Interview with Ontario Virtual School Alum, Anisha Aggarwal
- Name
Anisha Aggarwal - University (major)
York University and University of Toronto (BSc Honours Biology and Masters of Teaching)
Anisha, former student of Ontario Virtual School (OVS), praised the flexibility and personal growth gained from the school. She highlighted the importance of student-teacher interaction, the diversity at OVS, and how it prepared her for post-secondary education. Anisha has returned to OVS as a teacher.
Highlights from the interview
After studying with Ontario Virtual School, I did an undergraduate degree at York University in biology. Then I pursued a master's in teaching at University of Toronto.
Through my experience with Ontario Virtual School, I found myself improving at learning new things and adapting, coming from a public school. This prepared me for post-secondary, where I was exposed to a whole online environment.
The good thing about Ontario Virtual School was that I was able to engage in other extracurricular activities, while managing my learning with them. I was able to work a part-time job and still navigate through the course at my own pace.
My proudest memory at Ontario Virtual School was my interactions with the teachers. I think sometimes there's a persona that with an online school system, there isn't personal interaction with your teachers. But the teacher I worked with was really helpful. I was engaged in conversation through email with the teacher, who was available to help me and guide me.
Choosing OVS was one of the best decisions I made for myself, especially during the summer. I was able to learn at my own pace and felt more independent. It was up to me to navigate that learning experience for myself.
The concept of a student-centered learning environment allowed me to navigate the course at my own pace. It taught me valuable life skills like time management. OVS is helpful because they can access lessons at any time during the day, review those lessons at their own pace, and become more independent learners.
Ontario Virtual School is constantly evolving, considering what parents and students have to say. It's the diversity at OVS, in not just the learning material, but also the availability of courses, the students, and the teachers. Everyone brings something different to the school.
There's a negative association with online learning that it's all up to you. But having teacher support still was important for me. Parents can be surprised at how accommodating OVS is, ensuring that they stay connected with students.
I've grown to admire the school more, seeing how far it's come. There are many teachers working together, giving that community feeling. Including the students and the parents in the learning process and making changes that meet the needs of people and diversity is something they're continuously working towards.
You will not only learn about the course material but also learn valuable life skills. OVS teaches you those skills, like navigating courses at your own pace and goal setting, which is extremely valuable.
Parents and students should know that OVS is there to help and guide them in making decisions about courses, accommodating their needs. It helps them become more independent learners, especially important if pursuing post-secondary education. The OVS story, the vision of how it started, is something I recommend parents to look at.
To new students, I’d say: make sure you are using the resources, not hesitating to email your teacher, ask questions, and navigate through the website. Teachers are friendly and will respond to your emails right away. Setting goals for yourself when navigating through a course will help students succeed and get through the course successfully and on time, depending on their personal life and goals.
