When Is Virtual School the Right Fit? An Interview with A Stellar Parent
Behind every successful virtual student is a strong partnership between parents and educators, and this is especially true when students reach for the stars. Parents play a vital role in supporting daily routines, encouraging independence, and helping their children make the most of flexible online education. Their perspectives offer valuable insight into what learning from home really looks like—and how it can transform a student’s academic experience.
Today, we have an interview with Angelina Taylor: the author of The ABCs of Friendship, a book that has headlined the newspaper in Brenham and Galveston Texas, is the parent to one of our shining stars here at Stellar. Last time, Leylianna told us her story, and how Stellar became a place where she could flourish in a virtual school setting. Now, we’re spotlighting a dedicated parent who has seen firsthand how virtual learning can support student growth, confidence, and success.
Join us in welcoming Angelina!
An Interview with a Stellar Parent
“I'm just really curious to know, given that you also published a book, how you feel seeing your daughter follow in your and publish her own book”
Angelina: I don't get to use ecstatic every day. If I have one word, gargantuous. That's how big I'm excited for her. She's really intelligent, with quite a few stories to tell, and she's ready to move forward. She actually finished something last year that's more of an ongoing situation, but with what she's been through, she's maintained positivity, her creativity, and I'm so impressed and excited for her. I'm one of her biggest cheerleaders. It warms my heart to know that she had some inspiration from me, but with her own ideas and her own writing and her own work.
She thought about it. She invested time. She worked on it at her own pace. So, it impressed me to see her come to me with more or less a finished product. She didn't need very much help from me at all because all of the ideas and creativity came from her alone. And she said, “I want to share my life story. I want to write a book.”
“That's amazing. Now, I want to know more about what you were thinking and feeling as you enrolled her into a virtual school. How was the transition from her previous school to this one?”
Angelina: The school is great, especially this last year. We've seen people stand up for her in her junior year and be more active and involved. Going to public school in Houston, she was going back right after the pandemic, so when many of these kids came back out into the world it seemed like they had sharper teeth and fangs and claws. She experienced a situation where she was bullied. She did not feel safe at school [while] I sent her to a place where she was supposed to be safe, receiving education, mentorship, and guidance. And I don't send my daughter to school, right, for someone to pull out her hair or to jump on her and video it. So her going to Texas virtual has been a wonderful transformation. She’s been able to grow as a student and a young woman.
“Could you expand more about the moment you thought that going to a virtual school was the right decision for your child?”
Angelina: I went to the school to talk to the assistant principal and the counselor. Nobody really knew how to remedy it or control it. Because teachers and people who work at school, you guys aren't referees, you're educators. [Leylianna] expressed that she wasn't safe there. I had to put myself in her shoes and say, "Hey, what would you want your mom to do if you brought your mom this information?" And I acted accordingly on that. I looked into homeschool options, what was best for her, and we went forward with that. It was her decision making, then me also being humane enough to say even though I'm the adult, I still have to put myself in her shoes.
And it's like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She had to go into her own inner thoughts and absorb what went on, process it, to turn a negative into a positive. She's learning Korean. She plays the piano. She probably wouldn't be able to do as much of that if she wasn't in homebound school, independent study. She probably wouldn't be able to thrive as a writer.
“What tips do you have for other parents of online students, or parents considering an online school? What helped you while supporting your daughter?”
Angelina: Understanding. I know we want what's best for our kids, but are we as parents really looking into what's best for our kids? [Or] Are we looking at what's best for us and what makes us comfortable to get through the day, to get through the year? Are we really really looking into it as a whole? What's important is the education.
“My last question: would you recommend Stellar? Why or why not?”
Angelina: All five gold stars, I recommend it because it's tailored to the student specifically. They have an opportunity to balance out their schedules, which they have to do anyway in transitioning into adulthood. When you go off to college, you find out that you're kind of still a student and a kid, but yet you're an adult. You're navigating and you're balancing out your time, how much time you're allotting to certain situations for example, work and/or home life and class and projects. You are learning to navigate.
And she can start navigating how she wants to put her writing and her work out into the world. She's big on acceptance. We've all been in classrooms or in settings to where we have not felt like we were respected nor accepted properly, right? If you shine a little bit too hard, people will try to make you feel small. When you may have one of the biggest energies in the room, you may not even want to display that because people are jealous of somebody who's comfortable in their own skin. So, she's really excited about pushing out equality, acceptance, and so many things that the world talks about, but they're not really being about. And I'm excited that you guys are behind her.
Succeeding Together
Another gargantuous thank you to Angelina, for taking the time to talk to us and allowing her daughter to do the same. We’re proud to highlight the extraordinary members of our community, growing together as a community. And, of course, make sure to keep an eye out for Leylianna’s book Just Keep Going, and grab your copy of The ABCs of Friendship to support our stars as they shine.
Have you read Leylianna’s interview yet? If not, click here to check it out! Want more insights into a parent’s perspective? Read more about what parents love about online learning here.
As always, check out our Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts — we’ll be posting an update when Leylianna’s book releases and we can’t wait!
