This is a personal story about how live online courses have changed how I approach teaching. Today was one of those days I would rate an epic failure; on a scale of 1 to 10, it ranked terribly close to zero. Perhaps if you knew me personally, you wouldn’t be surprised, but I look pretty pulled together on paper. After 18 years of working in public education and homeschooling my boys since 2009 (even getting the first of them off to college with scholarship money), and now working for a remarkable homeschool academy, I want to tell you, none of it matters when your 8th grade student confesses he hasn’t done ANY of his grammar lessons for the past month. He only owned up to it because I finally had a moment to ask to see his book – that’s another story. (Insert homeschool mom guilt here – is there an emoji for that? There should be!)
The truth of the matter is it can be very hard for a homeschooling parent to stay on top of all the academic work when you consider the age of the child (or children!) in the home, the housework, meal prep and in my case, full-time, work from home job. Being an “expert” doesn’t get me any more time in my day, and as my boys have gotten older, I have had to find creative ways to keep them engaged and accountable (grammar notwithstanding). The bottom line for me was recognizing I can’t provide everything I want for my children without some homeschool help. My best option because of my schedule and where we live is live, online courses which are also sometimes referred to as “learning labs.”
As a former classroom teacher and school principal, the decision to allow someone else to instruct my child, even part of the time, was not an easy one. I have seen the damage done when parents step out of the educational process. Trusting in a system to decide what’s most important and then actually teach it in a way each child learns is a big leap of faith. However, when you find a great live online course provider, you have the ability to see your child grow in knowledge and skills while you DIRECTLY supervise it from the comfort of your home. And the best learning lab instructors are happy to work alongside you to help tailor the course material to your child’s strengths, while simultaneously bolstering up those weak areas.
Here is the short list of benefits I have seen from the live online instruction my boys have received:
- Better independent work habits – Yes, they turn assignments in on time and usually give their best to the OTHER teacher (and I can honestly say I have never heard them argue about the requirements with her – sigh).
- Great feedback – It is truly a blessing to have someone else grade some of the work and give me insights into my child I wouldn’t get by looking at it through my mom lens. Bonus if that “someone” is an expert in subject matter which is not my forte – high school physics, as one example.
- Meeting new peers – Virtual classrooms are fantastic places for students to collaborate and share ideas, interests, and expertise.
- Terrific resources – In every course, my children have taken in a virtual classroom, the instructor has provided a plethora of extras – videos, websites, projects, and activities – to extend the learning. I simply don’t have time to search for all these non-essential, but inspiring resource materials myself, but they do so much to enrich our homeschool.
Okay, and there is this last one little benefit for me, the dedicated homeschooling parent. Dare I say it? TIME. No, it isn’t a lot of time because I am still the instructor for the largest part of their day, but I will take what I can get with everything else I have on my plate. Before I enrolled my guys in their first live online courses, I sometimes fantasized about what I could get done if they were to get on the big yellow school bus every morning. Still, an hour or two a week when they were little to fold the laundry sitting in the basket by the dryer or catch up on a few emails was, and still is, so appreciated. (I discovered live online courses when my kids were still in elementary school, and with these benefits in mind, I have continued to schedule one or two for them each year since.)
I guess, though, what I should be doing with that extra time is checking on my teenager’s daily grammar lessons because clearly, he is capitalizing on my disdain for correcting conjugated verbs and diagrammed sentences. Of course, I could also use the time to see if there is a learning lab dedicated solely to grammar for him next year…yes, that sounds like a plan.
If you are wondering if live online courses are right for your child, Bridgeway Academy has a great informational resource for you: Virtual Classrooms Bring Online Learning to Life
I would encourage you to take a few minutes to check it out to learn more about the incredible benefits of incorporating learning labs into your child’s homeschool program.
4 Comments
Lynn
Are you familiar with Bridgeway Academy? I’m looking at the live classes thinking this might keep my 12 year old’s attention a little more. He gets bored really fast!
Kathi Thomas
Hi, Lynn! I run the live online class program at Bridgeway Academy and would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the program. We have a huge selection of live courses within your child’s age range. Check out our website: https://homeschoolacademy.com/home-school-programs/live-online-classes/ and also feel free to email me directly – [email protected]
Kim Roman
Hi Kathi. This year was our first year homeschooling. Nathan is 11 and in 5th grade. It was a rough start as he fought me thinking I would give up and put him back in public school. 🙂 We are doing great now.
My question and concern is that he will be in middle school and he also is a gymnast. We might be traveling an hour to his gym (we might have to change gyms) and I am looking for a curriculum/ school that will help me keep up with what Nathan needs to learn in 6th grade. We are 15 minutes away from his gym now, so it makes teaching at home easier than if I had to drive an hour or more to and from the new gym. I want to use our time wisely and get the most out of what we have.
I have a curriculum but I am willing to change if I have too.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Kim Roman
Kathi Thomas
Hi, Kim! Bridgeway Academy is all about customizing the homeschool program for each student and works with many aspiring athletes, actors, musicians and others who need specialized schedules to allow for practice time. Besides just live online classes, there are self-paced online and textbook options which would allow your young man to have the flexibility he needs and even do some “car-schooling” on the way to and from the gym. While I am personally the biggest fan of the live online Learning Lab courses, mixing up the types of courses he has may give you the best flexibility within your schedule. Bridgeway Academy can provide an advisor who has worked with other gymnastic families to help guide him through sixth grade and beyond, if needed, and take care of all the record keeping for you. I would suggest you speak to one of their homeschool specialists on the phone and she can help you figure out the best plan for Nathan. The phone number is (800) 863-1474.
I think it is great you stuck out the first year and didn’t cave in when things got tough. The first year is always the most challenging, and I am sure you will find homeschooling is a great fit if Nathan is spending a lot of time in the gym!