Reader comments
Online schooling gives kids, parents new options for education

I got my degree in education at BYU and later a master's elsewhere. I teach for an online school, and it's wonderful. The kids are great, and the structure works for many kids who for one reason or another don't find the typical public school to be the right fit for them. This is definitely the wave of the future, esp. when you take into consideration how mobile people are now, epidemics, school violence and bullying, and a host of other concerns. It does require parental supervision and student dedication, but it is a wholly viable alternative.

I think on-line education is a possible option--with some positives and negatives. I think for kids with major auto-immune issues it could be great--but for kids with other special needs, especially learning disabilities (and even many supposed gifted kids), what they REALLY need is to learn how to interact in a REAL social environment. They cannot learn that on-line. I would prefer that on-line be an option for half a day--or for a couple periods for most students--rather than all day. Mainly because (although people scoff at the thought), we still (and will always) live in social environments. You cannot get and keep a job as an adult if you do not know how to get along socially in the world. Very few people will be able, even in coming years, to hide away NEVER interacting with other humans, so our public schools need to provide adequate social interactions as well. Believe me. I've seen the results of the opposite (too few diverse social environments). It was neither positive nor pretty!

it is wonderful to have this option for parents if they so desire to do so.

This is a great thing. Kids are not built to sit for hours and hours every day. And keeping ADHD kids in from recess is ignorant and compounds their problem. They should be out playing hard every recess. Why aren't teachers more educated about how to deal with these issues?

Yet one more way to help our kids get plugged into electronics and away from human beings. Maybe this kind of program can help give information to a kid but that kid will suffer with their ability to interact with their peers. Let's be honest, human interaction is the most important thing kids learn in school not facts they will never use again. Do these parents want their kids to end up working from home one day too?

Can't say I've heard a whole lot about these types of schools. How would you rate this type of school, compared to traditional school, regarding social development and behavior? I'm not suggesting traditional is the end all for helping a kid be "normal" but the personal social interaction is hard to mimic online isn't it?

Schools teach more than ABCs, they teach patriotism, conflict resolution, appreciation of diversity, how to function in society and how to deal with different opinions. Our public schools unified our once great nation, brought everyone together for a common experience and was the foundation for the greatest nation on earth. Now charters, home schools and private schools erode our unity. Our selfish "me attitude" separates our community into factions and undermines public support for schools that once brought us together. The "give me mine" and "I want life on my terms" attitudes are destroying our nation. This selfishness is shameful.

Of course there are poor urban schools in major crime infested cities, but our local public schools are amazing places for children to learn to read and write while learning to be part of their community, part of Utah and part of America.

It is sad to watch the system that made our nation great slowly being dismantled. Our nation will surely follow the same path.

As a school counselor, I have found that online courses, just like traditional courses, vary greatly in quality and difficulty. Parents definitely need to be involved to ensure their kids get a good education. I like best the models that require students to meet on a campus at least occasionally. It allows them to interact with teachers and students--socialization is as critical as education in the healthy development of children. There are a couple of charter schools using this model that will open in the next few months, but I don't remember their names.

I call online schools and colleges buy a degree. This is why the American public is not getting smarter. It is called enabling.

I am a teacher myself, holding a Master of Arts in Teaching. Both as a parent and teacher, I see virtual learning as a great opportunity for children who may need a different option than the traditional classroom. Many people work from home, so virtual learning is following that trend, as well. This creates a great option for students and teachers alike.

There is nothing in this article that says one way or another anything about applications for interpersonal skills (or lack thereof). Thus, there is no reason to worry about it without further investigation.

Now that that's out of the way -- think about the fantastic application this can have for divorced (or never married) parents. We no longer have to worry about who's house the child will live in due to scholastic reasons. The children can go to school online and spend 50/50 time with each parent, even if they live in opposing states.

Now let's see if anyone starts seeing the vision and considering the realistic ways of applying it.

I can't believe that people are more concerned with the social aspect of education than they are about the actual level of eduacation received. These kids still get to interact with other people. Doesn't being on a sports team, going to the pool with friends from the neighborhood, playing with siblings, shopping with parents or attending church count as social interaction? I certainly think that some of the social inteaction that occurs at school is less than desirable.
My kids are public schooled, but I can see the benefit of online schools.
A lot of people work from home and I think that more and more people will be working from home in the future.

As a parent of a child who has been home schooled for the last 3 years, I have a couple of things to add. My daughter hasn't even had a cold for those 3 years. She hasn't had the peer pressure that makes
kids follow each other down the wrong paths. She likes herself and who she is and hasn't had anyone to tell her otherwise. She took online classes for the past year and they and her instructors have been great to deal with. She will attend regular high school next year and I'll just bet she comes home sick within the first few weeks and I'm not looking forward to that at all. She also can set her own pace with the online schooling, which means she can spend more time on one area or less, whichever helps her retain the material best. Look at the headlines about our public schools. How often is it good? Where do kids learn to be so violent with each other? At home or at school?

the only way you can get social interaction is in public school. WRONG! To me that is the worst place to learn social skills. I was appalled at what my kids brought home from school and finally removed them. It is far from normal to put every one the same age together in a classroom and expect normal social behavior. We want children to learn good behavior and that is learned by interacting with all ages in all settings. They are grown up now and are doing just fine. They are all very educated and are now teaching their own children at home. They get plenty of social interaction and are trained to treat others kindly. They are independent and don't follow what ever their friends are doing. Most of all they are happy children. I think this is a great idea!

Why should elementary school teachers be expected to be experts on every possible problem that a student who walks through their classroom door brings with them? They are already expected to be experts in teaching reading, mathematics, English, social studies, Utah history, physical education, art, computers, etc. They do a fantastic job with all of that in addition to playing social worker, nurse, surrogate parent and child psychologist. Despite all they do, there are always children who have needs that cannot be met in our public schools for whatever reason. Online schools offer parents options that were not available before. I like the idea - especially if parents are required to be more involved in their students education - which is how it should be. Too bad we can't require parents to go to public schools with their kids. Maybe then the genereal public become better informed about the challenges facing public eduaction and come up with some real solutions instead of just teacher bashing all the time!

Humans are the most social of all animals. We need face-to-face social interaction almost as much as we need to breathe. When we isolate ourselves in our homes, we lose the ability to know appropriate ways to interact with our fellow man. Shutting ourselves in leads too many people to think their views of the world and life are the only ones that can be right. We become more selfish when we are alone. the more we are alone the more we stop thinking of others. This life is about helping each other.
It is sad to me that so many of us are complete strangers with our neighbors.
Just because we as adults don't want to interact with other people doesn't mean our kids don't desperately need social interaction. If you think traditional school is not teaching your kid enough then supplement their learning at home, but don't neglect them from being exposed to the outside world. What is going to happen when these kids travel to another state or country when they have had very little human interaction besides their families?

Really some of you think that a computer will be more understanding of your child than a teacher?
What a messed up view of the world you have.

I am so tired of hearing "my child has ADD," "My child's needs aren't being met," "The teacher just doesn't understand my child."

These all sound like excuses for your kids to be brats and get away with whatever they want. Start parenting and stop enabling your kids.

EVERY CHILD has special needs, not just your kid. Try teaching your child coping skills to deal with some of their problems. We all use coping skills to get by in this world. Don't let your kid think they should get special treatment because they have a problem millions of other humans have.

Why do home schooling parents always sound so arrogant??? I dont care if you home school your children for whatever reason... your choice isnt *better* or *worse* then the one I made for my children, and your higher-than-thou attitude leaves a wrong impression of home schooling.

Lot's of anger out there...I wonder what's behind it...could it be fear? Actually I agree with this article, but just as our public system is basically a one-size-fits-all model, online school will fit some but not all students. It will fit many especially those that are bored now and want to move ahead, or conversely those that need a slower pace. And as for social needs, school is certainly not the only place to get that. Let's be a little more open minded folks and look at many options for our children. Our democracy is getting in the way of our pursuit of excellence in our schools. We are not all the same and do not all need the same thing at the same time. That's what's getting us in trouble. Do we tell our best athletes to slow down and wait for the others to catch up because it isn't fair? I think not. And many other countries are surpassing us because of this. Let's reexamine our goals for educating our students. Let's not confuse opportunity with performance.

When my kids were old enough to attend seminary I encouraged them to take a few classes at the local school too. Some did and some didn't. One of my children attended charter school for a year and then because of a move, attended public for a year. My two youngest have attended public this past year.
What I can say with all the experiences we have had is that there is no "one size fits all" for any of it. There are some things that my children have missed out on being at home. There are MANY things I am glad they have missed. As the younger ones have attended public elementary they have reported many rotten things that go on, but also many good things. I have a 16 year old that recently chose to attend public (for extra classes) and thanked me for not making him be in that environment prior to that. (He will graduate this year with an online program.) He has loved the experience at public, but really sees the contrast.
As far as social goes. If you have enough children, a neighborhood, scouts, church and other activities, you have enough.