Story/Interview August 29, 2019
Louise Karayan
Being bullied at primary school left Louise anxious about the move to higher education. Luckily, a friend suggested King's InterHigh and now she has the freedom to learn at her own pace.
"It gives me the freedom to learn at my own pace and not feel pressured by my classmates. I have become more outgoing as a person and my confidence and self-esteem is growing."
Can you tell us about your education experiences before King's InterHigh?
Before InterHigh, I went to a State Primary School where I was bullied for a few years. As a physical bricks and mortar school, there were large mixed class sizes so if you had difficulties in some subjects, you were not always catered for.
How did you get on at mainstream school?
I was bullied at primary school. I have a form of dyslexia which affects my short-term memory, which made it harder to keep up with the other students as I couldn’t write and think quickly enough within the lesson time. This made me anxious and frustrated, and affected my self-esteem.
Why did you decide to choose King's InterHigh?
I was really interested when I spoke to a friend who had already joined InterHigh. She showed me how it all worked and I really thought it was for me. Luckily, my parents were very supportive and after attending an online Open Evening, we decided to give it a go.
How has studying at King's InterHigh improved things?
It gives me the freedom to learn at my own pace and not feel pressured by my classmates. It is a very different learning experience and it took some getting used to, but school is no longer something I am frightened of and depressed by. I have become more outgoing as a person and my confidence and self-esteem is growing. I feel I can be myself and don’t feel like I’m being judged all the time.
At InterHigh, you can watch the lesson as many times as you need to until you have finished – which has really helped me feel much less pressured and I have become more confident in my learning.
Has learning with King's InterHigh had any benefits outside of school?
Both my parents are self-employed, my mum works mainly from home and my dad works away a lot. We’ve found that there is no longer the time pressure getting to and from school, so everyone is far more relaxed on a daily basis.
It has improved our family time together as my parents feel more included in my education and we talk a lot more about school stuff.
How does the independent style of learning fit into your everyday life?
Now we eat all our meals together. I love cooking and my timetable allows me time to cook more than if I was in a normal school.
I’m becoming better at making good use of my time too, trying to complete homework during the day so that evenings and weekends are free.
Also, I no longer panic if I don’t understand a lesson as I know that I can go back and watch it again on the 24/7 lesson archive.
On reflection, what’s your favourite thing about King's InterHigh?
The timetable gives me loads more time to ride my pony Alf, so I love the freedom of InterHigh.
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