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Online Schooling: Right for Your Busy Teenager?
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 3:05 pm
By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com
When Nikki Bravo’s niece, Isha, moved in with her last year, it was clear that a full academic schedule, coupled with an equally intense training program at The Washington Ballet School, would soon be overwhelming.
With anywhere from two to four hours of training after school and on weekends, Isha often got to Bravo’s Bethesda, Maryland home as late as 9:30 p.m. and still needed to eat and do homework – sending her to bed well after midnight to rest before getting up early the next morning to start the cycle all over again.
“She wants to be a professional ballet dancer, and the time needed was close to impossible,” Bravo told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "So last year, we enrolled her in an online school.”
The certified Keystone program, Bravo said, provided instruction in English, Math, Spanish and Biology. Her niece was given physical education credit for her dance curriculum.
“What worked really well for her was working more independently, where she had more time,” Bravo said, noting that the program gives students more time to complete the curriculum.
But, Bravo cautioned, adult supervision is still needed to keep students on track.
“With a teenager, if there is no bus or car leaving (to carry them to school), it can be difficult,” Bravo said. “The lack of structure is challenging. Keystone gives you 12 months to complete it, but you could see if you’re a procrastinator, it can be a disaster.”
The program allows students to set their own pace, but it helps to have some sort of structure imposed.
The upside of the program, Bravo said, was that Isha read more, and her vocabulary increased because more of the work was self-directed, instead of listening to a teacher lecture.
“I think she actually read more,” Bravo said. “Before, I don’t think she read if she didn’t have to.”
On the flip side, however, “she really misses the social aspect of schools. She has a lot of interaction with the group she dances with, but the social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) helps her stay in touch” with her friends from traditional school.
Online schooling likely works even better, Bravo said, if small groups of students were taught together -- possibly in settings like a reserved room in a public library -- so that they could take advantage of class discussions and social interaction that solo learning does not provide.
If you’re considering enrolling your child in an online program, you want to see if there is an approved public school program – which means it will be free – and check to see how technologically advanced it is. Some programs have Webinars and video classes, which allow for greater interaction, while others are heavier on reading, writing and self-direction.
While Isha’s program was more of the latter, her Spanish lessons provided digital recordings so that she could record her oral exams and get verbal feedback from her teacher. Bravo said instructors also tended to respond promptly to e-mail questions and returned e-mailed assignments quickly.
Bravo opted for a private program, which fell in the $3,000-$4,000 range. This fall, she said, she plans on sending Isha back to a traditional school and was awaiting word of whether her niece had been accepted in a private school, which will set the family back about $30,000.
“The difference is astronomical,” Bravo said.
She said that while the Montgomery County public schools will work with parents to find a balance, the commute from Isha’s parents’ home in Silver Spring to the ballet school in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of D.C. just made the day too long, which spurred the decision to have Isha live with Bravo and her husband in nearby Bethesda.
But Bravo said she found the online experience valuable. And she says it's a worthwhile option for parents to consider.
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 3:05 pm
By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com
When Nikki Bravo’s niece, Isha, moved in with her last year, it was clear that a full academic schedule, coupled with an equally intense training program at The Washington Ballet School, would soon be overwhelming.
With anywhere from two to four hours of training after school and on weekends, Isha often got to Bravo’s Bethesda, Maryland home as late as 9:30 p.m. and still needed to eat and do homework – sending her to bed well after midnight to rest before getting up early the next morning to start the cycle all over again.
“She wants to be a professional ballet dancer, and the time needed was close to impossible,” Bravo told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "So last year, we enrolled her in an online school.”
The certified Keystone program, Bravo said, provided instruction in English, Math, Spanish and Biology. Her niece was given physical education credit for her dance curriculum.
“What worked really well for her was working more independently, where she had more time,” Bravo said, noting that the program gives students more time to complete the curriculum.
But, Bravo cautioned, adult supervision is still needed to keep students on track.
“With a teenager, if there is no bus or car leaving (to carry them to school), it can be difficult,” Bravo said. “The lack of structure is challenging. Keystone gives you 12 months to complete it, but you could see if you’re a procrastinator, it can be a disaster.”
The program allows students to set their own pace, but it helps to have some sort of structure imposed.
The upside of the program, Bravo said, was that Isha read more, and her vocabulary increased because more of the work was self-directed, instead of listening to a teacher lecture.
“I think she actually read more,” Bravo said. “Before, I don’t think she read if she didn’t have to.”
On the flip side, however, “she really misses the social aspect of schools. She has a lot of interaction with the group she dances with, but the social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) helps her stay in touch” with her friends from traditional school.
Online schooling likely works even better, Bravo said, if small groups of students were taught together -- possibly in settings like a reserved room in a public library -- so that they could take advantage of class discussions and social interaction that solo learning does not provide.
If you’re considering enrolling your child in an online program, you want to see if there is an approved public school program – which means it will be free – and check to see how technologically advanced it is. Some programs have Webinars and video classes, which allow for greater interaction, while others are heavier on reading, writing and self-direction.
While Isha’s program was more of the latter, her Spanish lessons provided digital recordings so that she could record her oral exams and get verbal feedback from her teacher. Bravo said instructors also tended to respond promptly to e-mail questions and returned e-mailed assignments quickly.
Bravo opted for a private program, which fell in the $3,000-$4,000 range. This fall, she said, she plans on sending Isha back to a traditional school and was awaiting word of whether her niece had been accepted in a private school, which will set the family back about $30,000.
“The difference is astronomical,” Bravo said.
She said that while the Montgomery County public schools will work with parents to find a balance, the commute from Isha’s parents’ home in Silver Spring to the ballet school in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of D.C. just made the day too long, which spurred the decision to have Isha live with Bravo and her husband in nearby Bethesda.
But Bravo said she found the online experience valuable. And she says it's a worthwhile option for parents to consider.
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