Yesterday’s news reports about a teacher caught on tape verbally abusing her students angered and shocked many around the country. It’s always disturbing when someone in a position of trust betrays that trust. When such incidents come to light, we can’t help but wonder if they really are isolated incidents or if they happen more often than we realize. We become a little less trusting, a little less willing to accept things at face value.
I happen to believe that such incidents really are the exception, not the rule. I know that the majority of our teachers are decent and trustworthy. They work hard and deserve our thanks and support. Our educational system may need a little work, but there is no doubt in my mind that our teachers are among the best in the world.
Still, when it comes to education, it is nice to have options. Private school and boarding school are a couple of different options. Homeschooling is another option that most people are familiar with. Technology has facilitated the rise of yet another option in education.
Online schooling has been around for some time now, at least for a college level education. Thousands have taken advantage of this technology. Working adults and many others are finding that a college degree is within their reach with online classes. Technology has enabled learning on their terms when it comes to time and place.
Today, this choice in education is becoming increasingly available to students in Kindergarten to 12th grade. A number of virtual charter schools are now operational in several states including Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania. Virtual charter schools have to meet the same legal requirements as a brick and mortar public school. This includes having certified teachers and a curriculum that meets or exceeds State approved standards. The Department of Education in each State approves and monitors virtual charter schools for compliance just as they do for traditional public schools. The biggest difference between this and a traditional public school is the classroom and mode of delivery. Students who attend a virtual charter school take classes on the computer right from home.
Our family recently made the choice to embark on this new adventure. We came to this decision after a lot of thought and prayer. If you’ve read some of my other posts, then you know that we are a military family. Moving and starting over in a new place is a fact of life for us. Unfortunately, such a lifestyle isn’t always easy on the kids. After one semester in their new schools, we knew that we had to do something. So, after the Christmas break, we discontinued their enrollment in the traditional public schools they were attending, and enrolled them in a virtual charter school.
We are very happy with the choice we made. It is the right educational choice for us at this time. Our children are happier and this has made a huge difference academically.
Virtual charter schools will not replace and should not replace traditional public schools. However, it is an excellent option if traditional schools are just not meeting the needs of our children. Technology has given us the tools to make such a choice in education possible and I (for one) am very grateful. If you want to find out if virtual charter schools are available in your state, I suggest you contact your State’s Department of Education.
