Today’s high school students are far busier than their parents or grandparents were when they were in school. Aside from traditional school-related extracurricular activities, teens often have other reasons for an action-packed schedule. More and more families are asking themselves what to do when their student’s schedule has too many conflicts.

What causes these challenges?

Students may travel with their family on an extended trip. Or they are performing on stage, practicing for the Olympics, modeling, or taking extensive dance or music lessons. Some students need to be able to work a part-time or full-time job and attend school. All these students are made to choose schooling versus other opportunities.

Since education is mandatory, it’s an ugly choice for many students. Scheduling conflicts can go from being frustrating and distracting to being entirely disheartening. Students can become disillusioned instead of eager to learn new things.

Scheduling conflicts come in other forms, too. If a student is seriously injured or suffers from a chronic illness, they cannot physically meet their school’s schedule. Technically, they become “truant” on top of their physical trauma. These students have no choice but to find an alternative that allows them to keep up their education in a way that can adapt to their personal health needs.

A solution to scheduling conflicts can be found in an online school.

Because most online schools offer a flexible schedule, such schools can put an end to the scheduling conflicts, enabling students to arrange their study schedule around other needs.  A flexible schedule can actually encourage as well as facilitate varied life experiences for teens. What better time of life to gain a broader perspective on the world around them?

Scheduling conflicts should never hold your student back. Because more families are concerned about this challenge, more of them are turning to online high schools as a simple yet supremely effective solution. Why? Most online schools give each student an entirely individualized learning environment:

• They can study from anywhere that has an Internet connection

• They can start a class at any time

• They can study at their own pace – spending more time on those things that are a bit more difficult for them and breezing through their “easy” subjects. Students can set a pace to graduate at the same time as their peers in brick-and-mortar schools, or not, if their circumstances require an extended schedule.

• Lessons are interactive and engaging, incorporating multi-media curriculum that encourages a deeper understanding of the subject.

• Teachers are more approachable and available for students than in a brick-and-mortar school where teachers have to accommodate groups rather than individuals. The online nature of the school provides for the students to be available for appointments even outside of traditional school hours.

There is no question that academics matter for your high school student, whether they plan to look for a job or attend college once they graduate. But the need to learn shouldn’t preclude living a varied lifestyle that enables each individual to pursue special interests or passions. And it certainly shouldn’t exacerbate daily living for students facing health challenges.

Online high school offers a custom fit for many types of students.

Today’s teens are tech-savvy. Working online is second nature to them, so an online school fits right into their comfort zone. For some students, online classes offer a “comfort zone” that their traditional high school does not. Far too many students today are victims of bullying, and many fear becoming a victim of someone out of control every time they head off to school. Some are simply tired of the daily distraction of navigating social cliques or hallway drug deals.

For all these students, the online school alternative means they don’t have to make debilitating choices. Scheduling conflicts can be replaced with opportunities.