Littlestown, Pa. — Bethann Ambrose realized within days of starting her freshman year at a traditional public high school in Adams County that she wanted a more efficient way to earn her diploma while still being challenged academically.

To Ambrose, the traditional high school schedule of homeroom assignments, study halls and lunches were impediments to her education because of the imposed time constraints and social interactions.

“It was not a good fit for me, because my main focus was on academics and graduating,” Ambrose said.

She left before the end of the first semester in 2006 to attend Achievement House Cyber Charter School, an online public charter school authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to serve students in grades 7-12.

“I just wanted to get my high school diploma and find a job,” Ambrose said. “I had no plans to go to college.”

Her experience at Achievement House Cyber Charter School, however, had a life-changing influence on her educational and professional goals.

When she entered Achievement House, Ambrose did not like being in a school environment and considered math her least favorite subject. Today, she is a full-time math teacher in an exclusive private college preparatory high school in Maryland.Ambrose credits one of her math teachers at Achievement House for launching her transformation.

I had a special teacher at Achievement House who made me realize math is fun,” Ambrose said. “I am now teaching geometry, statistics and calculus to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. 

Ambrose, 23, of Littlestown, began teaching in 2013 at Gerstell Academy, a private, independent school located on a 250-acre campus in Finksburg, Md. The school has high academic standards and incorporates leadership skills into its curriculum. The math teacher at Achievement House who changed the direction of Ambrose’s career path also has had an influence on her teaching style.

“My math teacher at Achievement House showed me that teachers do not have to be serious all of the time,” Ambrose said. “He always had a game that was fun but really challenging at the beginning of the class. I remember always making sure I was a little early for his class so I wouldn’t miss the games.”

Ambrose has incorporated leadership games into her curriculum by having students take turns researching leaders and getting the class to guess their identity from little-known facts about their background. One of the first clues recently given was for a leader who feared water because of his inability to swim — retired NBA basketball player Michael Jordan.

Ambrose said her transition to Achievement House initially was fraught with personal insecurities that kept her from answering questions or participating in class. Because of the skill of her teachers at Achievement House in getting her to participate in class, Ambrose said she eventually became one of the students who always wanted to offer an answer or comment.

“By late November or early December, I was rolling with it,” Ambrose aid. “I loved the fact that my teachers set up their courses in a way that I could work at my own pace without needing to wait for other students.”

She began moving ahead to future assignments and taking additional classes to earn enough credits to graduate one year ahead of schedule in 2009 and in the top 10 of her class. By then, she had already decided to pursue a teaching career, and she had two universities offer her academic scholarships.

“I was nervous about jumping back into a regular school system,” Ambrose said. “I was afraid it was going be the same as high school or middle school, and I absolutely didn’t want to have to go into debt.”

She took one semester off to consider her options, and began searching for online colleges of the same caliber as Achievement House Cyber Charter School.

In October 2009, she enrolled in Western Governor’s University, an online school based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“I was able to use the technology and independent-learning skills I developed at Achievement House to work at my own pace, keep a full-time job and pay for college completely on my own,” Ambrose said. “In fact, my online experience at Achievement House has allowed me to continue my education while teaching at Gerstell Academy.”

Ambrose expects to graduate this spring from Western Governor’s University with a master’s degree in physics education.

She credits her teachers at Achievement House for helping her discover her natural abilities as a mentor, which led her to pursue a teaching career.

Ambrose’s sister, Deanna, also attended Achievement House Cyber Charter School. She was the valedictorian of the Class of 2011, and she recently graduated from Western Governor’s University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.