Posted on 08/12/2020 5:24:00 AM PDT by 11th_VA
Some people seem to equate “home schooling” with virtual / online schooling. I don’t have kids, but to me they don’t seem the same. With virtual/online a lot of that is still connected with their regular schools, and the indoctrination still is a problem.
A friend asked me this the other day. She has a very smart 9th grader. I told her she didn’t need me, he could probably do it on his own if she got the ball rolling. She did, chose a better option than GA k-12, and he loves it. He’s way ahead in every subject so far and really likes school. She acts all surprised and I told her there was a reason my kids chose to homeschool every year lol.
Some people do well that way and with some instructors everyone is better off that way since the instructors have nothing to add, don’t put the effort into helping understanding and won’t answer questions that provide deeper understanding even if the students ask.
Back in the day, on those occasions when I had a great teacher, going to class was not to hear the lecture it was to ask for more illumination about the things you can easily read and learn yourself. I did not go to school to pass a test. I went to learn. Passing a test was just a formality imposed on us.
If a teacher is just a guide all you really need is a book and practice, the teacher does not add value.
That is my point, they are very different and with the virtual / online school the educators are trying to hold on to power, numbers and money. I would never subject smart kids to virtual / online instruction. It is both boring and an insult to them. In fact, virtual / online learning is just bad providing the worst of both worlds, independence to slack and enough boredom to do so.
Oh, good. I thought that’s where you stood. Not having kids, I know I’m not an expert on any of this.
Bottom line: It depends on the parents, I think.
My SIL home schools their three boys in a relaxed, quite non-structured environment. They do join with others for certain subjects and events, and it works for them. The kids are scary smart. During the 2016 election, my then six-year-old nephew could discuss the issues with any adult.
And I’ve met many missionaries’ kids who were schooled in foreign lands via Abeka which, I think, is mostly online. Again... scary smart and noticeably more mature and polite than other kids their age. Of course, their parents must be hugely involved for it to be successful.
He never had to interact with an instructor online other than to ask for clarification on projects and such.
The value of online was more for pacing of assignments than anything else, but he has had little trouble transitioning to self-pacing in college.
My kids had different learning styles and this one loves books, my other was hands on. He tried several trades and found a niche that suited him and in his 20s runs his own crew and was put in charge of all the company’s healthcare accounts. Skipped college but went through many certification classes paid for by his company and makes great money, salary, benefits. He was never going to be the college or sit behind the desk type.
My youngest is book smart and college is easy he is almost bored. He’s 18 and will be a junior this fall.
Kids are natural learners, each in their own way. They are naturally inquisitive. Traditional school teaches that innate ability out of them, in my opinion.
Which is precisely why it will take over. Because it "is" video, you can select "only the very best" to make up those courses. And due to the non-linear nature of the internet, a course can literally be tailored to many different learning styles virtually like individualized instructor.
Certainly, it is the perfect adjunct to home schooling.
One study said that kids get as much or more of their habits, ideas and personality from other kids than their parents. I don’t much care for that idea.
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