“Virtual Schools” are useful where quite possibly the location is remote and travel difficult. A growing number of rural areas have had population loss to the point where the “schools” have few students. In such a case, “virtual schools” make sense.

Another arena where this is being used is with persons who, for whatever reason, need to complete their classroom work apart from the regular classroom setting.

However, the crux of the whole “Virtual School” discussion, beyond who controls/sets the curriculum, is how are the evaluations being made? Some subjects may not require anymore oversight than making certain the “answers” correspond to a “key” (ie. in mathematics and certain of the sciences). Other subjects require more verbal input (ie writing, argumentation, etc.). Spell check and grammar check tell you nothing of the quality of the writing.

As to the “social” argument, my only real concern here is that with the rise of autism and other social affective deficiencies, will we slowly become a nation of isolates afraid and distrustful of others?

Heaven forbid they actually speak to people face to face and be forced to interact like a human being. Kids social skills already suck thanks to cell phones and texting 24/7. Now you want to take away school. The only time they have to put the technology down and interact.

I can understand if the student needs addl help with their current schooling (tutoring) or cant leave the house due to injury or sickness. Only then this concept would make since.

Unless we want an entire generation of hermits?

I read these comments with amusement, amazement, and sadness. So many of you are the exact reason why government schools are such a failure. Were you aware that Karl Marx is the model of most government schools? How naive and uninformed so many of you are. So many on here show total ignorance when it comes to what virtual schooling is and home schooling. What makes you think that my daughter has interaction only with adults? Has the media infected your mind so deeply or are you that shallow? Sorry to be so hard on so many of you but when I read these comments I truly see ignorance.

Let me give you a hint. My wife is a teacher. Enough said. We came to this conclusion of home-schooling because of the government schools. She gets to see on a daily basis how so many parents drop their kids off school without their supplies, no sleep, cellphones in hand, and so many are so turned off by school that it’s not even funny. We have a failing system and so many say “Not my school.” We are forced to send our child to the school that the government declares they must go to. Oh, but wait. We can spend additional monies and send them to a private school. Never mind that our tax dollars are paying for government schools! The school systems answer to why the kids aren’t performing? Not enough money! By the way, how much is enough money?

We ahve choices in where we shop, where we eat, where we vacation and so on. But when it comes to our most prized possessions, which is our children, the government tells us where to send out kids. After taking our money as tax dollars, why can’t we sent them to the school of our choice. Hey folks, you only get one chance!

For those of you totally ignorant of home schooling. There are numerous activities and social event that these kids go to. Stop watching the news. It’s infecting your minds! Do you really trust the press that much?

Were you aware that Karl Marx was also home schooled?

Stuperdave-
“Were you aware that Karl Marx is the model of most government schools?” Huh? I suppose all of those church schools in early 19th century or John Dewey had absolutely no input. By-the-way, Karl Marx lived from 1818 - 1883 and spent most of his adult life in England. He may have advocated for eduaction, but so did Charles Dickens and other “radicals”.

“Stop watching the news. It’s infecting your minds! Do you really trust the press that much?”
I agree with you on this one — far too many people watch Fox News, Hannity, O’Reilly, and listen to Limbaugh and others like them. A too steady diet of them lowers one’s intellect and creates a false reality.

As to whether I trust the press or not, well I tend to use the education I received in the public schools, and my undergraduate and graduate work to think pretty much for myself. But, then again , I don’t watch Fox, and I do read books and newpapers and journal and magazines. So go figure.

I think the virtual schools will be a great option for those who are interested.It won’t work for everyone as many kids need the babysitting they have gotten used to, but more motivated students should do well.Personally, I got an education despite my time spent in the St.Louis Public Schools, thanks to my mother.My mom even managed to get an incredibly incompetent fifth grade teacher replaced when ,not only did she speak worse English than many immigrants, she could not maintain control of the classroom. If homeschooling had been an option back then, I would have begged to do it because the rest of the class would not have been holding back my progress.Here are a few quotes for the anti-homeschoolers to mull over.Albert Einstein said “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one learned in school.” Or Mark Twain, who said “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”I particularly like what Richard Yates(I have no idea who he was, LOL) had to say:”They say we are better educated than our parent’s generation.What they mean is we go to school longer.It is not the same thing.”

While there might be many good to adequate public schools, many of the students I see can barely speak proper English,much less write it.Many of the teachers are so busy being disciplinarians that there is little time for teaching.That was already true in the ’80s, when I was in high school.If a kid would be more motivated learning online, it should be an option.MSN or Newsweek(I don’t remember which) ran a recent story praising online learning for kids.

We chose to homeschool after some very poor experiences in the Cahokia charter school several years ago.Our son should be taking his GED and moving onto college within a year or so,after he turns 17 this fall.Our nine-year old homeschooled daughter was busy with me at a horse show over the weekend,socializing with many of her public and private schooled horsey friends and helping our neighbor with her horses.My three-year-old is learning her alphabets as she helps me in the garden.While we have not used many online tools, we use computer programs,as well as dvd lessons and the History Channel for more self-directed learning,as well as the nine bookcases full of books.I want my kids to learn how to think, not what to think, and to trust their own judgement as they get older.They are learning the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to history, not the sanitized, revisionist nonsense that passes for history these days.

Superdave’s comments about negative socialization didn’t go far enough-school bullying and ostracizing were the catalysts for many of the incidents of violence and shootings in the past decade.Remember Columbine? I remember being stabbed with a lead pencil by another girl when I was in the first grade over thirty years ago,and things have only gotten worse.These days, it seems that a teacher is in the news every other week for “inappropriate” conduct with a student,not to mention the assaults(sexual or physical) by other students, so there is another concern. I don’t want my kids learning the “survival of the fittest” in that manner.My kids understand it is better to have a few good friends than a wider circle of friendly acquaintances.My bigger “socialization” problem has been limiting their friends’ visits and phone calls until the lessons and chores are done during the summer months.They have learned not to cave in to social pressures to conform to someone else’s idea of cool clothes or behavior.Contrary to several opinions expressed here,many homeschooled children also learn to get along well with more than just their own peer groups.My neighbor loves to have my daughters visit.She has told me that the older one is so mature,she forgets she’s only nine until she is on the floor playing with the neighbor’s little grandsons. There are many opportunities to “socialize” if a child educated online or at home.It just takes a more flexible approach on the parents’ part.

Superdave:

All us idiots wish you, your wife and your daughter well. But remember, as kids get older, they require longer tethers!

HEY everybody Superdaves got all the answers to all the ills of society…quick quit your job run don’t walk to your childrens learning facility take them home and school them yourself here’s a question your wife, the teacher does she get payed does her salary help pay the bills?Guess what without the kids that go to school now your wife is w/out a job dufus.

Regardless if they are home schooled, public schooled, whatever, it is still a parent’s responsibility to teach your kids also-it is what you are supposed to do. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a medal for doing what you are supposed to do.

Oh….Superdave tell your wife the teacher not to bother we need dedicated men and woman willing put aside their prejudices and lift our children up we as a society owe this to our youth! sounds like your wife already quit the fight.