Online Homeschooling - Is it right for your family?

by Ura Kondo Rinaldi, M.A.

I am a parent of two young boys and my husband and I have been discussing homeschooling. We've always believed that we needed to encourage learning outside of school, and we've made our commitment to nourish our children's natural curiosity. For me, though, I was a little hesitant - would I have the time, patience and skills to homeschool our children?

I hope I am not the only one that thinks homeschooling is all about parents becoming a teacher, a school administrator, a principle, and the school support staff all at the same time. I figured you'd have to find out what the state requirements are, develop your own curriculum for each subject, based on the guidelines, find teaching materials and supplies, make the learning interesting, do testing, grading and much more. Many parents still go the traditional way and I applaud them for their patience and effort. But there is another option that is more practical and manageable for many parents who consider homeschooling for various reasons.

I expected that there would be endless resources available online (and I don't know how people homeschooled children before Internet!). But what I did not know was that there are many online schools that offer online homeschooling for grades K-12. It works just like an online college, where students enroll, take as few or as many courses at a time, but without a schedule or time limit for when they need to complete each course. Students receive materials - textbooks, CD-Roms, or online, have access to a teacher to ask questions, and learn at their own pace. Students never fail, but are required to receive a minimum score to move onto the next level. You also have an option of renting or purchasing materials. Once the student passes the test, they can continue with the next course. It's that simple.

The online homeschooling option costs much less than private schools, for example, one school's tuition was $1,500 for 3 or more courses in one academic year plus materials fee, another was about $100 / month. It may be a little more than what you may spend if you are homeschooling traditional way (you can spend as little as $200 a year on materials and use as much public and free resources as possible). But consider the time you save on research, curriculum development, planning and paperwork.

Some schools also offer other options like receiving all materials and tests at once so that students can test out of the course quickly, or work with individual local schools to customize their curriculum for advanced students or students with special needs.

This is a great option for parents who are not comfortable for taking the "teacher" role in every subject, or parents who just don't have the time or patients to do it the traditional way. Parents, however, still have to have the commitment to monitor and support the children - you can't expect your child to sit at the desk and learn on his own while you do your thing! One site noted parents are expected to spend about 3 hours per day out of a 5 hour schooling time for each child. The child can always ask questions online if parents are unable to answer them.

This also gives parents peace of mind that your child is "passing" the grade, not because you feel like he knows the "stuff," but because he is evaluated by a professional. Students will receive report cards, transcripts, even help with college applications. Although more and more colleges are becoming open to homeschooled applicants, this sure makes things easier.

There are, however, limitations to this service. Your reason as a parent to homeschool your children may be to have complete control over teaching materials. With this option, you'll have to go with what you are given, although you are more than welcome to supplement what you feel is missing. After all, that's what you're paying the money for. There are some online homeschooling sites with religious or spiritual interests available. You will have to screen the materials and determine what is best for you and your children. (Most offer a limited time money back guarantee.) Also, most require some online or computer time for your child. So if you are concerned about the child's exposure to technology (or how much time the child spend on a computer), that's something to think about. If you are homeschooling because you wanted to keep your children away from the school environment, this may be a simple solution.

This is also a great service for your gifted children who may not fit in a "grade" system. It gives you a flexibility to place your child in one grade for one subject, and choose another grade for another subject. Many offer placement tests to determine the right level for your child. So you can be sure that your child is appropriately challenged and move through the K-12 grades at his own pace.

Before you sign on with any online homeschooling services, here are some things to consider:

Does this online homeschooling service follow our state guidelines?
Is it a reputable company?
Who is on the board, management, and teaching staff?
Who develops the curriculum?
What are the billing and payment options? Do they offer a money back guarantee?
What support does the online homeschool offer for parents?

The best way to determine if online homeschooling is right for your family may be to just try them for a course. Some offer summer program, which may be a great way to continue learning during a long vacation. Most offer an option to take once course, and they are reasonably priced. If the child and you enjoy the experience, you can always sign up for more. Online homeschooling is one of the most simple and practical solutions to homeschooling, and it just may be what you were looking for!

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