Perhaps you have wondered why successful high school student athletes enroll in online Spanish classes for credits or participate in tutoring and test prep classes? If your student is a student athlete you might want to know how taking online Spanish classes for credit can help your students learn the most as well as maintain the flexibility they need to compete. There are several reasons your student should consider taking online Spanish lessons, but we would like to discuss the top 4 reasons for your student to enroll in an online Spanish class. 

Online Learning Offers Students More Free Time

Online Spanish classes allow athletes more free time and flexibility, enabling them to take the course and lessons at their own pace. Aside from having a flexible schedule, the student can conduct lessons anywhere as long as they have an internet connection. Access from anywhere is very important to competitive athletes who are sometimes traveling to compete all over the country or the world. Different time zones can sometimes prevent students from talking to classmates, but with personalized lessons taught online via video chat with an instructor, athletes are able to get the personalized content, instruction, and timing they need. 

Student athletes find that online learning offers the benefits of providing more free time, custom learning approaches, and reduces stress levels so they can be more mentally focused on their sport. Often, the more flexible schedule allows students to finish their online Spanish lessons in a short period in comparison to taking a full year of a language in school. It is the more concentrated time and self-paced lessons that allow for more flexibility than a classroom setting.  This flexibility gives students more time to practice their sport, participate in other school activities as well as allow for more time to be spent studying other subjects. 

Online Spanish Classes with Custom Learning Approaches

Perhaps one of the best benefits online Spanish classes can give your athlete students is the opportunity to get an education according to their personal needs and capabilities. For instance, an online Spanish tutor can adjust their lessons if their student has a learning disability or needs accommodations. The tutor can focus more on speaking or reading depending on the student. Some students with dyslexia or dysgraphia need to focus more on strategies that will help them be successful which may not be the dominant teaching method in a typical classroom or be the focus of a language learning software. 

The best online Spanish classes are one-on-one giving the instructor a more effective way to evaluate the student’s ability and learning style. Compared to a classroom setting where the instructor handles 10 or more students at the same time, in a one-on-one online Spanish class, the instructor can be focused and deliver customized lessons to optimize learning. Both the student and the online Spanish tutor can communicate directly to have efficient lessons where the focus is only on the things the student needs to learn or improve. Anything they already know will be bypassed so students can focus their studies in specific areas. This almost always results in a faster learning pace. 

In addition, online Spanish lessons offer shy or more reticent students the opportunity to participate in class discussions more easily than group class sessions. There are more quality interactions and a greater ability to concentrate on the student when lessons are private or in a smaller group. Some students don’t realize that in order to learn a language, it’s necessary to make mistakes. Few teens want to make mistakes in front of their peers, so it’s critical to make sure they have a good relationship with their online Spanish tutor. 

Less Stress

Indeed, better teacher-student relationships cause less stress and with schedule flexibility, these powerful academic connections can happen on the student’s schedule. Meeting one to one means less pressure from peers and learning from an understanding, patient instructor produces less stress. Students get to focus on learning without other pressures which can lead to loss of sleep and increased anxiety which in turn can affect their performance on the court or competitive field.

With online Spanish classes, students do not need to be in the classroom from morning until the afternoon as compared to a traditional school. Instead, each student can create their schedule. For instance, if a student is not a morning person or struggles to stay focused in the afternoon, with online Spanish classes, students can choose the time of day that is best for them. Or let’s say a high school student is training to be a professional basketball player and needs to practice with other professional players and a coach for a few hours every morning. With online Spanish courses, she certainly could, as she would simply develop her routine of doing course work at times throughout the week when she is available. In self-paced, mastery-based personalized learning styles of online Spanish classes, students do not need to battle stress but can enjoy school. 

Online Spanish Classes are Convenient

So many distractions might exist in a traditional classroom setting which could easily make learning in that environment very stressful for some students. Whether a student needs complete silence or a little bit of noise, bright light or soft light, a comfy chair with pillows or a simple stool, each student can choose where they perform best for their lessons. Online school students can study at an airport waiting for a flight, at Starbucks, in their bedroom or their parent’s office, wherever they are most comfortable and can learn best. 

When athletes are looking to compete at the college level, in order to be considered for scholarships, their online Spanish classes need to be NCAA approved. The NCAA wants to ensure all students are taking the time to learn in high school and are prepared for college-level work when they get there. Competitive athletes need to take NCAA approved online Spanish classes to be eligible for scholarships and to be successful academically and in their sport once the get to college. 

Choosing an online Spanish class like the ones LanguageBird offers, helps to qualify students for their NCAA requirements as well as provides an environment where students can thrive. Athletes can take online Spanish lessons at their pace and on their schedule with a private instructor who will help them learn as well as make sure they are prepared academically for the future giving them time to focus on their sport. Flexibility, care and consideration for each student and their needs teach students language in the most convenient, least stressful and supportive way so they can focus on being a champion both in school and in their sport.