Jeffrey Yatzko took an unconventional route to graduating high school, completing the bulk of his education through distance education, or home-schooling.
Yatzko completed his studies, at home, through the Peace Academy for Virtual Education program, or PAVE.
Home-schooling, in various forms, has been around forever though it may be finally coming into its own.
The Internet has made the distribution of curriculum and the exchange of information between students and teachers nearly seamless.
According to Yatzko, his parent made the decision to home-school the youngster, beginning in Grade 2 with mixed success. “My parents thought it would be nice to be around their children more while they were growing up. We tried a program that was run out of Barrhead, but it wasn’t a good fit.”
Back then, PAVE was still relatively new; a consortium of the Peace Wapiti School Division No. 76, and the High Prairie School Division no. 78. It offered distance education for Grades 4 through 9 and the Yatzko family again tried their luck. During his time with PAVE, the program grew to include Grades 9 through 12.
After nine years, Jeffrey says, the program was a resounding success.
“I can’t think of any real drawbacks,” said the recent graduate, adding, “I suppose if you’re not really regimented, you could easily fall behind. Otherwise, I have no regrets!”
A lot of misconceptions about social development are also beginning to fade, as more people take advantage of distance learning.
The Leader was curious as to just how kids manage to keep their cool, when hanging around with adults all the time. What about socializing with kids? “I have a lot of friends that were home schooled also. We would rent a gym sometimes, or do other activities together,” said Yatzko, who by the way sounds pretty level-headed for a young guy.
Joan Coy is one of the adult facilitators of the program. She has worked with the PAVE program since 2000, at the headquarters in Spirit River, Alberta.
Coy is also co-principal of the school, teaches math, art and science and is a counselor.
That’s a lot of hats to wear; and that may be a testament to how distance education lends flexibility to schooling. “The program really is great. It may not be for everyone, but it for some people it works really well.”
She suggested that distance education can be a real boon for people who learn visually, citing the benefits of computer aided learning and having lessons on a screen in front of you. “For some people, it may be an illness that limits them from attending traditional school, or it may be that they are involved in elite sports. We offer the flexibility to address all of these things,” said the educator.
Of the 186 PAVE students this year, about 110 represent full time students, others can take several courses, or opt in and out according to their schedules.
Having completed his education almost entirely from home, Jeffrey Yatzko is living proof of the benefits of distance education. His family owns Martin Yatzko Graphics in Slave Lake, and one of Jeffrey’s designs was recently chosen as the main logo of the PAVE program.
Coming full circle, it appears that the road to a sound education may be a paved one.

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