Homeschooling High School – Is Online Learning Leading Your Home schooler Astray?
Distance learning usually means spending time at the computer – and teenagers LOVE computers! Yet what do you do when they enjoy being online too much?
One friend of mine has a sixteen year old daughter who is taking distance learning with an online Gifted and Talented organization. She is online a great deal. They take advantage of a net nanny program however there are still loads of websites that keep her occupied doing anything except school work. I imagine this mom is very likely not alone. Yet what can a parent do to keep their kids centered on what they are supposed to be working on?
In our home, we referred to that behavior “falling into the abyss. ” It is SO easy to get sidetracked when you are online! Plenty of wonderful things to do and check out! Particularly with really smart teenagers, who may very well be uninterested in school.
When you aren’t working with an online program, the remedies are a bit more simple. You can get rid of all computer time until after school work is accomplished, and you can set a timer for those intervals when they are permitted to be online, so their computer time is reduced. It is harder to do that when school *is* the computer.
If your child is gifted, they may be distracted because they are bored. Having children in a gifted program just isn’t sufficient. You will need to be sure that they are at the CORRECT LEVEL for every class. Attempt to establish if your student is bored. Devote some time discussing with your student as an adult. Express your battles with limiting your own computer time, and request their help and advice concerning how they manage their computer time. Many times when a teen communicates it themselves, they are more inclined to do it. In other words, if you can get them to SAY what you wish them to do, then they are more inclined to do it than if you say it to them specifically.
You may prefer to ask your student if the on-line curriculum is a good match. Inquire if they would opt for learning off the computer. While we often *feel* we have discovered the ideal solution, often our children will figure out it is not a great match before we do. It’s possible that your student really does not prefer learning that way.
You can try having your student do the work on a separate computer, or with paper and pencil, after which getting online only once each assignment is finished. I am unclear exactly how it would work with an online program, but occasionally you are able to do the work offline, then cut and paste (or scan and attach) work that is performed when you are not on the internet.
At some point, the online structure might be too great of a temptation. Like a chocoholic in a candy shop, it could simply be overly alluring to be effective. No one can answer that question but you and your student.
This may just be the problem of any online program. Like many things about parenting, I do not believe you will discover “THE solution. ” Maybe, these strategies will offer you some options.
So take a look at the overall experience, and then determine if it is a beneficial match for your family. Thankfully, there are numerous learning alternatives for home schoolers in case distance learning is not the correct option for you.
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