This is the question that crosses the minds of hundreds of students who find themselves at a crossroads at one point or another in school. Do I have fun, or do I give up on things I like to do, for things that I am expected to do? However, most of these students do not know that flexible schooling exists. Yet.
Miruna, our year 11 student, also experienced this feeling when she was trying to decide her path in high school. She had to choose between playing guitar, horseback riding, or studying – as there was no time to do all 3. At least not at the performance level that she would have wanted to do it.
Before joining Spark, she used to be one of the top-performing students at her old school and she couldn’t easily give up this title when starting high school. But how could she be a top-performing student while not having to give up on playing guitar or horseback riding?
Miruna thought she could not.
However, since joining Spark, Miruna truly agrees with the tagline “Flexibility to nurture your passions”. She feels like Spark is truly paving the way and showing the world how it’s possible to balance academics and passion without having to compromise on either part. This is thanks to the flexible teaching schedule she has and the freedom to organise her time based on her needs and interests.
While this was one of the most difficult choices that represented a heavy burden for Miruna, now she’s glad that she did not have to give up anything – nor her academics, or her interests. Because she had more time to focus on her passion, she got to take her guitar-playing skills to the next level, and she has already been on stage twice, once in a contest and a second time at a festival.
We are glad that Miruna found her safe place at Spark.
Students SHOULD not have to choose between doing what they like or doing what they need to do. Students should be free to choose what makes them happy, and they should be able to build their academic path according to their interests and needs – and with lots of flexibility to let them discover what they like and what they are good at.
Let’s make education more flexible today, for the teenagers that will be the adults and leaders of tomorrow.
