynthia: I love that. You know, speaking of that, this made me think of something. You know, I was in the brick and mortar school when the pandemic happened, and we had the online school for the rest of the year, and then the last, the next year we came back hybrid. And some people that chose online because they didn't like school.

Also didn't do well in online because they don't like school. But I did have some of my, my, some of my students did so much better online than they ever did in the school building. And I do agree that every kid is different and some kids should be online, some kids should be in the school, and then, you know, a mix of that kind of stuff.

Do you have any way for parents to, to be able to like any kind of a. Check sheet or something that helps parents to see should my child be going online? Because it was hard [00:33:00] for us in the school setting to tell, 'cause we kind of have a feeling we, we work with enough kids, we know who's probably gonna be good at it and who's not gonna be very good at it.

Mm-hmm. And there would be parents that would be like, I'm gonna pull my kid out and do online. And the whole time I'm like, oh my gosh, this is gonna be a disaster waiting to happen. And I didn't know how to explain to them why I thought it was a disaster, but I. Kept thinking if there was some way that they could like read something, see something, check off a list.

I don't know. And maybe there is no such thing, but do you have a way to kind of help families decide if online is correct for them? 

Phylicia: Yeah, I don't have a list, um, but I can share. Um, I think that there's a misconception that online school is easier. Mm-hmm. That is not the case, like online school is, is the same as the brick and mortar school.

It's the same rigor as it has the same curriculum. Um, but what is the difference [00:34:00] is just the flexibility in, in the virtual learning. Um, so I will say to parents, if you are considering, um, a, uh, a virtual school I would say that your, your child should be. A self-starter, right? Mm-hmm. They should be a student that will you know, initiate things on their own and they're trustworthy and you can trust them to make sure that they are attending their, their classes and any tutoring, um, and things of that sort, that they are responsible.

Right? Mm-hmm. Um, so we want to make sure that students, um, are successful when they're in the virtual learning environment. Um, and if parents want more information about like the virtual school setting, they can go to, um, connections academy, um, dot com to find out more. Um, about virtual Learning and Connections Academy and to see if it's available in your state as well.

So, mm-hmm. Um, just having a conversation with your child to see what is [00:35:00] the best option for them because it is unique to the student. Um, and dependent on, you know, if it is successful a successful environment for them. 

Cynthia: I love that. Well, I'm gonna put all of your links and thi ways that people can find out more about that and you in my show notes.

So, um, they can go look there after they listen to this and. See if that's something that they wanna do, because I do think it is a viable option for students. I just want families to really think about, you know, just in their own sense of their child. Like, does this really make sense for my child to do, to do that?

But it certainly is great for, for many. For many students, so, absolutely. Well, Felicia, thank you for being with us today. I love letting my families know all the stuff out there that they need to know about, and this was very informative and helpful. Thank you so much, Cynthia. 

Phylicia: Mm-hmm.