The count down begins for my eldest to start home school... I am not sure if we could really call it "home school"... I'm not teaching her - there's no way I could... I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the concepts she is learning now... What I mean by home school is that she will be taking her classes on line through an on line high school that is accredited with all the UC and State colleges.
Tomorrow - her and I will participate in the Master's agreement on line seminar.. This will explain how everything works... I have checked out the site and it's pretty cool.. It's paperless, very detailed, and organized... The organized part is exactly what my "day dreamer" needs... At the end of the month she will participate in a 3 day seminar and then the following Monday - school is in session....
Most of the tests are on line via a web cam... The software is state of the art in technology.. no way for cheating... which is a good thing... Because she will be on the UC/CS track - her finals will need to be at their headquarters.. all other tests will be on line.
Today - I started getting everything ready... Optimized one of the desk tops and added a web cam and mic.. Geek squad will be by soon to connect her desktop with the printers in my office. She will also have the capability to do her classes on her laptop... but for the time being though - she'll do it at a proper desk in the office....
What I like about this opportunity for my kid is that - she can study and learn mostly at her own pace. She is a brilliant girl and can succeed in anything she chooses to do.. The online school makes it possible for her do more... in a less stressful environment... If she wants to do a class in the evening - she can do that too... The stress of getting to school on time will no longer be a problem.. The wasted time between classes... the teacher taking attendance or helping other kids - will no longer exist... All her time in class will be "productive" time... and this is a good thing.
The school is like any other school... It has a newspaper... a yearbook.... community service groups... This is a very exciting for my creative one... She was on yearbook in junior high and loved it... Her talent for the written word is incredible.... Another cool thing is that she can now play more tennis with her coach... She can also take a few cooking classes for fun... Volunteer in the church sports program... take belly dancing classes... The possibilities are endless... In case you were getting concerned... No, not all opportunities will occur in the same time frame... My point is that she will have more time to enjoy herself as a kid... Get the education she needs for her future college dreams.. AND socialize in the right situations...
I have done my research and I believe that on line school is the wave of the future... With our state's deficits and less monies going to public education - it makes sense for on line school.. The overhead is so much lower.... The expense of books is gone - buildings to buy/rent - utilities to pay for.. The teachers work out of their homes... the classes are paperless (good for the environment). I also believe that this will be a good thing for the students.. Smaller class rooms and more individual attention....
I will let you know how it goes...
What are Your thoughts On Home/online school?
As a teacher, I agree. I think online school is the future for many students. But as long as we have families that have to have two parents working outside the home, there will remain brick and mortar schools too.
ReplyDeleteI hope it goes well for you two and I look forward to hearing about it. =)
Sheldon took one online class in high school and it was very painful for both of us. Hard for her to motivate herself. She's better about it in college but knows her limits.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! Update after she starts =)
ReplyDeleteMy brother is a history teacher for an online school. Most of his students were teenage mothers, kids who were ill and couldn't go to school and problem students. Of course there were also kids who were home schooled also.
ReplyDeleteNot that you asked...online school is an option of course. Did I ever send you some of the links that I found to be very helpful?
ReplyDeleteFollowing you back! Thanks for following
ReplyDeleteI like that my daughter gets out and be with others more, so even though I have family that does homeschooling, I am not sure about it for myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog on Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteI took some online school in college and loved it! I could not do all my classes this way because I am a hands on learner so I did need help with the harder subjects and someone to explain. Good luck.
I think whatever works for a person is great when it comes to education. Personally I have never enjoyed learning online...too many distractions! Hope it works for her though.
ReplyDeleteThe future is online but much must be done to ensure that they get accreditation and meet rigorous minimum standards...
ReplyDeleteStopping by/commenting back from your visit to my blog - Positive Kismet...Thank you!
I'm now a follower of your blog.
Have an abundant 2011!
Best,
Elizabeth
Good luck--it sounds really positive! I spend so much time complaining about how much time-wasting goes on due to technology. It's great to be reminded that there are some awesome things being done online!
ReplyDelete