I believe in online learning.  I first started working with virtual school students as the coordinator of a middle school summer remediation program in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in 2006.  I remember that hours of phone calls with parents that first summer all started out one way – “Is the computer on?”  From there we talked about browser plug-ins and enabling pop-ups, and I marvel now that so many of them persisted.  In 2006, there were no iPhones or iPads, people still rented movies and games from Blockbuster, and Instagram was four years from launch.  Dropbox and iCloud didn’t even exist.  Yet persist these learners and families did, and online learning has grown into the mainstream of learning for students at every age level.  Why?

I am often asked, “Why did you decide to start your own business?”  After all, at the time I was the head of the Hamilton County Virtual School, the online program of the fourth largest district in Tennessee.  I had ten years in and was making a good salary.  I was even offered a $20,000 raise and a promotion if I would stay with the district.  So why jump off the entrepreneurial cliff?