OT -K-12 Virtual Online Schools...

Shea - I'm really curious and feel the same as you do about homeschooling in some ways! I don't know that it's best for ME! LOL!However, my youngest is coming up on 5th grade which is the worst year at our current school. ALL of my 3 older kids had the worst year of their lives in 5th grade and they don't have the learning disability. So...I'm worried and thinking T might need something different.I absolutely would need to address the social issues. I totally agree!!

Here's an article on homeschooling and socialization:[url=http://www.homeschool.com/articles/Keystone7/default.asp?Hover_NoThankYou=true]- Homeschooling Articles - Homeschool.com - The #1 Homeschooling Community[/url]You may find people who are familiar with that online program at:Homeschooling forums (mdc):learning at home[url=http://mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=50]Learning at Home and Beyond - MotheringDotCommunity Forums[/url]curriculums[url=http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=425]]Homeschool Curriculum and Resources Reviews - MotheringDotCommunity Forums[/url]

I think it's a great option for some families. I personally would have a hard time because I'd still be in charge of making sure 'schooling' happens and my weakness is organization and procrastination so I'm not sure if it would be beneficial for a child of mine because they have 'me' as a parent. However, things have changed since a child came to my home....maybe my viewpoint will change as will my ability to make sure everything is being done to the best needs of my own child. I hope you learn good stuff Crick. It is a good program sometimes (my friend does it with her twins and she has the same weaknesses as I do...and her twins are doing fabulous).

We have one here called Oddessy Charter Schools. I think it is nationwide. Its very well thought of. Not a good option for my DD who needs special ed but I think it might work well for a child with learning disabilities depending on the disability. Its a very popular option here for older foster kids who are moved towards the end of the school year. I never hear of any stellar students graduating from it (but I am not sure I would, just because of who I am) but I think its probably a great idea to avoid having a bad year in school.

i think homeschooling is a great option for kids who need an alternative short term option to school in a building(that's what my 6 year old calls it ;) ). that has been my only experience with it so far....when one of my kids is struggling and the school is unable to assist, we have pulled them home. in the past i have done all the teaching myself.....but in reconsidering the option for one of my high schoolers for next year, my only option would be online school.....i barely passed algebra 2...i definitely could never teach it! lol. ;) let us know how the expo goes!

Jen - My T IS STELLAR so he can be the first you hear of!;) LOL!Dannie - I'm organized but my patience level on teaching...not so hot. I get into the "Okay LOOK! FOCUS!" mode after awhile and that's just not a good thing. So if this program has a lot more teaching by actual teachers, that will make a huge difference.WP - I have checked out homeschool.com before and it is a good resource!Mommy - At least you have teaching background, so bet that really does help.I'll let y'all know...:)

My nephew is currently using something that sounds like that. Or maybe its through the school system and its on video and can be watched on tv. Im not sure but he seems to like it just fine. It should be interesting because my SIL is not the sharpest tool in the shed and she's supposed to be doing the schooling.

My two nephews (age 7 and 9, grades 2 and 4) go to a K12 school called Agora. It's based in PA. [url=http://www.k12.com/agora/]Agora Cyber Charter School[/url] My sister and the boys really like the program. This is the first year for both boys. They are continuing next year as well as adding the little sister to the mix (for the Kindergarten program). If you have any specific questions, I can ask my sister for you.

I used a K12 school for the first part of this year. It was hard for us. It took us several hours a day, at first it was often 10 hours a day until we got things more under control. When I left my mother in law with my daughter for a couple of days we got really behind. It was not as flexible as I had hoped because we had mandatory meetings and labs and study halls. We could listen to recordings of them, but then my daughter could not ask questions and she would zone out. Also my daughter quickly realized that after you took a test on a unit they would then show the answers to that test. Then you could retake the test. I caught her writing down the answers. (actually just the letters to the answers, she had all these post it notes, that had nothing but letters on them, LOL) So she would skim through a lesson and then take the test, bomb it, look at the answers and take it again. When I took away the post it's she got better at memorizing the answers. She was not learning, but learning to cheat. So we went back to school. I was having to stand over her constantly and we were really getting on each other's nerves. Plus she still would have had to take all the mandatory state tests that she does so badly on and we still had to do so many days of school and so many hours a week, so even if we had been able to get it done faster, we still needed to put in so many hours a week. I did like that they supplied all the books and the computer and stuff for free and it was a very throuough program. It just didn't work for us.

I know that K-12 has a stellar reputation, and have recommended it for friends who have inadvertantly moved into some bad schools. They said what "Raine" said, though. It was hard for their kids, but the kids learned a lot and returned to public schools ahead of the group.

We used one of the K-12 online schools for one year. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them based on our experiences. We did grades 5 and 7. Just so you'll know how your mileage may vary: my kids are typical learners who have always tested above grade level on anything reading-based and at or slightly below grade level on math. They have always been homeschooled. Cons: The K-12 program took about twice as much time every day as we want to spend on school. I don't like kids to sit at a desk for more than 1.5 to 2 hours, and they were almost never done in that amount of time. Many days were 3 to 5 hours, which is the reason we didn't use K-12 again. The online teaching sessions weren't super helpful, because some of the other kids "attending" just goofed off and asked silly questions or distracted the teacher with having to redirect them. The teachers were available to help the kids one-on-one as needed, but we didn't take them up on it often as my kids found it awkward to work with someone long distance. Pros: The standards for the program were high and the materials and curriculum were really terrific. More than one of the books assigned to my DD this year in the "advanced" English class at her public high school were things she'd already read two years ago doing K-12. The history book they used for K-12 was such a favorite with both kids that I went online to buy the next book in the series even though we aren't using K-12 any more. I saw the one we had selling on eBay for more than $100, so I guess a lot of homeschoolers find it to be a great text. Having teachers other than mom give the kids feedback was valuable. My kids did try harder to impress the teachers than they would to impress me. Overall, if it wasn't so time-consuming, I would have been very happy with it. I just couldn't stomach the hours. One of our main reasons for homeschooling is that we wanted our kids to have lots of time for playing and reading on their own, and we had lots of activities with our homeschooling group, so we really just didn't want to put in the time required for the online school.

Crick, I know that you are in Colorado, as am I, and I wanted to let you know that there are several different online learning options here. I do not have personal experience with k-12 but I do have my 1st and 2nd graders enrolled in another online school that we chose because we preferred its features over the k-12 curriculum and set up. (Low student to teacher ratio, individual online teaching sessions with each student as well as group sessions, teacher graded curriculum (not computer graded, multiple choice, etc), teacher created curriculum that is aligned to state standards (not corporate created curriculum), fully funded by public tax dollars (not a corporation) etc) They have been enrolled since kindergarten and we love it. Both are currently several grade levels ahead in reading and one grade level ahead in math. I'm not sure if that information helps but I thought I would put it out there. There are MANY choices in Colorado and I would encourage you to find the one that closely addresses your family's needs. Online schools typically come in two forms (My husband sits on the Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families board, hence my knowledge of this topic): Form A: The curriculum is given to the parents and the parents serve as the main teacher and monitor, entering grades into an online system. Students do occasionally meet with teachers bur rarely interact one on one. This model is usually preferred by parents who want the autonomy of a homeschooling environment but don't want to pay for the curriculum and do want some support. These schools are typically "owned" by a corporation and the curriculum is provided by that company. Form B: Students receive regular, frequent contact and monitoring by a teacher who regularly instructs students both individually and in a group setting. Curriculum is teacher written and graded. This model is usually preferred by parents who know that a classroom setting is not ideal for their student but who do not want to serve as their child's primary educator for a variety of different reasons. Funded through public tax dollars, no corporate funding. Options A and B are both public, non-tuition based schools. We have gone with option B and could not be happier. If you want direct links to the websites of any of the online schools, I would be happy to provide them. Obviously I could just give you the link to my sons' school, but I don't want to be biased, even though we DO adore it. I am sure my preference came out in the descriptions above, but I tried to stick to factual information. :)

Crick, I work at an online charter school in Ohio. Our kids are taught by the teachers, so you wouldn't be "teaching/homeschooling" them, the school would. I do find that for our kids in grades K-8, the parents need to be more involved but for our HS kids, it's more self-directed in that *they* decide when they work etc. We have lots of kids who work, have kids, health issues, etc. so we are not super strict about *when* they are online working, just that they are working. You (or anyone else) can PM me if you'd like more info.

Thanks everyone!!:)I was impressed with the curriculum and that a lot of things are hands on learning. They include a "tool box" for math and science that have objects for the kids to use during lessons. I liked that they offer a bit more than your basic 'boring" education, if that makes sense. I think it's more interesting compared to what my kids are learning now. I also liked their emphasis on the community they have and take care to provide field trips and other social outings. There's a local support group I could utilize as well.However...and there is always a However, no? LOL!I was amazed at how much time it takes and not just for him but for me. I understand that my time is an aspect of homeschooling but for us it would require more time because of his LD. I really have to weigh the thought of 6 hours a day of sitting with him and directing him. So I was glad to come back to this thread and see that was a reality for many of you and the time issue is indeed a con factor for me.The other aspect I wasn't "sold" on was their support services for IEP's. I asked specific questions and the woman was very vague. "Well, we'd collaborate with you on that". I took that to mean "You'll be doing the special services work he needs and we'll be there if you have a question". That won't work for us as he needs to have some of those services. Which is why I was interested in this program because they do emphasize how this is a public school with teachers available for you and have all the help you need. I'm not so sure that is completely accurate. lol. I think for kids who can work independently and breeze through things, this might be a good option. For us..I'm not so sure.Thanks again for all the input!! It really helped!:)

Hey!I have a daughter who is in Y5. She did well in elementary but had a hard time transitioning to middle school especially due to bullying. She also developed some health issues which made things even worse. My lil girl was losing all interest and dreaded going to school so I seriously considered trying online school. Did a lot of research, tried a bunch of schools before finalizing. Now she is slowly picking up how to use the online platform and gets very excited being able to submit her assignments online. I'm just so happy to see her excited to learn again which is truly precious. Best decision ever.You may want to talk to them if you are considering online schooling too