How Online Schools are failing children

[smdensbcs]

Perhaps I'm just overly simplistic, but ...

I have home exercise equipment I literally never use. It takes going to the gym to make myself exercise rigorously, something I do 4-5 times a week.

I have a home office in which I rarely (never) get any productive work done. It takes physically going in to my real office to be productive.

I have an online Bible "App" which is neat but spiritually cold. It takes being in community with real life people at church or bible study to make any real progress in my faith.

True, I've done 100x more reading/learing "outside" the physical walls of a school than I ever did "inside" a school, but still the discipline of going to a physical location, with other people, all with the same ostensable goal and challenge of "education" is simply not something that can be replicated by a virtual experience. Like so many things "virtual" - it strikes me as a gimmicky pseudo-replacement for the real thing and I therefore can't really take it seriously. It'd be like playing tennis with a racquet but no ball and no opponent; or a soccer game in a bathroom. Some things just require other people and/or a dedicated space to do properly. Perhaps that's just curmudgeonly me.

[debbie at bouontiful]

Well, we're all different I guess. I use my home office, gym daily. My children did wonderful with on line schooling. There husbands finished quite a bit of their college with on line. All have jobs so it must have helped. My husband's job of 30 years still has on line classes all employees have to take and pass. The world would be quite boring if we all like the same things. Fortunately for me on line is great. Some people do better going to a classroom or going to gym. Definintely more social which is a plus too. So I am not putting down but saying there is a big plus for on line TOO.

[captain_hug99]

Originally Posted by delta07

I agree with you that it takes a dedicated user, but how is this really different from the public school setting? I had plenty of students who barely did anything and would coast by. I couldn't hold them back, even though their grades were failing, they never did homework, etc. Our entire educational system is in the tank right now! It really doesn't make a difference whether the kids are attending a physical or cyber school. If they don't put the effort into it, they aren't going to learn.

Did you read the article that I posted? If you had, you would see the stark differences between the outcomes in online vs. traditional schools in Colorado.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

You know, it's alright for us to have different views on the state of education. There are few "in concrete" answers. And I can understand how our experiences differ..... Teaching is a far more challenging profession than the average taxpayer realizes.

I definitely see your side as well, and respect your opinion. I, for one, know that I would not have done well in an online program during my high school years. But I know others that would have. I admit that my teaching experience is limited, and probably jaded, as I taught in a very difficult school with low test scores and a huge student turnover rate. It was the hardest job I've ever had, that's for sure!

Originally Posted by captain_hug99

Did you read the article that I posted? If you had, you would see the stark differences between the outcomes in online vs. traditional schools in Colorado.

Yes, I read the article. I'm not saying that online education should replace traditional education. All I'm saying is that it serves a purpose for some kids.