So as you probably already know, this school year was my first year as being an online scholar. I absolutely love it with the flexibility it gives me. I love it so much that I wrote an argumentative essay about how great it is. Home or online schooling often raises controversy with parents so I thought that what better to write this essay about? Being that I have an inside look at what it's like.
For any inquisitive minds, here is the essay I wrote. After you read, tell me what you think about it. What are your views on alternative education?
Online/Home Schooling
Parents: how important is your child’s education to you? Now that’s a silly question. It’s like asking a Winnie the Pooh if he likes honey! Anymore, the quality of your child’s education can lead to many a sleepless night, fretting over which school will best prepare your child for their future. From the time they are babies, you worry over the proper environment for your up-and-coming preschooler, all the way to the time they are adults and deciding what universities to apply to and you worry about the safety of the dorm rooms. As parents, it’s your jobs to make sure your child is getting the best you could possibly give them, but have you ever stopped to listen to what they want and need? Home or online schooling is an educational option that often gets ruled out or thrown under the bus when it comes to a serious, good quality education for your child.
Often, home/online schooling is not even an option for most parents because they can’t see the benefits. How is home or online schooling better than traditional schooling when with traditional schooling, my child is getting not only an education, but also an opportunity to interact with their peers? Looking at it from a one-size-fits-all perspective, this makes sense. But when you stop and take a look at your child, as an individual, maybe traditional schooling doesn’t fit them. You see, it can be an option, not because it makes sense to you- a parent who wants to make sure your child is getting well rounded benefit from their education- but because it makes sense for your child, the individual.
So what are the benefits? Home/online schooling is an alternative route to traditional education, making school days more flexible, their environment less distractive, and lessons more customized to the students’ own strengths and weaknesses. Think of it as a glove, fitting to their needs- compared to a mitten. Mittens might be easier to slip on, but your child would be so much happier and more comfortable with it fitting to their own, unique hand. Often times, this type of schooling is used with special children. Both children with special talents, as well as children that have harder time in and out of school benefit the most from this type of education. If your child is having trouble with bullies or relating to peers and seem to have developed a sour taste for school, perhaps home/online schooling would be a relief. Maybe if your child doesn’t seem to have problems at all, but is really showing potential in extracurricular activities- they might like the flexible schedule that allots more time for them to spend perfecting their talents, doing what they love. Or maybe your child just wants to go faster with school, doesn’t show much interest in the social aspects, and finds themselves bored in a traditional classroom- they might like the accelerated learning plan, customized to the student’s individual pace. With hands on teachers and interactive workshops, your child can get the help, acceleration, or flexibility they crave.
But let’s get down to the bottom line, parents. You want to make sure your child is the absolute best out of their education and often times, with this alternative option to education, the question that gets posed is how good of quality is the material they are studying and furthermore, how well are they retaining the information. I just want you to know that with home or online schooling, neither you nor your child has to compromise a good quality education. In fact, as I stated before, you would be doing just the opposite for them- enriching their lives, fitting to their individual needs. Let it be clear that accredited- and I put special emphasis on the word- home/online schooling options have very structured curriculum plans that are no different than those in a typical classroom. With both online and offline activities, worksheets, and interactive one-on-one or group sessions with real, certified teachers, the material your child is learning is practically paralleled to a child their age in traditional schooling. They still are moving toward their future with every day they attend.
Notice how your child still gets to where you want them to be- prepared for their future. Because, honestly, parents can only do the best they can and if at the very least, you could give them preparation for their lives ahead of them, isn’t that all that really matters? And to think that by taking the time to read this, today, you actually could be making a decision that improves their quality of life. As a worried, indecisive, over protective parent, isn’t that all you need to hear to put you at peace? I hope I’ve broadened your perspective on the educational options for your child and hopefully opened some of those non-believers eyes to how home/online schooling is a reasonable option for our youth’s education.
No comments:
Post a Comment