Susan adopted her daughter Yessie at age 12 out of the foster care system. Yessie had been bounced around to a number of different homes and was in need of a more permanent situation. So Susan, having no parental experience whatsoever, took her in and gave her a stable home life, something she desperately needed.
Susan quickly could see that her daughter was not going to be successful at a traditional public school, but she wanted to make sure Yessie went to school and got a good education. Her daughter begged for independent study, but Susan was uncomfortable placing such a large responsibility in her daughter’s hands. She wanted to get some support for her daughter and give her the soft landing she needed. That’s when she found Pivot Charter School.
“The day we visited Pivot, I just knew it was the right fit for Yessie,” Susan said. “It was a small, safe environment where students came because they were serious about learning. My priority was a safe place for Yessie to learn and to succeed. Pivot offered that. I recommend Pivot to anyone who has a child for whom traditional school isn’t a good fit.”
After three years at Pivot, Susan is a proponent of charter schools, and of the blended learning option in particular. “Social media has created a generation of kids with shorter attention spans, and they learn differently. Pivot’s online curriculum is so much more engaging for kids who have grown up used to technology. I’m happy charter schools like Pivot are out there. There are a lot of kids who don’t fit into a box where they go to school with 2,000 other kids. Charter schools help kids who would have slipped through the cracks without getting the skills they need to succeed.”
Susan and her daughter Yessie have found that the online curriculum and independent study option are a great alternative to traditional school. Yessie is able to study on her schedule, rather than having to conform to a traditional schedule.
The resource center has proven invaluable for her daughter, as well. When Yessie started to fall behind in math, for example, her teacher noticed right away and contacted Susan and Yessie to set up some one-on-one tutoring at the resource center. “The Pivot teachers really go above and beyond to communicate with their students. They take a personal interest in each student’s success and it feels more like the teachers are advocates for my daughter’s educational pursuits.”
Yessie is on track to graduate in December of this year. She will be the first in her family to graduate from high school. Susan says, “I am so proud of Yessie. If it wasn’t for Pivot, she wouldn’t have made it through high school. Now, thanks to Pivot, she has a bright future.”