Our new normal...

Our girls have been asking (okay, really begging) the last few years to be home-schooled.  There were various reasons behind their requests (demands), but we kept putting them off.  

Until this year, their Sophomore year of high school.  3 weeks in to the first semester we decided to check out the different online options available in our state (I know...we went through registration, purchasing school supplies, the whole enchilada.  You would have thought we could have figured this out over the summer).   We (okay, really me) did our research, talked to different Mom's that have been using various curriculum and programs, and decided which one would work for us.  

We (again, me) withdrew our girls from the public bricks-and-mortar school they were attending and enrolled them online to an accredited virtual public high school.  Now, instead of attending a school with over 800 students, they alternate between working at home and working on assignments at our local library.  We are only 3 weeks in to this virtual thing, but it seems to be working for us.  They complete assignments/quizzes/tests daily, attend live lessons online with their peers, and speak via phone weekly with their homeroom teacher.  Their teachers are available between the hours of 8-4 via text, phone, or open office hours online.  The school offers a smorgasbord of classes to choose from, and one of our girls was even able to take her dream foreign language class of American Sign Language!  

Now don't get me wrong, this was a big change for all of us.  Not only do I record their attendance daily, but I also look over their assignments and "approve" them before they are finalized and turned in to the instructors.  As a learning coach of a high school student my jobs include the following: 

• Commit one to two hours per day to overseeing schoolwork
• Verify that lessons and assignments are completed
• Communicate with teachers, referring students to teachers for help when needed
• Attend regular teacher conferences

Is this a permanent change for us?  As of now we don't know.  But it is our current situation, and we will continue to monitor their progress over the next year.  One of our girls would like to transfer back to a bricks-ands-mortar school her senior year in hopes of simplifying the college process.  The other thinks an online virtual school may be the answer for the rest of her high school career.  We will see.