ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Maybe be true but there are way to many students, most with hyper issues, tthat cannot function in regular high schools. I have a daughter taking class', in a school on line, and it is her only way as public scholl refuses to help her on her level. Her birth mom was a alcoholic, so she has issues because of that. How many more out there have the problems wbecause of drugs and alcohol and the public school fails them time and time again with not only NOT teaching them in a way they can learn but also putting more and more strains on them. Children with these issues cannot deal with regular teacher/student teacher. Social issues are extremely hard for them. But the school system doesn't care...

I've spent the past 18 years working in the Early Education Profession as a preschool teacher, Director and now college instructor. Developmentally Appropriate Practice comes second nature to me by now. So when my daughter prepared to enter Kindergarten two years ago, I faced a dilemma for several reasons. 1. I wondered if her individual needs would be met in a classroom of 26 children. 2. Due to her multiple and life threatening food allergies I wondered if it was fair to put her in a large group where she would not even be allowed to carry her own epi pen. 3. I knew that entering Kindergarten did not mean that a switch was automatically flipped. How could she go from an environment where she learned at her own pace through discovery and play to an environment where she would need to sit at a desk and complete seat work? In the end, I chose virtual schooling. Many will get the image of a young child strapped to a computer for several hours per day when they hear the term virtual schooling. Please allow me to share with you what our day and the day of most virtual schoolers entails.

We wake up in the morning and have a calm, non-rushed breakfast together. I work part time outside of the home and so sometimes we complete schooling in the morning hours, sometimes in the evenings and sometimes on the weekend. Sometimes we are so excited to start our lessons that we read a chapter from children's classic literature during our meal. Even my 2 year old looks forward to the story. Then after getting dressed and ready for our day, we look at our goals for the week which we have worked on establishing with the help of our Advisory teacher. She is a certified teacher in our state and maintains weekly contact with us to ensure that learning outcomes are being met in each subject area and to provide support when needed. I allow my daughter to choose from the list of tasks for the week. Our teacher and I chose a curriculum that includes many tactile components and manipulatives. We also have the freedom to extend lessons that she is very interested in. For instance, after reading that ancient sumerians carved cunieform into wet clay, we too carved messages into wet clay and allowed it to dry. We learned that ancient egyptians used hieroglyphics and faxed "secret hieroglyphic messages" to her dad to attempt to decode. We also have the freedom to speed through lessons that she has already mastered. When we got to a section on addition in her math book, we did a quick review, took the assessment and moved on. She didn't have to wait for the rest of the class to master the unit before she could go on to more challenging units. On the flip side, she got glasses and struggled with writing for a time. Instead of lagging behind her peers, we were able to spend more time in that area and saw her grow by leaps and bounds--without the embarrassment of making her leave the classroom to see a specialist. While other children are stuck inside thier brick and mortor classrooms, we enjoy the freedom of taking our learning outdoors. We have educational field trips with others who school virtually as well. She takes regular assessments and her advisory teacher and I review her learning plan each month and make adjustments when needed. In fact, I probably get to talk to my daughter's teacher more than most parents of traditionally schooled children. My daughter scores well above her peers in most subjects and we are able to cater her learning towards her interests. I am not by any means saying that virtual schooling is the right choice for all children. I do however believe that there needs to be more publicly funded alternatives to the traditional brick and mortar public schools available to families.

As for the testing scores stated in the article. I do think we need to consider the demographics of virtually schooled children. Very often parents of children who are struggling, are experiencing health issues, may already need intervention or have experienced behavioral issues at thier brick and mortar school flock to the virtual school. I wonder if the study gave any consideration to this and how it may have tipped the results.

I took in-person classes over ten years as I got my AA in ECE. Then I took all online classes to achieve my BA. There was no way I could quit my job and continue my education. I was 50 years old and I could not have quit working to get an education. I could however take online classes continuing to work and get my degree. I feel with my experience I am a good teacher. I learned a lot with online classes and they met my needs. I agree if I did not have the experience I have I would not be as good of teacher as I am. I now manage teachers and have had young 23 year olds fresh out of on-site colleges that know less than I did with my AA degree and experience.
I know there is some concerns about the validity of the homework, test taking etc. Still I feel as those who get jobs will find out they cannot keep them. The option of online is too important for those of us who are honest and need the convenience. Also, person to person class do not promise you will have good teachers.

As a daily EED junkie, I was startled to see this article about virtual schools and their students. Having graduated from a wonderful online program with my masters degree and being currently enrolled in another excellent PhD program in Early Childhood Ed, I was perplexed. Lo & behold, the research dealt only with students k-12! Not college level at all. Which, of course, presents some other questions. But thanks, for the heads up!