Anyone's Child Go to School on the Internet?

Hi A.! Yes in fact three of my children use a cyber charter school. We really like it alot! They are doing well academic wise and also socially. They have friends at church and also their cousins so they know how to get along with other kids. I don't worry about them interacting with other kids because they have their siblings to interact with and also they go to AWANA clubs at our church. I don't think that children in brick and mortar schools are learning any more than my kids. I actually think my kids are able to learn better because we can be more hands on than they would get in a regular school. Also, the ratio of teacher to children is GREAT! I hope that helps some? We use Agora Cyber Charter School. www.agora.org

If you have any other questions please let me know!

Thanks!

S.

Hi A.,

Yes. I have five children currently attending cyber school. Cyber school was a very good choice for us for so many reasons. Number one our family has bonded sooooo much. Public school tears families apart in my opinion. At the age of five your giving your child up for almost 8 hours a day! Some children handle it OK but some are devastated and react. Some kids in public school do not get along with their siblings but yet they hold total strangers that they've met in public school before their own family! That's crazy. My children have bonded with eachother and are very socially active. See, the misconception is that public school is a social atmosphere. I don't know but the last time I thought about it, socializing was fun, not being ripped apart emotionally, mentally and sometimes pysically by very cruel kids. The schools don't care anymore, they just pass on fines which the government loves because its more taxes for them. We live in a very sad world and I believe that it is my responsibility to raise and teach my kids. As far as kids in school learning more that is not true. Did you know that homeschooled kids scored higher on state test than public school kids in tests? I think many people have made the public school system into some kind of a god. My husband and I only have GED's but yet(by God's grace) are very successful. The key in our lives was to put the Lord first in our lives. He does the rest. In conclusion, the cyber school has a lot of junk in it's teaching(evolution) but they have helped me to get organized and they deal with my local district which is really nice. Hope this helps!!

I'm so glad you posted this question. My oldest isn't quite 3 yet, but we've been talking about either homeschooling or cyber school. I love the feedback you've been getting, but there was one negative one and I wanted to give you my input there so it doesn't scare you off or anything.

I know many homeschooled teenagers and not one of them has the social issues that this woman spoke of. I think a lot of it has to do with the parent involved in the homeschooling and how they approach it with their child. The impression I got from the post made me think the mother of the homeschooler filled her daughter with various anxities involving going to school and meeting people.

The homeschooled teenagers I know are some of the most outgoing, intelligent, and happiest teenagers I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Most of them I know because they watch my kids and one I have the pleasure of "working" with at our Awana group - she's one of our junior leaders and is a typical teenager! I have no worries when I decide to homeschool or cyber school my girls that they will become socially inept. I think they will be quite the opposite...my almost 3 year old is already proving me right! Best of luck in whatever you decide.

I have a friend that had all of her children in cyber school last year. They all did really well as long as she made sure to monitor them. You still have to be on top of their assignments and classes. She also made sure to get together with other homeschoolers and had groups over her house all the time to make sure they got interaction with live people. Her children have been homeschooled on and off for years and she loved the cyber school.

I've had friends who homeschooled and a friend who had children using the cyberschool. Personally I never used either for the reason that if we get rid of good kids in school what influence is left to teach others. Anyway, I found that the children who homeschooled had times to get together with other children but the friends that I know had problems socializing with other children. The cyberschool student didn't start cyberschool until she was in the 11th grade and always seemed to do well and progress at a faster rate than at school. She told me that she had a number to call if she ever had any questions or was having difficulty with a subject. Personally, if I had that opportunity for my children in the high school, I would have checked it out more. Do you remember other student influence on your progression in subjects in high school? I do and it would have been nice to not have the competitiveness but would you be as motivated to get things done? I don't know. This wasn't very helpful. I'm sorry.

I homeschool my 8 year old son and plan to homeschool my 1 year old assuming my work schedule still allows for me to be at home (I work from my home office 4 hours/day).

My take on "socialization" is that TRUE socialization is NOT the ability to interact successfully with peers, but the ability to interact with ANYONE in society. Society is comprised of everyone with whom we might interact - the waitress at a restaurant, the greeter at Wal-Mart, the post master, the mechanic, the pharmacist, etc. When my son comes with me during the day and sees my interactions with all of these people, he is internalizing the lesson and will take it with him & incorporate it into his own capacity to communicate or "socialize" with people.

One comment I read somewhere said something like, "The only two times you are forced to follow someone else's schedule along with a group of your peers are in public school and nursing homes."

We attend 20 co-op sessions per year (10 fall, 10 spring), gym classes at the YMCA for homeschoolers plus my son plays baseball in the spring and soccer in the fall, we go to the library constantly, he belongs to a theatre class, he has 3 brothers and neighbor kids to play with, attends youth group, etc.

I don't worry in the least. I teach my son what he is interested in learning (and often learn alongside him!) and I realize he will do things at his own pace. No need to compare him to the kids being forced to learn the same things, whether they're interested or not, alongside 29 other kids (and 2 of my sons *are* in public school, so no offense to anyone who uses the system! Each child and situation is different)

I have a friend that homeschools all her kids. We have agreed to disagree on this subject and after talking to her almost 15 yr old daughter the other day all my concerns were justified. The child has NO real friends her own age, her life revolves around her family and church and she is afraid to interact with other kids. She thinks that ALL schools are danger zones and that everyone but her family is completely untrustworthy. She has never had a chance to expand her horizons although I know her Mom takes them their local science center, museums, and zoo's and that all the kids are very well-read. She has never had a chance to be in a school play, orchestra or band, nor any sports. Although she might be academicly ahead of most of the kids in her age group, socially she is suffering now and will continue to until she is out in the world.
A few years ago I had a young woman working for me that had been homeschooled her entire life the same way. She was also afraid of people and had a hard time trusting others. She worked for me for about 5 years and quickly became an important member of our team. I am glad to say that over the years she came out of her shell and decided to attend one of the local Universities, found a boyfriend, and learned how to enjoy being around and involved with people. I believe she was lucky to have found us, and get out of the life she was leading.
Please don't missunderstand, I do believe that family and church are important, but the social skills that a child learns in a school enviroment are nessarry for a child so that they can become a well-rounded, strong, happy adult. There are also times when homeschooling is very important depending on the condition of your local schools and neighborhood. Neither is perfact...you can only make the best decision for you and your family. Good luck.

My twins attend Agora Cyber School and it was the best decision I made. They get more educated than public school! First, the public schools are dropping so many vital subjects and the detail that my boys are learning was never taught to my older children. My twins do have a medical reason not to attend public school plus we do live in Harrisburg. They had been on the homebound program prior to Agora and that led them to being way behind. The teachers just didn't care in this district whether my kids learned or not. And that isn't just with my twins it was also with my son that was in public school. My daughter also attends a cyber school and it is much better than education she would have received other wise. Socially, there are many programs around that your children can get involved in from scouts, bowling, church, karate, etc.

M.

This is our second year using cyber school and we love it. I have had no problems with my children and socialization. We go to a church with a rather large children's program and both boys play soccer, so they have interaction with other people several times a week, if not almost every day. Actually, I think my oldest has actually become more comfortable in social situations in the past 2 years. (Not necessarily because of the school that he is in, but because he is more mature. It does show that being in cyber school does not mean that kids lose their social ability.)
I definately disagree that kids in traditional schools learn more. My oldest has gotten better test scores since we started cyber schooling. Last year he got all A's and high B's, whereas in school he was struggling in several subjects. My 8 year old is a special education student that would be completely overlooked in the traditional system. I could not even get a proper diagnosis in the traditional school. Both of my younger children (ages 5 and 3) are excelling because they watch their brothers doing school and are learning while I am teaching the older two. There are also supplemental courses that we could enroll in if we wanted to, that are not always offered by traditional schools. Also, my oldest does a virtual classroom, where he has an acutal teacher and classmates, they are just on the computer instead.
If you have any questions I would be happy to give you more information.

My oldest daughter attends the PA Cyber Charter School and loves it. Until 3rd grade, it is basically a supervised home school program where you act as the teacher. At the third grade level and beyond they can take cyber classes through a virtual classroom. They have a camera, headphone/microphone, and interact with the class as if they were in a traditional school (without passing notes or copying off of the guy at the next desk!)

As far as the level of education, my daughter is far ahead of others her grade level attending the local public school so I have no concerns there.

As far as socialization, you would need to seek out opportunites - the Cyber School has an organization called Family Link which sets up field trips statewide, roughly 1 time per month. I have my daughter enrolled in ballet, and gymnastics, take her to the local library for their 2 hour per week program geared to homeschoolers, and she attends Sunday School. She probably interacts with children on a social level more often than a typical kindergartner!

It's a little more effort, but I feel the quality of education is better and you know exactly what they are learning and how they are doing with it. You know their strengths and weaknesses and can more effectively teach them that way. Where will a child thrive more - with a loving parent giving them 1 on 1 attention or in a class of 30 kids with a single teacher? These are just my opinions but my 5 year old can read circles around others her age and can do math like a whiz and that is proof enough for me that this was the right decision for us.

Also, keep in mind that as the kids get older, you can have them participate in sports programs at their "home" district. If they want to do football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, etc., the public school district where you live must let them participate.

http://www.pacyber.org for more info.

Best of luck,
K.