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Prisma is the world’s most engaging virtual school that combines a fun, real-world curriculum with powerful mentorship from experienced coaches and a supportive peer community
Cora had been in a private school before attending Prisma. We decided to travel the world the summer after Cora finished third grade. The plan was to homeschool her (or “worldschool” her, as it’s known now) but the last week before we left the States, we saw an ad on Facebook, interviewed with Kristen, enrolled that day and bought her a laptop the week before school started and we flew to Mexico.
During the pandemic, when we were all working and educating the kids from home, we realized that we could do this from anywhere! We had always wanted to travel and decided that July 2021 was our "Go Date." We sold most of our belongings and put the rest into storage, renting out our home, and hitting the road.
We had only planned on being abroad for two years, because we thought we needed to get back to the States for Cora to experience "junior high", but now that we've found Prisma, we have no intention of ever returning to a traditional school model. Prisma gave us the freedom to turn a pipedream into a sustainable lifestyle.
I am so grateful for the support and accountability that Prisma provides. It gives us the flexibility of homeschooling, but my husband and I don’t have to be the primary educators. Knowing that trained experts are developing Cora’s curriculum in alignment with our family’s values, gives us incredible peace of mind! Cora has taken personal responsibility for her work; she shows up as a leader and exhibits a confidence she didn’t have before.
We had really high expectations for Prisma, and didn’t think any school would give us the quality education we wanted for her, while allowing us the flexibility to be Nomads. It felt like Prisma was designed with Worldschooling Families in mind.
We decided to join Prisma because of their Core Values, which aligned with our family’s manifesto. We agree that the future is uncertain and wholeheartedly believe that Prisma’s approach to education will set our children up for success, no matter what they want to do later in life. We loved that it was founded by entrepreneurs who “got” our lifestyle and believed that the purpose of education is to kindle curiosity, creativity and courage, rather than memorize and regurgitate facts and figures.
I expected that we would have to follow a pre-formulated curriculum with assigned lessons and a teacher would give her grades. Instead, Cora gets to really design her own learning path based on what interests her and she works closely with her coach to make sure that she’s staying on track and preparing adequately for her “Expo Days” when she presents her project to the school. She has so much autonomy, which has allowed her natural creativity to blossom into confident leadership and self-expression.
I never expected to find a family within my child’s school, but the leadership, teachers, parents and kids have become friends for life. We all share the same passion and values -- Prisma is more like a home for the Outliers than a school.
Cora is so much more self-motivated and technologically-savvy since joining Prisma. She gets herself up and manages her calendar; she attends and leads their “stand-up” calls. I regularly find her making art on Canva or recording videos with her friends to upload onto their YouTube channels. Prisma really encourages creative self-expression and pulls in all kinds of fun digital tools to help the kids harness that power into productive craftsmanship.
She’s more sure of herself and is willing to speak up in group settings more now. Prisma is such a positive culture that everyone is safe and every idea is heard and that encourages everyone to be more open.
Well, we joined Prisma as we were undertaking the biggest journey of our lives, so pretty much everything has changed since we joined Prisma! :) But specifically, Prisma supports our world-schooling lifestyle such that we no longer feel the need to “come home and put Cora in a real school”. No matter where we live, Cora will attend Prisma (and our boys will join her once they’re old enough). Knowing that we have a loving community and access to world-class education, no matter what timezone we happen to be in, has been a dream come true.
Want to learn more about how Prisma can empower your child to thrive?
Learn MoreWe’re fans of online learning, but it depends how it’s done. Here’s some pros and cons of different kinds of online homeschooling resources to consider, plus links to a variety of options.
Unit studies blend multiple subjects together to create real-world, interest-driven learning experiences. Steal the approach our curriculum experts use to create themes with a free downloadable unit study planner.
“The curriculum at Prisma allows learners to learn about their strengths and use their passions in an organic and interdisciplinary way. The kids have the freedom to choose by having differentiated projects, quests, enrichments, and clubs.”
You might be hearing from friends, extended family, and random strangers in the doctor’s office “there’s no way your kid will be able to get into a good college as a homeschooler.” Impolite, yes. True? Let’s figure it out.
“The amount of support and check-ins our learners have at Prisma is unparalleled compared to anywhere else I’ve ever worked.”
Each of the most popular homeschool styles has existed for a long time, and each has diehard evangelizers and fervent critics. From classical to unit studies to unschooling, this guide will help you find the form best suited to your family.
“What most drew me to Prisma was the chance to work with a fully project-based curriculum custom-designed for middle schoolers who are hungry for academic engagement.”
The best online school for your family is a question of priorities: More support or lower tuition costs? Traditional or project-based academics? Asynchronous or lots of interaction? We break it down in this post.
David Waitzer is the Founding Learning Coach for our first cohort in East Asia & Oceania. In this post, he describes how his background teaching and leading for innovative international education companies will help him accelerate the growth of Prisma learners.
Prisma has hundreds of learners across the Western Hemisphere. Along the way, we've gotten requests to launch cohorts in new time zones from families around the world who want to be part of what we’re building. Next up is East Asia & Oceania!
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Middle School Curriculum Designer Lizzie uses her diverse experiences: studying Literature at Harvard, leading outdoor adventure expeditions, and teaching high school English, to help Prisma learners find their voices.
The pandemic has made homeschooling easier than ever before with a boom of online options from curriculum, to part-time programs, to full-time schools. But which is best for your family?
Prisma High School’s Launchpad Program will prepare learners to tackle their next phase, be it college, training, or an exciting career. Trevor Baker, our LaunchPad program designer, describes how he sets learners up for success.
You might have to jump in at first. But eventually, with the right modeling and practice, kids can develop the skills to make thoughtful decisions.
Middle School Curriculum Designer Gabe, an expert in interdisciplinary learning with a PhD from the University of Michigan, explains how he designs themes that blend together STEM and literacy.
One of the most fun parts of being a homeschooling parent is creating fun learning experiences for your kiddos! In this post, we share our favorite at-home activities and online resources.
Our Head of Middle School Curriculum explains how her team blends core subjects and real-world topics to design “hard fun” cycle themes.
One of the reasons our team wanted to develop a new kind of school was because we felt traditional schooling doesn’t put enough emphasis on developing emotionally intelligent kids. But what is emotional intelligence and how do you develop it?
"Carolyn is a miracle worker in math. Piper's attitude towards math has improved so much this year. It's never been her favorite subject but Carolyn's patience and encouragement has made such a positive impact." -Alexia A., Prisma parent
Media literacy is touted as one of the most important “21st century skills” for kids to master, in line with creativity, communication, and grit. Thinking through the amount of time most of us spend interacting with some form of media each day makes a good case for this.
“Lauren is fantastic and has struck a nice balance of connecting with Cooper and keeping him on task. I'm impressed to see real growth in Cooper around self awareness, reflecting on his “glows and grows,” and goal setting.” -Kym J., Prisma parent
“I've seen growth in my kids, and most importantly a solid relationship between them and their coaches. We feel so grateful for these amazing humans that have entered our kids' lives. My kids' words exactly: ‘These teachers actually want to be here. They really care!’ ” -Katie M., Parent in Kimberly’s Cohort
By introducing these concepts at home, you're setting your child up to be more financially responsible and savvy, giving them the tools to navigate an increasingly complex financial world.
“I’m so happy to have an opportunity to call out Javi. As a math educator myself I am really impressed with how he presents math concepts, differentiates for and challenges learners as needed. From a social-emotional perspective he is so kind, patient and invested in the kids as a whole. I am so happy he is Brynn’s math coach.” -Chandra S., Prisma parent
The ability to tolerate frustration is not merely about weathering the storm of the moment, but about instilling the persistence, adaptability, and resilience that set your child up for future success.
