Online Home Schooling: A Perspective

Online Home Schooling: A Perspective

Article by Melissa Langley

Parents choose home schooling for a wide variety of reasons. Families living in areas where regular schools are not readily available such as in rural places often avail of home schooling and online school programs. Parents who are anxious about the physical well-being of their children in an increasingly more violent school setting are also a group who choose home schooling programs over conventional schooling. Also, some parents simply feel that they can give their children a better education at home.

According to Maralee Mayberry who did a paper for the American Educational Research Association Meeting in Chicago in 1991, there are two large groups of parents who choose home schooling programs for ideological reasons-the deeply religious parents and the “New Age” parents. The former are the least likely to enroll their kids to online schools but the latter, or the New Age families are much more open to the idea of virtual schools.

Middle school and high school are crucial parts of education and online school programs today are well equipped with the teaching tools and methods to effectively provide learners with a more holistic education despite their setting. Gulfside Academy is one particular online academy that has been providing learners with the necessary skills and knowledge to compete in the world outside of the home. They provide online high school and middle school courses that are accredited and in tune with the current academic requirements of the regular schools.

Any 6th to 12th grade student can enroll in this online school program. There are no limitations or restrictions and all students are welcome. Home schooling programs, executed with the help of an accredited online academy or virtual school like Gulfside Academy guarantees the learner of more competitive skills in the real world. Uniquely-abled learners are another group that can gain numerous benefits with online home schools. For instance, kids with autism who cannot cope with the regular school setting and whose parents cannot afford the expenses of a special school can find help with online schools. Special curricula in some virtual academies are designed for special learners. Online schools can provide the parents with learning materials which have been tested and academically-approved to further the existing skills of special learners.

Parts of the foundation of education are the middle school and high school levels. Middle and high school home schooling-when done without the right support can be a tasking job for parents. Online high schools and online middle school programs which are now available can make all the difference. Regular diploma requirements for high school is 21 to 24 credits of English, Math, Science, World Language, Social Studies, Arts, Physical Ed., Health, and Electives. Online high school courses provide these credits and will ensure the learner of a high school diploma at the end of a program.

Socialization issues often come up when discussing home schooling programs but some family circumstances do call for an alternative setting in order to provide the learner with the necessary skills and knowledge to survive in the real world.

Gulfside Academy8870 N Himes Ave, #343 Tampa, FL 33614(877) 449-7840http://www.gulfsideacademy.com

About the Author

Contributor for various websites and magazines for over 3 years. Visit http://www.gulfsideacademy.com/