Meet siblings Jordan and Ashley from Florida. Both were homeschooled from a very early age using Time4Learning. Now, both also happen to work for the same company that helped educate them from elementary all the way to high school graduation.
Meet Jordan
Jordan and Ashley come from a large family and are just two of nine siblings. Every single one of their brothers and sisters has been homeschooled with Time4Learning, and for Jordan, being able to learn alongside so many of them is something he fondly looks back on. “It was fun,” he says. “We could go ask another sibling for help. It kept it interesting with more kids.”
Like so many homeschoolers, Jordan started out in public school, an experience he says wasn’t positive at all. He started homeschooling in second grade with Time4Learning and graduated from high school early at the end of 2019. In that same year, he experienced the end of one era – his high school years, and the beginning of a new era- working for Time4Learning.
College After Homeschooling and Working at Time4Learning
Jordan is planning on enrolling in a few college classes this summer, and, not surprisingly as a Time4Learning grad, is going to take those courses online from the comfort of his home. Jordan says he has found his calling serving as a Time4Learning customer support rep empowering other homeschoolers. “I love this job a lot,” he says. “I don’t want to part ways from Time4Learning any time soon.”
Jordan remembers visiting the Time4Learning headquarters many years ago with his mom and siblings and thinking to himself how he really wanted to work there. His experience in homeschooling withTime4Learning comes in very handy when answering questions from families looking to sign up and take advantage of the flexibility that comes with homeschooling. “We’ll have people call in asking how it works, and I can just answer with my eyes closed,” he says.
Although he fields more phone calls from parents, students will call in as well with a wide range of needs, including tech support and the occasional request for help with a math problem. Although Jordan’s role involves answering all kinds of questions about both homeschooling and Time4Learning, the support staff doesn’t offer any kind of instructional assistance for lessons. Additionally, Jordan and the rest of the team help members with account-related questions on things like billing, updating grade levels and courses, and where to find specific tools and resources.
Jordan’s Reflections on Homeschooling
Jordan says homeschooling gave him the freedom and flexibility to learn his way and on his time. “I didn’t have a schedule I had to follow,” he says. He would just log in and do the work on Time4Learning. Being able to get as much work done as he wanted is one of the reasons he was able to graduate early.
“Every single one of their brothers and sisters has been homeschooled with Time4Learning, and for Jordan, being able to learn alongside so many of them is something he fondly looks back on.”
His family was always very active and took part in many activities, which helped Jordan feel like he wasn’t missing out on anything. “We would go on trips a lot and mom would throw in something educational,” he says. One of his favorite memories is of visiting a drive-thru safari park in Florida. “We would go to local schools to do martial arts or other sports,” he recalls. “We were always engaging with other people.”
When asked what advice he would give kids who are new to homeschooling who aren’t excited about it or want to go back to school, Jordan’s response is simple. “Give it time,” he says.
Meet Ashley
Like her younger brother, Ashley was also homeschooled with Time4Learning since the early elementary years. A competitive dancer since the age of 4, Ashley loved the flexibility homeschooling gave her to create her own schedule so she could pursue her passion. “Being able to create my own schedule and do the work on my own time was ideal,” she says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I went to regular school.”
Pursuing Her Career Goals
Ashley has wanted to be a dance teacher for as long as she can remember, but she couldn’t start teaching until she was 18 and had more experience. Luckily, homeschooling helped her reach her goal sooner rather than later. “If I had gone to regular school I probably would’ve finished at 3:30 pm and wouldn’t have been able to make it in (to the dance studio) until around 5:00 pm,” she says. “Since I was homeschooled, I was able to make it to the studio early and assist with classes and get the experience.”
For Ashley, the best part of being homeschooled was clear: “Being able to do everything on my own schedule,” she says. She remembers being able to do work super early and have the rest of the day off, or the opposite. Even though she was homeschooled for the majority of her school years, Ashley doesn’t feel like she missed out on anything either. “Where I live, we had a handful of homeschool groups, so we were able to meet other kids that were our age,” she says. “I met my best friend through one of those.”
“Being able to create my own schedule and do the work on my own time was ideal. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I went to regular school.”
Ashley
Ashley graduated high school in 2018 and started working for Time4Learning in 2020, a few months after her brother started. “I thought I would be a good fit for,” she says. “I knew everything that had to do with Time4Learning, the ins and outs of it.” In addition to her duties as a customer support rep, Ashley also teaches dance and tennis. Her ultimate goal is to own a dance studio and be her own boss.
Ashley’s Advice for New Homeschool Students
Her advice to new homeschooled students? “Give it a shot and keep an open mind,” she says. “If you close your mind off to what it could be and to the pros of homeschooling, all you’re going to see are the concerns. Give it 100%.”
