Testimonials
Parent and Student Testimonials
From the Parents:
Our son has loved the online classes, and they are a great complement to our homeschooling. I was a bit wary of the format, since our family is not super keen on screen time for kids, but our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The classes themselves are interactive and have been far more engaging than I thought would possible. Each class has an art component, and even a movement one, incorporating cultural dances and aerobic engagement that, yes causes many giggles, but all participate!
Throughout, Michael has connected with these stories in a meaningful and brought the characters experiences into our home. During project time, he has been able to work with other classmates collaboratively and creatively in such as way that I feel it is an example that we adults could learn from! It has been a wonderful experience all around!
Parent in New Brunswick, Canada
This cyber school has been a wonderful experience for Phaedra. She was really needing the independence and the experience of working in a group of kids her age. She LOVES it!
We love the group projects and the way Beth puts the student’s individual work together in a really beautiful way. The way math, science and grammar are all woven together around a core subject makes the learning so much more tangible than traditional schooling. We are so thankful that we are on this journey and hope we can continue in the years to come.
Shamaar, Texas
The Enki cyber school is the only LIVE online class available for my daughter, and it has been a great fit. This is a valuable format as the students feel part of a living classroom while able to access it from their individual locations. The students develop relationships with their teacher and each other!
Enki Education has long been a core part of our family life; with this peer program we find our daughter going further still, deepening learning through story, peer discussions, and writer’s workshop. The culminating projects are amazing—definitely worth checking out on the Enki site—and they offer the students even more peer interaction, with planning and executing done in teams, perfect for this age and stage of adolescence. Thank you Enki!
Parent in Colorado
These Enki classes don’t just touch the surface; they give students a chance to dig deep and immerse themselves in the culture they are studying through their reading, art, music, and movement. As a biracial family, it has always been of utmost importance for our children to learn to have an appreciation for all cultures, and Enki’s multicultural focus helps students develop not only appreciation, but real compassion for the global community.
What my son enjoyed most about the classes is that topics are taught in story form, with hands on art projects to bring it all to life. The interactions and resulting relationships that he has built with his classmates and teacher are wonderful. He felt that the feedback he received from his peers and teacher in the writer’s workshop helped him significantly with his writing skills.
Our only regret is that we didn’t find out about Enki’s cyber classes sooner!
Parent in California
The Enki Junior High Cyber School came just at the right timing for us! The classes combine a deeply researched ongoing historical narrative, work to speak to the heart, exploration through literature, writing, discussion and the arts, AND the attention to the ever-changing social needs of young adolescents at a developmentally pivotal time. They are some of the most developmentally thoughtful courses I’ve encountered as a homeschooling parent, former trainer of teachers, and developmental specialist.
We’ve enjoyed both years that our children have been involved in the Enki program!
Alicia Enki parent 2018 to present
Our daughter is really flowering in a whole new way. She’s made a new family – she’s become penpals with a few of the girls in her class and has made so many new friends. I was recently amazed to witness the end of the year projects, which they worked on together and online. It was a beautiful, multi-faceted production, using so many different art forms. Also, it’s been really great to watch our daughter grow as a writer. The students have a weekly writing practice where they read their writings and stories to each other, and really encourage each other and give feedback. The camaraderie of sharing the writing has really elevated her voice. We weren’t sure about starting into a virtual learning environment with our daughter because she spends so little time on the computer, but as a result of doing it she’s really demonstrating that she’s capable of having a mature relationship in this online community of learning.
Patricia Enki parent 2014 to present
Our son has loved the online classes, and they are a great complement to our homeschooling. I was a bit wary of the format, since our family is not super keen on screen time for kids, but our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The classes themselves are interactive and have been far more engaging than I thought would possible. Each class has an art component, and even a movement one, incorporating cultural dances and aerobic engagement that, yes causes many giggles, but all participate!
Throughout, Michael has connected with these stories in a meaningful and brought the characters experiences into our home. During project time, he has been able to work with other classmates collaboratively and creatively in such as way that I feel it is an example that we adults could learn from! It has been a wonderful experience all around!
Patrick Enki parent 2007 to present
These Enki classes don’t just touch the surface; they give students a chance to dig deep and immerse themselves in the culture they are studying through their reading, art, music, and movement. As a biracial family, it has always been of utmost importance for our children to learn to have an appreciation for all cultures, and Enki’s multicultural focus helps students develop not only appreciation, but real compassion for the global community.
What my son enjoyed most about the classes is that topics are taught in story form, with hands on art projects to bring it all to life. The interactions and resulting relationships that he has built with his classmates and teacher are wonderful. He felt that the feedback he received from his peers and teacher in the writer’s workshop helped him significantly with his writing skills.
Our only regret is that we didn’t find out about Enki’s cyber classes sooner!
Naomi Enki parent 2018 to present
This Humanities class was a positive experience for my very sociable fourteen-year-old daughter. Anytime I passed by or tuned in, I could tell either from her laughter, animated voice or intent listening that she was every bit as invested in this group of spirited teens as she had been with her classmates from a more conventional setting. What a lively bunch! And from what I could tell Jackie was a terrific teacher, very well suited for the task of guiding these students through the process of reading and absorbing the written materials then working in small groups to ‘present’ it again, reassembled and in another form: poetry, short stories, songs, drawings. Very impressive. Looking forward to spring semester.
Jennifer Enki parent 2014 to 20
I cannot say enough good things about the Enki virtual Community School. It has been an amazing experience for my 14-year-old daughter. Abigail was indifferent when I signed her up, but it quickly became her favorite class. “Class,” though, is an understatement. It has been a learning journey that has involved not only learning about the subject matter (which has ranged from renaissance history and astronomy to current events involving Muslim refugees to high emotions in the aftermath of the presidential election), but also learning to collaborate with peers and work through disagreements. Collaboration with peers who value diversity is often a missing element in homeschooling, but this experience has met that need. In fact, as a biracial family living in a non-diverse community, this Enki experience has probably been far more mind broadening than any local school experience could have been.
With Beth’s supportive guidance, Abigail’s artistic and her creative writing abilities have grown in ways that I could not have helped her accomplish alone. Beth was also able to create a space that felt safe enough for her to be expressive and want to participate in class. At one point, when Abigail did not seem as engaged, Beth noticed it and took the time to explore the problem in a non-judgmental way, which helped Abigail to reengage and learn to work through issues like procrastination. Beth is a gifted observer of adolescents and undaunted by the challenges that they present. My only regret is that this class was not around when she was in sixth grade
.
Toni Enki parent 2014/18
I can say that it’s a program based on a lot of research and respect of the many cultures and religions that they study. For example, I was part of the research when Enki was studying the Muslim faith and the African culture, because that is my heritage. Based on that I can say that they do a lot of research and show a lot of respect of the cultures and different religions. Enki helped my son Ibrahim transition to high school very easily. He is having very good grades in high school and he is enjoying his studying. Enki helped him understand the multicultural background he has. It has been a great influence on his life, both developmentally and in his growth as a human being.
Patricia Enki parent 2008 to 2018
This year has been restorative for my son. He truly is a person who is more sensitive than most, physically and emotionally. After, years in a public charter school, this year in the Enki program he has regained a little light in his soul, smiles more, certainly cries less.
So thank you for dedicating your life to spreading Enki as far and wide as possible!
Mary Enki parent 2019/20
The Enki cyber school is the only LIVE online class available for my daughter, and it has been a great fit. This is a valuable format as the students feel part of a living classroom while able to access it from their individual locations. The students develop relationships with their teacher and each other!
Enki Education has long been a core part of our family life; with this peer program we find our daughter going further still, deepening learning through story, peer discussions, and writer’s workshop. The culminating projects are amazing—definitely worth checking out on the Enki site—and they offer the students even more peer interaction, with planning and executing done in teams, perfect for this age and stage of adolescence. Thank you, Enki!
Perikan Enki parent 2010 to present
My name is Gabriel Concha, from Peru. This semester my younger daughter’s class has been doing a unit about Peru and I have been helping with the unit, since we have an indigenous background – with the language, with Quechua, and with the materials, especially the musical instrument we are building. It has been very much fun to help my daughter navigate all this material.
Gabriel Enki parent of 2 EVCS student, 2020 to present
From the Students:
I expected an impersonal experience, a teacher lecturing and students glancing uncomfortably around. That was not what I received. Instead, I found a warm and welcoming environment, where the other children and myself were allowed to talk and joke about the things important to us, with the teacher there to guide conversations and, when necessary, focus us on the content. After the first day, people began showing up early for the sole purpose of talking before class.
It was in one of these rooms I met my friend Hazel. We were given topics and told to debate for and against, I hadn’t really spoken to her before that point, but we worked well together. It was a few weeks later when we here assigned a project together. We got on a private meeting room in our free time and started in on our topic. Three hours later we were laughing and eating lunch together like old friends, despite the miles between us. Eventually she came to Denver to see me, and I visited Chicago to stay with her.
For me, the Enki Virtual school was a perfect transition in a social sense. It got me out of my shell and provided me a way to spend time with other kids in a “classroom” setting while still within the familiar environment of Enki’s curriculum and teachers. It gave me my best friend, and now looking back, I also see how graceful it made my transition to high school and how much it gave me socially.
Rebecca in Colorado
Enki Virtual Community School has definitely been one of my favorite and most useful educational experiences in my ongoing home school adventure. I have not encountered nor expect to encounter anything quite like it. Enki Virtual Community School allows the students to immerse themselves in the culture of study by reading compelling stories, writing creatively, hands on arts and crafts, spirited group discussions, working on group projects, and movement.
Knowledgeable teachers help create an environment full of fun and learning. They make sure everyone is being included and help bring the best out in all of us. They will often stay after class to help students and work tirelessly to ensure everyone is having fun while learning. They excel at bringing out skills that the students never knew they possessed.
What I love about Enki is how everything is so organic and immersive (despite the fact that it’s online!). The stories draw you in with their rich detail and compelling journeys of the characters they contain. The movement is fun and serves as an ice breaker, getting everyone more comfortable with each other. Those who enjoy art and working with their hands (me) will love the cultural arts and crafts, some of which are painting, drawing, clay work, beading, making board games and much more. In Writer’s Workshop, students will learn to write creatively and help one another by giving constructive feedback, encouragement and tips to draw out the best in their writings. Because the class is online, I learned many digital skills and habits that are very useful in a world where technology is, for better or worse, the future, such as keeping track of websites while studying, many useful features for digital writing, using iMovie, and correctly composing emails. Although online, students still feel like a part of a group and build friendships with each other and the teachers. Once I even tried to hold something for the teacher! (Remember, she’s on the other side of the screen!)
Enki has significantly helped me with art, digital skills, working in groups, pacing homework, and writing. I did not have much experience with writing before Enki, and it was never one of my favorite subjects. After one year with Enki, writing became fun and much easier. It is definitely one of the most beneficial things that has come out of my time with Enki.
My only regret is that we didn’t find out about Enki sooner than we did!
Mateo, age 15
My experience with Enki Virtual Community School was absolutely incredible. It was so cool to get to have real classmates and get to do group projects and share our work with each other. We all got along so well and had so much fun together! I would recommend this program to every homeschooler, it was such a great experience, even though it was hard to go back to normal homeschooling when it was over, I’m so glad I did it.
Hannah, age 13
My experience with Enki Virtual Community was overall very positive I especially enjoyed working on the end of the semester projects. We all learned a lot about planning a project realistically and time management. We did everything from making a 30-minute mystery movie of the European Renaissance – where we learned a lot about what’s not realistic and what’s not! – to writing and illustrating our own historical fiction of the peasant revolts in Russia. It was also really fun to see what the other groups put together – each one was really different.
Homeschooling even when you have a structured curriculum, is very different from the schooling you would receive in higher education, such as Universities. Virtual School gave me an opportunity to practice things such as homework outside of class time, working with others on school projects such as the final project for the semester, and how to learn from teachers outside of your parent or usual homeschooling teacher. All of this, prepared me well for handling the college classes I am now in.
Joshua, age 15
In Enki you do a lot of interesting and fun things. When I went to public school after, I found that all that was teaching me to think outside the box in a way the other kids I met afterward, didn’t do. It’s very different and it really taught me to think in lots of different ways.
Ibrahim, age 16
