Josie White
Columbia, SC – South Carolina Whitmore School (SCWS) is a virtual public charter high school that has been fully operating during the COVID-19 crisis due to the early adoption of innovative learning. Since 2011, the goal of SCWS has been to provide a personalized online learning environment, as students work towards earning their high school diploma.
Virtual education has become a more frequent term during this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Schools across South Carolina are utilizing the benefits of virtual education to make sure students are receiving the lessons they need to successfully continue down their educational path. According to the state of South Carolina, over 800,000 students statewide are now dependent on virtual education.
SCWS English/Language Arts teacher, Dr. Josie White, was named the 2020 South Carolina Public Charter School District Teacher of the Year. Dr. White is an alumnae of James Island Charter High School in Charleston, SC and also Clemson University.
Dr. White’s joy for education started at a young age. She has had a passion for reading and education for as long as she can remember, and she committed to becoming a teacher her senior year of high school when she became a Teacher Cadet. Dr. White has been a teacher for over 10 years and is currently in her third year at SCWS.
The pure happiness that Dr. White experiences with education is something that she hopes to continue to share with generations to come.
“I deeply loved learning [as a child], and I still do,” said Dr. White. “I want my students to experience that same feeling. I want to give my students a safe place, even when that place is a virtual one - where they feel they can be themselves, and feel that they are genuinely loved by someone who has their best interests in mind.”
The executive director of SC Whitmore School, John Loveday, has seen the direct impact Dr. White is making on students throughout South Carolina.
“Since 2017 Dr. White has made an incredibly positive impact on our school,” said Executive Director John Loveday. “Her creativity, hard work, and desire to make our school the best it can has been invaluable. We are very lucky to have her here at SCWS.”
Virtual education is adding a new level of access to students across the world.
“We are constantly trying to fight against the status quo and to fight against complacency,” said Loveday. “We know what we do is still very new, and I think we are currently writing the book on how exactly to do what we do. However, we work to get better each and every day and to hold ourselves accountable for personal and collective growth.”
SCWS is extremely proud of all of our educators as we continue to spearhead virtual education. With the new announcement of Dr. White being named the 2020 South Carolina Public Charter School District teacher of the year, we are firm believers that virtual education is the future of educating the next generation of South Carolinians.
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About SC Whitmore School
Founded in 2011, SCWS practices a unique approach to education; it is a self-paced alternative online learning model allows students to advance through online courses at their own pace. This appeals to the entire spectrum of students. For quick learners who are ahead of their peers, this self-paced schedule allows students to graduate an entire academic year early. Over the course of the 2018-2019 school year alone, SCWS graduated more than 133 students. SCWS serves as an alternative approach to learning for those left behind in traditional classroom settings.
If you are interested in learning more about the SC Whitmore School, please visit us online at scwhitmoreschool.org.
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