The following note — submitted as a comment to “Education at its Worst,” Amy Rankin’s fierce cover story on White Hat Management’s Ohio Distance & Electronic Learning Academy — is from a student at Rankin’s former school. Hello. I am an OHDELA high school student. I would like to tell you what my normal school day is like at OHDELA. I am so frustrated and I see that this article gets a lot of responses from OHDELA teachers. I never can get a response from them, so maybe writing here will help me get some answers.
I wake up in the morning around 8am and have breakfast. My mom and dad leave for work and tell me to have a good day. I am left at home with my younger brother who is in middle school (at OHDELA) to complete my school work and help my younger brother with his school work if he needs it. My younger brother goes over to the television and starts to play Wii station. I got to my computer and try to log in. I cannot log in to my OHDELA classes, so I call the help desk and I am put into an answering machine. I leave my name and number so they can call me back. (I wait all day and no call back) I then call my math teacher to see if there is something I can work on offline because math is my hardest subject. Once again, I get an answering machine and I leave a message. I then called my English teacher who did answer and told me to call the help desk. (ROFLMAO) He also told me to read my book until the computer could get fixed. I tried to call my other teachers to see if there was an offline assignment that I could work on, and as always, I get put through to voice mail.(again…all day…no call back).
So, I read my book. I read until about 11:30. Getting bored of reading, I decided to try logging into my computer again. To my surprise, I can get into my OHDELA homepage. I feel a surge of excitment about learning, but when I click on my classes, I find that there are no assignments posted. There is no class there. So, I call my advisor and after three tries, she finally picks up the phone. She informs me that I am enrolled in the classes, but they are not ready. She told me they should be ready and online in a few days or so. At this point, I have waited over a week to get started on something other than reading my English books. I have no books other than my English books. My advisor told me that my books and things would arrive in 2-4 weeks. So, sometime in October, I may receive my other books. (I hope).
So, while my younger brother is still playing video games, I decided to walk my dog down to the corner store and back. When I get back, my younger brother tells me the phone rang but he did not get up to answer it. I check the message and it is someone at OHDELA telling me that I am truent because I have not logged any learning hours. I panic at this point and I decided to call my mom at work. She said she would call the school to clarify things. So, not knowing what to do, I grabbed the newspaper and read the comic section. I also see that Whitehat management is on the front page of the paper again. It is a story about how board members are being overpaid or being paid to say the name OHDELA. I did not understand the article, but I want to be paid to say OHDELA too. I then I made us some lunch.
After lunch, my grandma calls and asks if we are doing ok. I told her that we had no school work, so she came and took us to the grocery store with her. When we got home, my mom was on the phone with my advisor. My advisor wanted to know why I was not working on my work and my mom tried to explain. However, all the advisor could do was say call the help desk and told my mom to log some hours. My mom told her that I had no education hours because I had not completed any online work. So, my advisor told her to log the hours I spent reading my english book under english (ok). She also told her to log my walking the dog as gym hours, my grocery store trip with my grandma as math hours (because I compared prices in the store), to log making lunch under an elective, and to log video game playing under Science because we were playing a Science Fiction game. She said that it did not matter what was logged as hours, as long as I had them logged. It did not matter if they were educational hours or not. She said life is a learning experience. But my question is how will walking my dog to the corner help me pass the OGT which I have not passed in 3 tries.
So, another day in OHDELA has passed and still no learning. I am still a 10th grader (for the 3rd year) and I should be a senior. I have managed to earn a few credit last year at OHDELA, but I have a hard time completing my classes because my computer does not work most of the time and when it does, the classes are not right or are not there at all. Many times I need help with my classwork and I never can get help from my teachers. So, I cannot complete my assignments. No one ever answers their phone at OHDELA and rarely can I get help from any one. Then they label me as a non worker or trouble maker. I hate being in OHDELA. I want to go back to public school, where I will have the opportunity to learn something. I hate being home everyday by myself. I want my mom to put me back in my old high school.
So, since I have no classes today or nothing else to do, I thought I would leave my comment. Maybe I can log my comment as writing in my English class. The school year has started once again, and I feel like I will never get out of 10th grade because no one will help me. What do I have to do to get good classes and good teachers at OHDELA? Please help me before it is too late. I don’t want to end up like my friends working at Taco Bell all of my life. Please.
This article appears in Sep 12-18, 2007.
If you have been at Ohdela for three years and have remained a sophomore, then perhaps distance learning is not for you. The teachers at Ohdela are more than willing to help and be flexible with students who are experiencing technical difficulties. It is my understanding that most textbooks for Ohdela courses are located online, so receiving books should not be an issue. The English novels are the only books you should receive in the mail. Also, your parents agree to be parent educators when you enroll at Ohdela. Since your parents are at work all day this does not seem to be the case. In your case, you will need to be very proactive and personally responsible for your education. Sitting there and complaining about being a sophomore on the internet is not going to cut it.
I agree with the Jane Doe poster! I am a 2006 Graduate of OHDELA. I came to OHDELA because at my old High School, Willard High School, the education (a poor one) they had to offer me did not meet my standards of learning or living. I dropped out the day after I turned 18. When I first received my OHDELA computer on the cold rainy day of November 16th, 2004, I began an educational experience of a life time!
How devoted are you to OHDELA? During my first week, I literaly gave 10 hours a day! I woke up, began school, ate once or twice, and schooled ALL DAY LONG, ALL WEEK LONG! Remember: aside from the parent educator (who was my self), it is YOU and only YOU who can control the outcome of your OHDELA experience! My fellow student, let me leave you with a passage of wisdom: Discipline is not in your mind, but rather it is in your heart! Do your part – stay focused to OHDELA.
You aree one student out of many. Of course they will not be able to answer the phone every time or write you back an email. Also, my friend, remember that OHDELA operates through computers. Computers break! Downtime is inevitible. Patience is a virtue!
Thank you for reading and I wish you only the best luck through your OHDELA journey!
-Edward Robinson
OHDELA Student
I am a parent of 3 children. My oldest child graduated from Ohdela in 2006 and my middle child is still attending and is a junior. My youngest is attending Ohio Virtual Academy.
My heart goes out to this young student trying to get an education. My wife oversees the schooling of our children and is home all day with them. She does an incredible job motivating, supporting and guiding them through a very complicated and inefficient sytstem.
I believe the experience of this young student crying for help is more common than anyone likes to admit. We, too, have suffered from lack of support from Ohdela.
I will say, there are some really good and understanding teachers at Ohdela that have been there when we needed it. And, I want to extend a hearfelt thank you to those special people who really seem to care.
But, in many cases we had to fight to be understood. There are some so-called teachers that are insensitive and intolerant. Some, I suspect, are barely out of college with no real life experience under their belts and sometimes treat parents and students like criminals.
The curriculum is very hard especially without direct guidance from a qualified teacher. I’ve seen tests with questions not secifically covered in the curriculum.
We have been persevering and my daughters are doing well but only because my wife is dedicated to their success. However, they can spend an entire day from sun up to sun down trying to accomplish assignments that are vague or too complicated for even a college graduate using outdated lowgrade computer equipment.
Our biggest concern is the technical support. We have experienced the same problem with teachers expecting results but classes are not online or the school provided computer is malfunctioning.
The computers provided are so basic they can’t handle the software or online navigations with any reasonable efficiency. Not one person working for Ohdela would be effective in their own job with such low grade equipment.
Tech support is generally a runaround. No one seems to understand or care that these computers are not appropriately suited for the tasks. All they want to do is blame the student for downloading stuff. If a computer can’t handle a few simple downloads, like an instant messenger then it should be obvious it isn’t suitable. Be it known, that we maintain the fastest DSL broadband available in our area called Pro Elite. And when we send one in for service we can be without a computer for a week or more.
We feel that the low grade equipment sets up the student for failure and not for success. My kids respect these computers but get so frustrated trying to have any kind success or productivity. This kind of frustration leads to failure and disatisfaction and even low self esteem.
How would you feel trying to do high school or college work with only an elememtary level reading ability? Using this kind of equipment is asking our students to do the same thing. Can you see the frustration?
Ohdela is so worried about the dollars they forget about the real reason they exist. They exist to provide a viable alternative to brick and mortar public school so parents can offer their kids an excellent education in the safety of their own home. I realize the owner expects to make a profit but if they can’t do that without providing inferior systems, support and equipment then maybe they should get out of the business.
Regarding the statement about “computers break and downtime is inevitable”, I have been using computers since the early 90’s and owned several and none have been the problem these computers have been. It may be that some students happen to get a good one.
I agree this student’s parents need to step up and take some responsibility here. For them, changing schools might be a good choice. But, where is Ohdela? Do they not care that a student is being left behind?
Ohdela has it’s ups and it’s downs. There are a lot of problems with organization and follow through. The positive is that my children are home, safe and learning. Children should not have to figure out their schooling with Ohdela by themselves, you definitely need some parental support. My husband and I work different shifts to accomplish this. It’s hard but until my children are grown – it is necessary. We are considering changing e-schools because of the lack of organization and follow through.
PDELA is just the same way. Voice Mail, eMail, and a back log at tech support. Good Luck! That is, if you ever get started….
hello i have read your mail . i am supposed to start OHDELA for midyear enrollment on the 22nd of January. I was wondering if maybe you could tell me more about the OHDELA charter school? thanx hope to talk to u soon .
“Jessica says:
hello i have read your mail . i am supposed to start OHDELA for midyear enrollment on the 22nd of January. I was wondering if maybe you could tell me more about the OHDELA charter school? thanx hope to talk to u soon .”
Jessica, You are in the right place to learn about how the place runs. Are you starting as a student? You should rethink this decision if you want a good, quality education.
This student is correct about correspondence from either Ohdela or its teachers. I wouldn’t blame the teachers however, as they have about 90 students per class and they seem to teach more than one subject/grade. This student also points out that their system crashes/doesn’t work on a regular basis. I am a parent of 3 ohdela students and we will never use them again.
My thought is that this “student” is very well written for a third time tenth grade failure. I have serious doubts that this was written by a student at all, more likely an adult from a competitor, either online or brick and mortar. Im an OHDELA parent and though i am sure that not all parents stay home with their kids, many who choose this line do. If this students parents both work, it seems likely that they were forced by the brick and mortar school system to choose online schooling. But again, i highly doubt that this was written by a student at all. If it was, her english teacher, at least, has done a pretty good job.
Why do you doubt. I’m an eight grader, and I can speak, type, spell well. I have decent grammer, thought probably not as other peoples. A teacher in ohdela doing this? I doubt that, Why would a teacher help with the student complain about ohdela.
Jeth: I don’t think she meant it was an Ohdela teacher who wrote the letter but someone other than a 10th grader. There is a lot of politics going on about home schooling and a lot of opposition to it comes from the regular school system, those teachers and their unions. The letter is likely a fake from someone who doesn’t support home schooling.
I am new to this and i can’t log on its my first time login in on the ohdela Blackboard plz help