OK.. Has anybody went thru them or looked a them? I heard them on the radio and went to their site and they are a online public school. They send you materials and books and stuff and you just do the work at home. What I can see you would have a teacher to call if you have any questions or your child needs help and the parent cant provide. I have looked at the curriculum and it seems to be pretty good. It looks like a good program IMO but websites i guess can be deceiving..... My major reason for looking at this is for the simple fact of We don't have a lot of money for books and all this different stuff.... I read on here where you guys by this and this and sos and abeka and so forth...well I cant do that. I do not have the funds to do it so I have been picking and choosing and being totally eclectic and I sit and wonder if that's really the best route for my children. Maybe it's lack of confidence but I feel they need more than what I am giving. I know the require tests once a year which to me isn't a big deal as I planned on doing that anyway. I would appreciate some non bias general feedback on this whole situation. Thank You for your time.
my sis did one class through them, her son still failed the course so ? I think its just another k12 goverment school online. There is a new one out there they are calling I Q too that dh is actually looking at for maybe letting ds try for a year or so in high school..the more I think on it the more I don't want the ps interacting with him, but online with a new lap top to use etc.. maybe so> Not this year though! HA!
they provide all the books, materials, and a computer......I don't know I have pros and cons ....I just don't know.
We used Connections Academy for a year. At the time they were using Calvert as the curriculum which was great. I think they use K-12 now. The biggest issue is the attendance requirement. You are technically required to check in every day. There are ways around it. I did not look to see what state you are in but I have a friend who uses CA in Oregon. She said they have gotten too big and teacher interaction has suffered. They can wait several weeks to get an assignment graded or question answered and the child cannot continue (something in the program keeps you from going on until all assignments for the previous section are completed). For me it was too much trouble to keep someone elses schedule and I did not like someone looking over my shoulder.
i think I would ask them how much they need to do, as in per day, do you get to do things on your own schedule or is there a set time for everything.. this is what I will ask if we decide to check into the other one once it gets close
Virtuals were just brought up in THIS thread. I don't believe in them.. my reasons why are in that thread. Hope it helps.
I am in Kansas and August will be their very first year here. So it is brand new here. THe school year is August 16-May 27. We do have to check in and stuff and the work we grade ourselves and than they will let us know the type of items needed to be sent in for their portfolio... They have an online info seminar May 3rd that I am going to watch also..
Thank you! I so wanted someone to say this because dh is actually considering the new one, I don't want them telling me what I should be doing, I want to teach as I see fit. If I am going to go that far I would rather just send him out to fight the masses. At least then he has some fun out of it.
They make it sound all peaches and cream... and from the 5 or 6 people I know who have used Connections specifically, it was FAR from the truth. My SIL had the "teachers" calling her all the time to complain about this and that about how they were doing things. I have yet to know someone who has used them for more than 1 year, everyone I know has gotten out as fast as they could. Here in PA we have several virtuals.. I wouldn't touch any of them with a 500 foot pole. I know when I first brought Garrett home, I looked at them, and was really convinced that I was going to go with Agora... then I slept on it, thought on it.. and was pestered to death by them (phone calls, letters, email, knocks on my door!!!) because I asked for more info. I decided even in PA with our "scarey" homeschooling laws it was less scarey than having to deal with those people. I have never regretted going it alone, in fact more times than I can count I have been happy that I am still in charge of our lives. (Ok.. not Garrett's any more and his school schedule dictates our family schedule, but that's a different story).
Virtual public school isn't for everybody, just like public school isn't for everybody and homeschooling isn't for everybody....what is the perfect fit for one family just would be disastrous for another. We SERIOUSLY looked into virtual public, for the same reasons you are, everything was FREE! We are living off my hubby's unemployment check right now as our only income, so there is NO extra money to buy curriculum. If we spend any extra money-it's just that much more I have to borrow from my parents, which I hate doing, but we couldn't make ends meet right now if our lives depended on it. Our basic monthly bills just cost more than his tiny unemployment check.... But, we're homeschooling anyway. There are tons of free and super cheap resources out there. It's really easy to find resources online for preK-6th grade. A little harder in the upper grades.... Yes, it takes more time to plan, gather resources, print everything out, ect. But this is our ONLY option right now due to our finical situation other than public school or virtual public. I'm not ok with either right now. Part of the reason *I* want to homeschool is to take the pressure off my son. If we did virtual public, he'd still be expected to meet state standards. He'd still be forced to learn sight words, ect. *I* want to control what goes in. *I* want to be the able to say, "he's just not ready to learn this right now, we'll come back to it in a few months or next year" *I* want to be able to let HIM have some say in his education. With virtual public, him nor I either one would have any more say than we do in public school. It may be the perfect fit for your family. It's just NOT for us. If you're interested in what I plan to use next year, check out my homeschool blog. If you just want to talk, PM me.
To me, it comes down to WHY you homeschool in the first place. My reasons, which have to do with religious convictions, not wanting anyone dictating what or how I need to teach my children, wanting the freedom to make the decisions without interference from others, simply wouldn't allow for a Virtual school, especially a government one. If you can honestly look at your reasons for hs'ing and can say that those won't be compromised by a virtual school, then that's fine!
Jackie said what I would have said only better When we started hs 4 years ago I also looked into virtual schools-mostly for the free supplies. I decided it wasn't for us but was glad I researched it. I want to be in charge of everything-whether we succeed or fail it's all on me! I figure the since the virtual schools are still public schools I'M doing all the work & not getting paid (other than supplies). I still have to answer to someone & that doesn't sit well with me. I do agree that it may work for some families-not us though. I believe if God has called you to hs then he will make a way for you to do it the way you want to without compromise. We have been through more layoffs in 10 years than I can count on one hand & the biggest one was 18 months ago. My hubby was off work for almost a year & we went through our retirement fund to survive but hs never was on the chopping block. He took a $10/hr pay cut so making ends meet is pretty tough but it can be done. My favorite motto is "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called". I have seen it happen But, if you decide to go that route I hope it works for your family.
Wanted to add a PS... There is SOOOO much out there that is free, that YOU CAN give your kids a good quality education without spending a dime (ok well maybe you will need some paper and pencils and crayons ). If you need any ideas, let me know, up until last year, I did everything for free or dirt cheap (think workbooks from Sam's Club and reading books from yard sale dime boxes ), and I still dont' spend much, just plan my needs for the next year at income tax and buy then.. and hope for it to work/last
I think virtual public is a great option to have out there. I mean if you are considering homeschooling because your child is bullied, peer pressure, or not getting enough attention from the teacher due to class size, or maybe even ADHD, just needs more physical activity worked into their day to succeed, something like that, then it's probably a good fit for you. But I must admit I was VERY lured by FREE. LOL I'm very frugal. I also liked that it was all planned out, but that's also what I DIDN'T like about it. I realized even if I buy my own expensive curriculum all planned out, I'm still going to pick and chose my way through it LOL Cause I can! I however, am homeschooling for many reasons, most of which virtual public would not address. Amount of work required of such young kids (my son goes to school 7 hours a day and comes home with an hour of homework!), teaching methods (sight words being stressed over phonics), state standards, and religious reasons, ect. Virtual public would solve none of this for me. I think once you evaluate WHY YOU want to homeschool, you'll have your answer as to if virtual public is for you or not. As far as money-I like the quote above. You WILL find a way. Money will NOT be an issue if you feel God is calling you to homeschool. Would I like to be able to buy a few expensive curriculum books for my kids? sure. (I could spend a fortune on books and open my own library! LOL) Is it going to stop me from homeschooling because I can't? No! Cause I KNOW God will make a way, despite our finances, cause I truly believe in my heart, He wants us to homeschool (at least for now) I'm also blessed I found a "free" co-op close by, at a local church. There is a small fee ($5-$10) for some classes for supplies, (some of the high school classes are a bit more) some classes are totally free. I paid $45 total for both my kids to take 3 classes each this semester. This way my son gets to use Apologia Zoology for his science. Maybe you could ask around local homeschool groups and see if there is something like that near you. If not, maybe some people might be willing to help you set one up. Ours requires that the parents stay and volunteer at the co-op, it is not a drop off program. Some parents volunteer to teach, others don't want to teach, but they can do other things. And obviously, someone is donating the curriculum being used. I find it is a lot more work than I really thought it would be, doing everything myself LOL but that's okay. I don't mind. I'm having fun with it. And each new resource I find makes me so excited. Every time I find something new I want to go yank my kid out of school and bring him home! LOL (It was his choice to stay in public school until the end of the year) I'd be more than willing to help and share what I've found. Money doesn't necessarily mean a better education. (studies prove this-the study I read had 3 'groups' based on how much they spent on curriculum. The bottom 2 groups scored the same, the top group, which was over $600, scored only 3% higher) I've spent a total of $72 on curriculum for 2 kids next year. And maybe $20 on arts/crafts stuffs. I'm sure I'll have to spend $5 here and there for other stuff. And we'll say another $50 for co-op classes next semester. For a grand total of $150 for 2 kids for a year (prek and 1st grade). This year (kindergarten) for public school I spent $70 on 'required' school supplies at the beginning of the year and another $20 for "oops we ran out of glue sticks/clorox wipes/ect" throughout the year. $30 for items to send in for holiday parties. That's $120 for one kid for one year at public school.
Wonderfully said, Sonita! That's exactly what I meant! I'm not "against" Virtual Schools the way some are, though they are not for me. How can we be for OUR choice to homeschool, but be against others' choice to attend a Virtual School (or any Charter School, for that matter?) My biggest frustration is that people hear of Virtual Schools and consider that the SAME as hs'ing. IT'S NOT!!! No more than saying Public School and Private School are the same because they take place in a school building! (Understand, I know that some on here do Virtual School, and that's OK; we find the common ground of doing what we think is best for our children and supporting one another regardless!). But people think that homeschoolers get "free" stuff and it bugs them. They don't believe us when we tell them that we pay for it all ourselves. They don't understand why we don't want government interference, since we're obviously taking advantage of the government....
I think all the options we have for educating our children are wonderful to have. What fits my family won't fit every family. I think it's great that someone came up with virtual homeschooling. I think it's great we have a free educational system (although far from perfect, it IS better than nothing) I love that homeschooling is an option for our family. Some families can't homeschool, some families can't afford private school, some see the need to educate their children themselves. It's all okay, IMHO. There is something for everyone. I do feel sorta bad for virtual public school parents sometimes though, a lot seem to be shunned by public school supporters and homeschool supporters alike. It's like they have no where to turn :/
OK. I'm not being dumb anymore. I must have been going thru a dumb moment...I LOVE the fact I don't have to answer to anybody but me. My kids and I can take a day off if we dang well want to... I just was thinking about the curriculum and all that. A couple of girls on here was right ...even though I hate spending so much time on here looking for things, you can pretty much find pretty much anything you need and to me spending extra time just so we can do our "own thing" is worth it. :0 Thank You all for getting me on the right road again.
Glad you came to your senses Really though, if you need help with anything ASK!! I have free things for like every grade and every subject! I started working on a series of blog posts.. but only have gotten the first one up.. hubby got moved to a strange houred shift and I just don't have the time to work on it (I get "those" looks when I'm on the computer too much when he's home..lol).. on homeschooling for free. Math is up, and I have lots up my sleeves for LA, Science, Social Studies, and other things. He seems to be going back to regular hours this coming week (at least on Monday) so I plan on getting my second post up then.. I think it will be language arts.
Well, I see you've changed your mind but I'd just like to add - I say if you need to do it - go for it. Take their stuff - you are paying taxes for it anyway. You can make the best of it by doing stuff with them and it will be fine. I think the pit some homeschooling parents fall into is tht they allow the online school to be the teacher. As long as you are still the teacher - who has a boss - then it will work fine. My personal opinion is that Connections isn't any better or worse than the rest of them, but you gotta do what you gotta do and don't feel bad about it. Sometimes life dictates that we try another way. So be it. My kids went to public school for a year several years ago and then my oldest did the online school for a year. Was it great, no. But it wasn't horrible either. We ended up doing the math and chemistry together eveyday anyway - so it was still like regular homeschool.
I agree. It is tempting until your REALLY start to think about it though isn't it? LOL It is a lot more work, I think, to homeschool for free. But it's worth it. Esp if you're like us and can't afford to buy curriculum, so our only option if we want to homeschool is take the time to look through the free sources...But there are some really neat free things out there...
