By Jennifer Merritt
|
|
Serving as assistant principal at Hilton Head High School (Hilton Head, SC), Rhone-Bush saw the opportunity she'd been waiting for -- one that would not only enhance her career, but ultimately her education, too. "I saw the proposal for the bond referendum to build the [new] school," she says. "When I was hired as an assistant principal at Hilton Head High School, I told my principal I wanted the opportunity to lead the school."
And, after she led a 55-member committee through the design and build process of Bluffton High School (Beaufort, SC), a state-of-the-art technology school, Rhone-Bush was unanimously chosen as principal. Thus, the then 34-year-old became one of the youngest high school principals in South Carolina.
Now 35, Rhone-Bush is pursuing her Ph.D. in elementary and secondary administration through Capella University's online program. While getting her Ph.D. was always a goal for Rhone-Bush, she never would have guessed she'd earn it in cyberspace.
"I needed to find a way I could obtain my career goals and still participate as an active practitioner in education," she says. When considering Ph.D. programs, she was convinced to try Capella on the recommendation of her assistant principal, Dan Staniflawczyk, a graduate of the school's master's program. "[Now] I feel everyone should be an online learner," she says with a laugh.
She's only half-kidding. Thanks to her online pursuit of higher ed', Rhone-Bush was inspired to integrate online learning into her high school. Beginning January 2005, juniors and seniors can take a government and economy course strictly online -- no classroom or formal desk required.
"[Online learning] has had such a profound impact on me as an educator," she admits. "I come from a traditional background in terms of education. I really like face-to-face contact, and this program has shown me how you can have a dialogue [online]. As an educator, I have to come up with creative ways for children to learn in the 21st century, and that's what the 21st century is all about -- change."
The times may be changing, but did Rhone-Bush ever worry about her ability to venture into cyberspace? Absolutely not, says the woman who had only previously used the Internet for e-mail and online shopping.
"It works so well," she says. "It's such a user-friendly program." Nor did she worry whether the credibility of her online degree would be questioned. "Integrity means a lot to me. I wouldn't be in a watered-down program -- I've got my master's from John Hopkins [University]," she says. "When I have 'Ph.D.' behind my name, I'll know what I learned, and I'm not going to worry about it."
She did worry, however, whether online learning would take time away from her family, which includes her husband, an attorney and judge, and two-year-old daughter Savannah. Rhone-Bush admits earning a degree over the wires is time-consuming (she estimates devoting up to 10 hours a week to herstudies), but says she makes it a goal to take breaks, usually logging on 9-11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and taking Friday and Saturday off.
Rhone-Bush eventually discovered she had nothing to worry about. "[Online learning] has made my life easier because of the flexibility and time it does not take away from my family," she says. "And for a person like me, that's what's most important."
© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.