Testimonials

Dear Ablaze Academy,

We presently live in Panama and our son has been attending school here in grades 8,9 and 10. Although he has been receiving the social interaction he needs, he was not been receiving the quality of education that we were expecting for him. We looked for alternatives and found Ablaze.   There were so many things we liked about the program including the on line professors and instant parental availability to grades and progress. Being in business myself, I very much appreciated the fact that when I needed to speak to someone, they were there to talk to you and resolve any issue.   I know home schooling hasn’t affected my sons “social network” and has made him a much happier student. I would highly recommend Ablaze. It’s been a win-win for us and my son.   Sincerely, Stephen Hendrickson President SGCPanana

..............................................................................................

What can I say about Ablaze Academy that hasn't already been said by a great multitude of students and parents before me? The education is impeccable and far better than the public school that I transferred from; I left my peers in the dust academically! The individual service and attention to detail by my Counselor, Progress Advisor, and even the President of the school left me extremely impressed. Don't expect that kind of one-on-one care in the public school system; the sad truth is that most public schools are filled with faculty that just don't care enough to go the extra mile for their pupils. Ablaze Academy enabled me to learn at my own pace and really focus and take my time on subjects that have never been my forte, whilst simultaneously fostering my desire to learn in an accelerated rate in courses where my strengths lie. I didn't have to wait on thirty other students sharing fifteen antiquated books to keep up with me in subjects like Chemistry or History, and wasn't falling behind in subjects like Algebra. I was able to complete some subjects in approximately one-fourth the time it would have taken in public school! A huge reason for this is because there is no superfluous "busy work" to weigh you down in a pile of endless worksheets that are often never even graded as is the case in public school. The program is extremely intuitive, and puts emphasis on positive reinforcement with congratulatory messages every time you answer a question on a practice test correctly, while at the same time allowing you to go back and try to correctly answer the question again. Unlike public school, if you aren't happy with your grade on a test, you can go back and study the material thoroughly and try again to make a better score. This isn't only great for improving low scores, but also for challenging yourself to do your best and improve an already high score! The curriculum won't allow you to continue if you don't achieve an acceptable score on your test, so ! you must repeat it after studying and attempting the practice test again. This is excellent, because there's no way you can't succeed. As long as you try, you can't fail.

Ablaze Academy brings education to your fingertips, literally! The convenience of having your education work with you, instead of being forced to work around it, is invaluable. I traveled and vacationed in the mountains frequently while I was a student at Ablaze Academy, and this is something I could never have done otherwise. You can go to school wherever you find an internet connection. An impromptu week-long trip was nothing uncommon, and I never missed a day's work the entire time. If you do decide to go someplace remote without internet access, don't worry about not going to school during that time. You won't be falling behind, and you can pick up exactly where you left. You also won't have to compensate for "lost" time, because you'll ALREADY be ahead of your counterparts in public school. The average "school day" with Ablaze Academy is certainly shorter than that of a regular school, and personally I went to school about two or three hours, four or five days per week. Every day was like summer vacation! That doesn't sound like much, but you complete an incredible amount of work in a short amount of time. The phrase "quality over quantity" couldn't be more accurate in regards to the curriculum. This amount of time is by no means written in stone, however. Nothing is written in stone, and that's what I love about the curriculum: flexibility to cater to individual needs and preferences. While this was what worked best for me, if you need to go slower or faster you can take as much time as is necessary to comprehend the material. Rest assured, you won't be alone if you need help. You have access to tutors from 2:00 PM to 1:00 AM EST. The tutoring service is extremely useful, and I used it very frequently. The environment is very much like a real classroom, with a virtual whiteboard that you may draw and write on, as well as an option to use a web cam and microphone if you need to. The tutors are extremely patient and friendly, and really help you arr! ive at t he answer yourself instead of simply giving it to you out of frustration. They make sure you understand it before you end your session, and always ask if there's anything you're unclear about or if you would like to try another example. Once again, positive reinforcement is extremely abundant and they really make you feel proud of yourself and confident in your abilities.

In a more conventional school setting, you're required to take courses in a foreign language. You usually have a choice between Spanish or French. The same is true of Ablaze Academy, but the difference is that Ablaze Academy utilizes the award-winning Rosetta Stone language learning software to teach not only French and Spanish, but also twenty-nine other languages! You aren't memorizing words from a text book; you're actually learning a new language the same way you learned your native tongue using the dynamic inversion method. You think in another language, and you're assured that your pronunciation is correct by an integrated voice recognition feature. Learning a new language is so intuitive, it's almost effortless. You don't have to wait until the following day for a teacher to translate your work and give you your grade, either. Everything is instantaneous not only in regards to learning a foreign language, but to ALL work. You're immediately graded on everything and given your score. In addition, there is a record of everything you have ever done and how long you were on task. I can see how parents would worry that their child would slack off given the liberal opportunities for self-direction, but don't fear! You can see exactly what your child has done, how long it took to complete, and the grade that was received whenever you wish. My parents sometimes worried that I wasn't doing much, given that I spent so little time working compared to what I would have spent at traditional school, but their concerns were laid to rest once they saw that I was actually progressing at an incredible rate. Complementary to this, my parents received progress reports on a regular basis. They were incredibly detailed. So detailed in fact, that they showed my answers for everything I had ever done. Every infinitesimal detail and second spent on task was accounted for, and if they had any questions they could call and talk to my Counselor or Progress Advisor; they were happy to help. My Coun! selor an d Progress Advisor were EXTREMELY helpful in helping me choose optional courses that I was interested in addition to the required courses, as well as easing the transition from high school into college. My Counselor was always available for any questions and concerns, and there were many, about college applications, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. She really took the load off of my shoulders and went above and beyond the call of duty to help me in a stressful and worrisome period. Ablaze Academy provides an excellent education where you can achieve far more in a shorter amount of time; It's the ideal education for anyone and everyone. In addition to the superior education you'll receive from a school that is extensively accredited, all of the negative social aspects of traditional school are eliminated. There's no peer pressure to deal with, no disgruntled teachers who don't enjoy their work, no discrimination for any reason, and no worrying about your child's performance. In a word, it's perfect. I do have one regret about attending Ablaze Academy, though. I regret not enrolling sooner!

Clint Parsons

..............................................................................................

It is with great pleasure that I write this testimonial of our experience with Ablaze Academy. My son, Linc Bradham, was a rising Junior in High School last year. He was in the public school system and enrolled in an accelerated program which focused on the arts. Linc has always been an exceptional student, but in the last year, had become dissatisfied with high school. His desire was to graduate from high school early and enroll in college. Linc is also a musician who plays keyboards, and spends much of his time performing and working on music projects.

One of our biggest criteria was that the school be HOPE accredited for Georgia colleges and offer a college prep high school diploma. Also, we needed flexibility with travel and schedule. I have a home based business and work with teams in several states and our family travels frequently. And most important, we wanted a school that was challenging, self paced and offered support. I searched for several months without success. Navigating the private academy/distance learning programs is not easy. It's very difficult to find a distance learning program that is recognized by colleges and universities like a traditional school. Most of these institutions offer a GED or diploma that falls under home school parameters, or is not fully accredited by one of the six educational accrediting centers in the United States. Through recommendations from HOPE and Armstrong Atlantic University, I was referred to Ablaze Academy.

One of the first things that got my attention with Ablaze was the accrediting information that was on the website. Everything we needed was there. No other distance learning program that I had seen was accredited like Ablaze. When I called, I was pleased to be referred to the President of Academic Affairs, Wendy Sullivan. The personalized service from the beginning was incredible! Wendy walked us through everything, and a complete evaluation of Linc's transcript was done. Quite a different scenario from other schools where we were referred to a call center with customer service representatives! All of his required courses were explained to us. We were pleased to find out that he would be able to graduate a full year early if he completed all of the required courses. Of course, this would require focus on his part to do two years work in one. We enrolled Linc in September of 2007.

From the beginning, the support we received was amazing. Everyone we worked with, Wendy Sullivan, Andrea Poindexter, and Vernardo Baker for technical support were always there and willing to do help up in any way possible. Any issue we had (and there were very few) was dealt with promptly and courteously. The classes were challenging and interesting for Linc. He went from being a "just getting by" B student to a 4.0 straight A student with Ablaze! More than anything, this shows how a student flourishes when he or she is in the right environment. Our son has always worked better independently, but like any other student, needs support from time to time. Not only did Linc graduate with a 4.0 average, he finished his course work a full month earlier than expected. He has been accepted by his first University choice to start college this fall and is HOPE scholarship eligible. And I feel that the self directed educational experience with Ablaze has given Linc a huge advantage as he transitions to college.

On a personal level, this experience has been more for Linc than just academic. He was your typical "couch potato" kid....he enjoyed television, playing video games, etc. The focused time he spent on school with Ablaze made him look outside his normal past times (I think after spending all of his school time in front of the computer he was ready for something different!). He started going to the gym with me every day, and has gone through an incredible physical transformation. Since February, 2008, he has lost over 60 pounds, and is now employed by our local YMCA as a fitness assistant, a great job that he will continue through college. So not only did our son improve academically through Ablaze, he became more fit physically and fiscally!

Thank you Ablaze Academy for making such a difference in Linc's life! You have given us choices and showed us that there are different options available and that education doesn't have to fit in a box. We wish you continued success as you change lives one student at a time.

With much admiration and gratitude,

Linc Bradham, Ablaze Graduate, Class of 2008

Becky and Billy Bradham

..............................................................................................