Not all students do great in regular classrooms. Insight School of Colorado has been an eye-opening experience for me. I didn't know I could be a good student!

I have ADHD and dyslexia. They make regular schedules, long hours at a desk, and closed in spaces very hard for me to do regular school. But with Insight I have found ways to work with my disabilities and still keep up with school. I am able to do a class and then go jump on my trampoline for 10 minutes before I take on the next class. This has helped with my concentration and for the first time in my life I got five As and one B in my first semester.

Don't get me wrong; it is not easier! For that matter, the classes are harder and the teachers are tougher. You can't cheat, not show up for live sessions, or not do your work and get straight As, but I can take breaks when I need to. For me, this was the perfect solution.

As far as help, it is always there. The teachers are available through live sessions in which we can hear and speak. We can call them, even on weekends and we can e-mail them. Even my German class is easier than I thought it would be, especially online but I am doing pretty well.

We have tutors if we need them, iMentors, counselors, home room teachers and a teacher for each class. The tech support, computers and books are all top-notch. I have had no complaints at about any of it.

My social life has not suffered either. I still have time for my friends in my neighborhood. I still have time to take a martial arts class, do volunteer work and participate in youth group at our local church.

I am also meeting some really good friends through Insight. We have social meetings and activities all over Colorado and are invited to all of them. This allows us to meet in person, too. There are study groups, field trips, book clubs and everything else you would find at a brick-and-mortar building with a traditional school. But Insight gives me more than all that.

It has given me a way to learn at my own pace (I can work ahead instead of waiting for the whole class to get something). I can sleep till 10 a.m. and do school work at night if that is what I wish to do. Adults are always talking about how teenagers are night owls and like to sleep in; this school gives you that opportunity. I have to put in the same amount of time as any student in public school, but having so many options makes school fun and exciting again.

I am also learning to manage my time better, since it is up to me to get my work done on time, correctly. Who knew I could be responsible? When you are the kind of student I was in regular public school it becomes a nightmare and I probably would have tried to drop out as soon as I legally could. But now I am looking for straight A's and hoping to go to college! These are not words you would have heard from me last year or any year before that. I credit Insight, its staff and teachers. They have made me feel important, smart and have helped me to become a better person and a better student.

Online school may not be for everyone, but for me it has been everything! My parents consider Insight a Godsend and an answer to their prayers. I am actually trying, not complaining. I am proud of myself, and that was a whole new feeling for me when it came to school work.

It is not that my parents and my teachers did not try to help me or encourage me, it was simply the format of regular school that I could not do. This way I do not need to be on medication, I can control my disabilities with extra exercise and special diets with limited preservatives and sugars. I feel I have control of my life, look forward to my future, and look, I am writing an essay, even when I didn't have to!

Thank you to the state of Colorado for taking a step toward the future and giving kids like me a chance at a great education without the stress of a closed-in classroom.

I would also like to thank the Julesberg school district for going the extra mile to offer these classes and to Insight for caring and being a state-of-the-art teaching facility and caring for kids like me!

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Petit, 14, lives in Elbert. Cyberschools' Day At The Capitol will be held on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Colorado State Capitol. Students who attend Insight School of Colorado will show support for their school by joining together with Colorado Coalition for Cyberschool Families to bring awareness to Colorado legislators regarding the importance of school choice.

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