Author Archive

So you have been searching the Internet for months now trying to find the best approach  for your homeschooler and you are going crazy! There are hundreds if not thousands of choices out there now and increasingly, it’s hard to weed you way through all the online homeschooling programs. So what are the best things to consider when weighing all your options?

1. Consider if your student craves live interactive class meetings or does better in an independent study format.

2. Are you looking for certified teachers to handle the teaching and grading of your student’s online homeschooling program? Review the program’s Website to make sure you understand the role of the teacher vs. the role of the parent. Many online homeschooling programs provide teacher grading but it can vary drastically from program to program.

3.Find out what kind of online curriculum the school provides. Is it an accredited homeschool program?  Is it interactive or do they ship out curriculum supplies and books? Again, be sure you understand the expectations of the online homeschooling program before you take the leap into this kind of approach to homeschooling. Pick up the phone and call the schools to talk to a ‘real’ person! If the school does a poor job at making you feel comfortable over the phone, chances are they will be lacking in providing a good level of interaction online.

4.Read reviews on the online homeschooling program and find out what real parents are saying. There is no better way to find out about the inner workings of a homeschool program than to talk to actual parents and students who have been involved. The more you do your own homework, the better prepared you are for an enriched educational experience online.

Entering a traditional classroom, I am often taken aback. I can’t help but wonder: How is this going to prepare our kids to live and work in today’s technology-focused world?

Sitting at their little desks, listening to lectures, memorizing facts in preparation for tests, are we giving them the skills needed to compete in today’s world? Will they feel comfortable using technology? Will they be able to think for themselves, solve problems, innovate? Will they lead, or will they always follow?

There are, of course, natural leaders among us – those who will think for themselves and lead no matter what. But what about the students who need a little push in the right direction in order to reach their full potential? Aren’t we robbing them of vitally important skills when we stick with traditional teaching methods that worked 50 years ago, but may not be the best methods today?

To be ready for today’s world, our children need to feel 100% comfortable using technology. Technology can’t be something they experience once a week in a special computer class. It must be an integral part of the curriculum. Furthermore, students need to learn to be creative, to think independently, to ask questions and to solve them.

Memorizing skills are simply not needed in today’s world. With free, easy access to information, the skills that are needed are not memorizing information but rather knowing where to find it, how to access it, and how to best process it, applying it to solve problems.

Frustrated with the huge disconnect between the traditional classroom and today’s reality, many of our parents have chosen online homeschooling as a way to ensure their child is ready for the future. We encourage you to do the same.

Our children are experiencing childhood very differently than we had experienced it. There’s nothing inherently wrong in that – after all, each generation is different. But one aspect of today’s childhood that does bother us is the lack of creativity and imagination.

Children are blessed with natural curiosity. They want to learn, to explore, to create. But being surrounded with ready-made toys means that they use their creativity very rarely. Even when it comes to the many wonderful things technology has to offer, technology-based video games generally do not enable the player to create or to change the world she plays in.

When you take time spent at school in traditional learning environment, which also doesn’t encourage problem solving or creativity, and you add afternoon hours spent in front of the television or playing video games, you get a very passive existence.

That’s why we feel so strongly that at least when they’re learning, children should be encouraged to be creative. Emphasis needs to be placed not on memorizing facts, but on solving problems, creating environments and thinking up stories.

The best gift we can give our children is love of learning. Rather than making education so passive and boring that they can’t wait for the school day to end, we can make learning an experience they look forward to. Whether through technology-based, 3D online homeschooling programs that allow children to create, or by adding a virtual worlds class to the traditional curricula, we owe it to our children – especially our gifted children – to bring life back into teaching and learning.