At a high-tech New York City high school that offers many online classes, Angelica Modabber became “her own best teacher,” she writes on GothamSchools. But it wasn’t easy.

Not consistently having someone keep tabs on me was surprisingly unnerving; I had expected to thrive with this newfound freedom. After all, wasn’t this the independence I had always yearned for? However, I quickly discovered that my “freedom” was buried beneath layers and layer of responsibility – or in my case, procrastination.

. . . (At first) I was always confused, had trouble following directions, could not focus on the task at hand, and expected to be hand-fed all the information.

She learned how to manage her time and pace herself.

Teaching myself was shockingly effective. I was finally being taught by someone who fully understood me.

. . . I had no one to blame for all my screw-ups other than myself. Rather than frightening me, this concept was actually thrilling.

She grew to love online learning. But many classmates “blamed the courses for their own inadequacies.”