Online High School???

the only people i know who've tried this have thrown in the towel. it's the worst of all worlds- it doesn't allow the freedom and flexibility of homeschooling, nor the friends and socially normative experiences of high school.
i guess it works for some. normally i'm all for more choices.
but i think this one is a pretty sucky option.
khairete
S.

I just pulled my son from his high school due to his being bullied. He is taking half of his course load at a community college and half through an online high school run by a university. He is highly motivated and I work from home 3 days a week. We will see how it goes. I am hopeful and he is much, much happier. I can completely understand her desire to keep her kid of out high school, especially if she is shy or a loner. It can be a brutal experience for kids, even more these days than when we were in school.

My oldest used PA Cyber Charter School and we were both very happy with it. Although I was with him at home most of the time, he was responsible for his studies and I simply had to check on him occasionally.
The school takes care of the teaching, you are right that there is very little if any "homeschooling" going on. But for high school, it works well if the kid is motivated enough and the teachers and parent stay on top of it daily.

My SD just enrolled in cyber school.

If they are enrolled through the public school systems (Academy Connections, etc.) then they have to be logged in during the day, check in with their teacher and complete assignments given to them. They can interact with other kids on-line and their teacher as well via email.

Just because kids don't socialize well when they are forced to doesn't mean they are anti-social. Do you think the teachers in HS watch the kids every second of the day?

I homeschool my daughter but not through the public school system. I am home with her and my SD's mom will be home with my SD. I think at the HS age these kids should be able to do their school work on their own and it is a great way to prepare them for college (no one is going to hold their hands through college). So sad that so many people want their teens to act like adults and be responsible but wont give them the chance to learn how to be self reliant and independent.

I dropped out of high school, in fact , I dropped out of jr high too.. I did so because as a foster kid, I moved around a lot and having gone from school to school, never really settled in.. I was ALWAYS behind.. That said...at about age 18, I took my GED.. now, do I feel I missed out on school's socialization.... not really.... the last time I felt that I belonged and actually had a lot of fun in school was in elementary, after that.. uggh.. it was work to try and get to know people that now.......... I have no contact with.. did it affect me.. maybe.. but schooling in and of itself I feel can be learned outside the classroom too.. formal education is so overrated !! IF the child does do online schooling, then I think it might also be important to get her involved at the ymca or somewhere else where she is not alone every single day.. it needn't be with all kids, even some adults.. like say, online studies and then volunteer.. <<< maybe for older people.. does she have a pet? I knew a person who took her dog to convalescent homes and the seniors loved it.. I don't know, something extracurricular might be good.. this may be less about schooling and more about the girl just learning to be more comfortable with who she is. sometimes helping others can allow you to do that.. just a thought..

You don't face 'odd social behavior' by withdrawing from social opportunities.
On line schools might work for some but this sounds like parent-ally approved dropping out.
It sounds like the girl might need special ed and her Mom should be seeking to put the schools resources to good use so her child gets a good education.
Becoming a recluse over a fear of high school (the mothers and/or the girl's) is not a good answer.

My friend did this and her kids were around 7th and 8th grade. She left them home and gave them assignments to have done before she got back. They'd sleep all day, play games on the computer, they started chatting with "friends" they made online in the games, and more.

That's when she laid down the law. They got up every morning and went to work with her. They sat in an empty office and did school work all day.

They both finished high school a year and a half early. Because mom found out that kids are kids and won't stay on their work, they want to have a life and they'll find a way to have it.

I do think the solution to this issue is to find someone who is home all day and ask them if daughter can stay with them during the day.

Or if that person drives they can be available to help the girl if she needs it but then they can take her home when she's finished. Perhaps even some home school organization in their town can offer some assistance or they may know someone who is already doing this.

My 16 yo niece does online HS. She's obese and her parents were concerned about bullying. Her parents are home, but they are both very odd and do not help or really interact with her at all. It's worked out ok, her grades are good because she's responsible and self motivated, but I think socially it was a huge mistake. She's gained more weight and become more withdrawn. She does have to check in with a counselor at school occasionally, so that helps, but overall I think it was a mistake.

I am a teacher for an online public high school, and it can work very well for a lot of kids. But the kids either have to be very self-motivated (this is where you see kids who are advanced, love school, and might be involved in some kind of activities for which online school gives them the freedom to stay in school full time but also pursue their dream of acting, sports, etc.), or the parent has to be home with them all day. It really should be considered "homeschooling" when it's online high school. If this girl's mom is going to be gone from like 7 am to 6 pm every day, then the girl has to be super motivated and trustworthy. It also depends on the kind of school. If it's a private online school you can get away with a different type of work schedule, and you can basically work out what classes to take and when you want to do it, and just earn your diploma on your own time. If it's public and free, the kids have to log in daily and make progress, or they can be withdrawn for truancy. I have a lot of students whose parents work, and they are often surprised to hear that their child has not been logging in or submitting any work, because when they get home from work, the student tells them about all the wonderful school work they were doing all day. Unfortunately, they were actually on Facebook. But again, it does work very well for self-motivated kids and can really be great.

at that age classes are done via video and online assignments, the parents do not need to be home, just need to make sure that the kid is doing the stuff assigned and keep up to date on what they are getting done during the day
Most parents can't teach advanced math and biology and chemistry and ...