School is now in full swing and for many students that means slipping back into the same monotonous schedule. Early mornings, long classes, little sleep. Although a growing number of students are coming to find, it doesn’t have to be that way. Senior Christian Miller recalls his classes beginning at noon, from the comfort of his house, without all the distractions of a normal school day.

A scene made possible through Grand Haven CyberSchool. A growing program which brings the curriculum online, and enables students to learn at their own pace.

“There’s less time wasted in CyberSchool than there is in (public) school,” Miller said. “There’s no waiting around for anybody, if you have the initiative to get it done, you can get it done when you wanna  get it done and that’s that.”

Miller was involved in the program his freshman through junior year before transferring this fall to Grand Haven High School.

The program is in its fourth year and now hosts 70 students grades seven through 12. Boasting the same array of core classes available through traditional schooling with the flexibility to complete classes in whichever order students want.

CyberSchool director Kevin Berko notes that students can choose to work on completing one class at a time, or choose a schedule that breaks courses into a more traditional five subjects per day.

“The key advantage is that it does give students the flexibility to customize their schedule to their needs,” Berko said. “Whether it’s around a work schedule, doctors appointments, family travels, and things like that.”

Although some students fall into the trap of assuming the program doesn’t require as much effort as typical classes. According to program mentor John Williams, students are still recommended to invest between five and seven hours of coursework each day.

“It’s not easy, I give kids a lot of credit who want to do it,” Williams said. “Obviously there’s some kids who take it because they feel like they can sit home and play video games all day, but to be successful you’re going to have to put in some serious time.”

More efficient time management can enable students to pursue other interests outside of school. In the case of Miller, once he had completed his coursework for the day he often had additional time to bike. In some cases more time than those in traditional schooling may have had. However it  takes a particularly driven individual to manage their time correctly.

“If you have that ability to just kinda set a goal for yourself and just do it, then I think CyberSchool  is perfect,” Miller said. “It’s way better than public schools for those who can do that.”

One apparent drawback to completely online schooling is the lack of social interaction between students. Miller notes that it seemed hard for some to maintain a balanced social life outside the curriculum without that face-to-face connection. Something program coordinators have helped minimize by creating study groups.  In which students can work with each other and an instructor if they choose.

Cyber student success depends on their level of willingness to take control of their learning, and the opportunities presented. According to Berko this level of willingness can be gauged in one question.

“The biggest thing is ask yourself, when you have long term projects, that you’re not working on in class and you’re really on your own to get it done outside of the building, how successful are you at getting those done without waiting till the last hour before it’s due?”  Berko said.

The program is only open to full time students, and cannot be used to make up single or missing credits from within a traditional school setting. Those interested in enrolling or learning more about the program should consult Berko.

“I think it’s definitely something of the future,” Miller said. “The more they update and kind of work with it and learn about it, and the more they develop it the better it’s going to be.”