For many years, families have been looking at the two options of public school and homeschooling for their children, but with today’s new technology, a third choice is now available. This choice is private and accredited online homeschooling. Teaching children at home has come to be a viable option for many families. A family that chooses this pulls out of the traditional education system to have complete direction and control over the education of their children. Parents make all of the decisions regarding the curriculum, how the children will be assessed and when the children have completed their education.
The benefits of this type of learning are limitless. The learners with a distance between them can work together in real-time on the same problem with a computer screen that is shared. Students are able to easily access resources throughout the entire world without leaving the computer work space. Students are also able to choose from a large variety of learning resources that best suit their learning needs.
Advantages:
1. These schools have educators and faculty who are trained in providing flexible and high quality education to both the family and the student.
2. The instructional program for each student is based on his individual needs.
3. The online program combines the strengths of both home schooling and private schooling.
4. Fits into the schedule of busy parents.
5. Can take place anywhere in the world.
Disadvantages:
1. This type of program requires a lot of commitment.
2. Many parents of the children have to give up careers to stay at home and this may put stress on finances for the family.
3. It is a major adjustment not only for the parents but also for the children, emotionally and socially.
