Fridley parent thankful for Minnesota Connections Academy

“This time of year we count our blessings. I am thankful for online school because for the first time in 6 years my 4th grader is happy. We started with Minnesota Connections Academy this fall, so this is our first year in a virtual public school. My child has many anxiety issues and is painfully shy. She also has sensory processing issues which make some things that are simple for many children very difficult for her. In a traditional school setting, she’d come home from the bus crying many days because another child came too close to her or the lunchroom was so loud that she couldn’t eat. As a result she began to lose weight and we had to supplement her food with Ensure.

Since we began Connections Academy, her whole demeanor has changed. I am now seeing a very happy, energetic young woman. She is excited to begin each day checking to see what lessons she has that day. She no longer needs to supplement her food as she can eat without the noise of a lunchroom. She loves the fact that she can lay on the floor to read her lessons and take a break whenever she needs one. She is beginning to connect with other students through the school’s chat rooms and LiveLessons, knowing she can do so from home. The biggest reason I am thankful for Connections Academy is because we can choose when to do the school lessons. We are no longer bound by a clock and we are making it to our therapy sessions. She has graduated from OT after 5 years, and although her therapist was skeptical about her not being in a traditional public school setting, even she has seen a great improvement in her mental health. Thank you Connections Academy. This has been her best school year ever!”

Paulette Durrah