The Return on Investment to a VSA Education
Several years ago, I was knee-deep in homeschooling four young children. Even though I’d earned a master’s degree in teaching and taught at prestigious prep schools for nearly a decade, the challenge of homeschooling a sixth grader, fourth grader, second grader, and kindergartener simultaneously led me to a startling realization: I needed help! A friend of mine taught at VSA at the time, and she thought it would be a good fit for our children. I enrolled our oldest, Michael, in for seventh grade, and he thrived. Today, he's a college graduate and nearing the completion of dental school. After more than a decade with VSA, we proudly have four graduated Griffins! My husband often tells me that enrolling our children in VSA’s Diploma Program was one of the top three best parenting decisions we’ve ever made.
VSA has provided my kids with not only academic excellence but also a moral framework to navigate the modern world. I’ve witnessed their growth over the past decade as they’ve learned to pursue wisdom, think critically, and ask meaningful questions. As a high schooler, I was known as the “smart kid” with a 4.0 GPA, but my education was superficial. I was excellent at memorization and highly organized, which led to pristine grades, but I never understood how different subjects connected. When I began homeschooling my own children, I knew I wanted something more, though I didn’t know where to find it—until I discovered Veritas. VSA has changed the Gimotty family forever.
I love hearing stories from my college kids about the strong educational foundation VSA provided them. When I sent my oldest off to an out-of-state college, I checked in with him after a few months and asked how I could better prepare his siblings for college. He confidently replied, “Mom, there are over a thousand freshmen at my university, and I’m certain I’m the most prepared of all of them!” A few years ago, my oldest daughter called and wanted me to see the material she was studying for her college final exam. As I reviewed the material, I said, “Madison, you learned all of this in Omnibus.” She responded, “I know, Mom. I’m the only one in my class who’s ever studied this. This final will be a breeze after those Omnibus exams!” My younger son, during his interview for the honors program at his future university, was asked about a book he’s read recently. A bit sheepishly, he explained Omnibus and mentioned that he’s read more than 150 Great Books in the past six years. Needless to say, he was admitted into their Honors College! After our youngest daughter completed her first year of college, Grace shared with me, “Mom, I miss VSA. In college, they are mostly just looking for the right answer but at Veritas, we learned to understand, explain, and dissect the why behind the answer.”
Several years ago, I discovered a little more time on my hands because my children needed me a little less, so I began looking for opportunities to sow into the next generation of homeschool families. Becoming an Academic Advisor for VSA seemed like the perfect next chapter. Keenly aware of the rigors of classical Christian education and the demands of homeschooling, I love helping other homeschool families succeed in their journeys. After several years in this role, I always share a few key points with new families about VSA:
No one does online schooling better than Veritas Scholars Academy.
VSA has some of the greatest teachers IN THE WORLD because we can hire from anywhere in the world!
An accredited transcript with a weighted GPA is invaluable when applying to colleges. I have the privilege of helping 50+ seniors get into colleges every year, and VSA’s transcripts compete well with the very best schools out there.
The Diploma Program is worth the extra investment, and not just because I work at VSA. In all our years at VSA, all the Gimottys were in the Diploma Program. It provided me the framework, confidence, and accountability I needed.
Time management is critical—your students can learn that when they are younger and the stakes are lower, or later in life through the school of hard knocks. VSA’s school management system, Schoology, helps students learn that deadlines matter and that time management is essential.
Diploma families who have at least one parent closely overseeing the child’s education are the most successful families in our program. VSA is not simply a brick-and-mortar school moved into your home. Your students will still need you—I promise!
Enjoy the journey! The days are long, but the years are short. VSA will provide your students with mental rigor and vigorous intellectual pursuit, which you then can use as a platform in your parenting to dialogue about many of life’s most complex questions.
After more than twenty years, I have closed the chapter on my personal homeschool journey. If I’m honest, it’s bittersweet, but the rewards have been tremendous. One of the unexpected blessings of being in the trenches with my kids day in and day out is that they still want me involved in their education and are eager to share their successes in college and in their careers. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear from one of them about some aspect of their lives they want to share. Every day wasn’t fabulous as I homeschooled my children. In fact, few days were—but the return on investment has been extraordinary, and VSA has played a significant role in that. Our school aims to graduate young men and women who think clearly, reason persuasively, and articulate winsomely, and by God’s grace, we are doing just that!
Susan Gimotty is an Academic Advisor at Veritas Scholars Academy. She has four children, all of whom are now VSA graduates.
