Online Public schools? Beta program? Opinions please

I want to hear your thoughts on this new trend of online public schools. I have been noticing more advertisements promoting these schools. Google online public schools to get an idea of the thrust of these programs.

I have become aware of the pure sinister nature of all government sponsored programs. So I started thinking about the sinister plan behind this one.

Perhaps this is just a Beta program designed to determine the feasibility of online government controlled education? Maybe in a few years, there will be no more teachers?!!

Apparently, there are live "teachers" you can talk to should you need to ask questions. Who are these people? Are they just a group of mindless customer service reps, reading off of reference cards and government controlled booklets?

If, in the future, it becomes mandatory to participate in this online public school system, what would become of the empty school buildings all around the nation? Maybe they could be converted to detention centers perhaps? or debter labor camps? hmmmm.....


Your thoughts please?

I think they have their place in the educational scheme of things, especially for non-traditional high school students. I have a friend who is a math teacher for one of these schools and she mentioned that a number of her students are drop-outs who've come back to get their high school degree. The on-line education scheme fits their schedules, since many are adults working for a living. I wonder if it might also work well for kids who are on the autism spectrum?

reply to post by Visitor2012


While I think there are some situations where this may be a viable option, such as very rural areas, people who have dropped out and find it too awkward to go back to a traditional school, people with handicaps and likely others, however in general I think it is a poor idea.

A primary objective of any school is the socialization of the students. Exposing kids to different people, different ideas and in general more diversity. In many ways the socialization is more important than the academic component.

Our society has already become one where it is too easy for people to become isolated and we should take steps to limit the avenues whereby they can become more engaged with people and more comfortable with human interaction.

There are many aspects of education that simply can not be conducted on-line, such as speaking in public, taking a pop quiz and others that have an impact on the readiness of people to face the challenges of life.

I believe that these types of schools should be used sparingly and there should be a compelling reason to allow a kid to opt out of a traditional school.

I think it's important to consider that children learn a lot more from going to school than just what's on the curriculum.

Children learn how to socialize with others, how to deal with adversity, how to make friends, and even how to form relationships. Now, school certainly isn't the only place children learn these things, but for most young children school forms the backbone of their developing social lives.

Online schooling would be a decent alternative for handicapped students who for whatever reason could never attend a public or private school, and who's parents are unable to afford/manage home schooling for them.

However for the vast majority of students I think it's a bad idea until the higher grade levels. High school and college level students may be able to handle online classes because they are better at time-management and have developed the initiative to allow success in such methods. I think for younger students, however, participation (and as a result, grades) would suffer.


EDIT: I see dolphinfan and I share the exact same concerns.

[edit on 2-8-2010 by drwizardphd]

My wife and I were talking about this last night - in the context of "I bet soon kids will just 'go to school' online at home from their computers."

As someone that was planning to homeschool anyway I consider this as a viable supplement to our home-school curriculum.

The no-socialization argument only holds up if your kid also never leaves the house. My kid plays with the neighbors, kids at the park/playground, friends' kids, etc. Plenty of socialization and in my opinion it's better than letting them hang out with random hooligan kids and being under no-tolerance policies that get kids suspended/expelled for mundane crap.

reply to post by an0maly33


Actually you want your kid to hang around with random hooligans. Life is full of random hooligans and learning how to deal effectively with them is a critical life skill. Dealing with folks with dramatically different backgrounds is a critical life skill - far more critical than learning algebra or the properties of magnets and the other hogwash they teach kids at school.

Neighborhoods and sports teams typically contain relatively homogeneous groups of kids, e.g. kids of similar socio-economic background and kids with like interests. I don't believe that is adequate socialization

Would the implementation of "on-line" based education cut the operations cost of public schools?

Plus, if this form of education is endorsed by the government, wouldn't that mean that every child should be able to have the option of taking online classes? It would make it a right of sorts for every family with children to have equal home access to the internet be it broadband, DSL, or dial-up.

We did this for 2 years, because my son had a horrible teacher that was very negative. It was a great program, and we were able to start two grade levels above what he would have been forced to dumb down for in a traditional classroom.

We were required to do the same curriculum that is required in the traditional classroom, and had to take all the same standardized tests as his public school counterparts. Our online school also had one day a week, where he would get together with all the other students and have a "socialized" experience.

As for socialization at school, what is so natural about that? Being forced to sit in seats for hours and then sprung for lunch and recess. Its more akin to prison.

Someone once was apalled when they heard I was homeschooling and asked, "How is your child going to function in a job without the structured setting of a classroom?"

I told her, "I don't want my son to be a follower. I'm not teaching him to be a worker in a cubicle, I'm teaching him to think for himself and be a leader and innovator."

reply to post by tk2dsky


There are all kinds of socialization, most of them subtle. Sitting next to a kid who has ill-fitting hand-me-downs because he is obviously poor is socialization - especially when your kid becomes friends with him. Walking down the halls with jocks, punks, geeks and the rest is socialization. Learning how to deal effectively with all of these people is socialization. Learning how to respect each of these groups and ideally have at least a reasonable relationship with members of these groups is critical.

I don't see how you teach your child to be a leader unless you give him exposure to the people he may eventually have to lead. Leaders have to have and not pretend to have respect for the people they lead. Respect is learned and some common shared experience is how that respect is learned.

As far as the terrible teacher goes, good. Your child will have terrible teachers throughout his academic career, some of whom they will be unable to avoid. Your child will have terrible bosses, terrible co-workers and in general have to deal with terrible people throughout his/her life. They need to not only learn how to deal effectively with these people, they need to learn how to learn something from these people, even if its what not to do and that is as important as learning what to do.

reply to post by dolphinfan


My little brother brother hangs out with random hooligans - I can say the influence is not positive.

The area I live in is by no means homogeneous. We literally have people from every corner of the globe in this area.

So again, maybe you can make the socialization argument in some cases, but I just don't believe it applies for everyone.

reply to post by dolphinfan


At 6 years old, I don't believe a child should have to learn to be demoralized and bullied by a teacher. Having a bad teachers is not a good thing or a chance to learn how to deal with different personalities and how to adapt. That is not acceptable to me.

As far as socializing with different personalities in school, they come across those same personalities outside of the classroom, so school is not a necessary place for that. Believe me they'll get enough experience on a day to day basis.

You assume that a homeschooled child is a shut in and never experiences other people. That is a very incorrect assumption. Leadership does not come only from exposure to others. Leadership is inborn and nurtured through a self-confidence. Quite frankly, schools can do real damage on confidence.

Although I'm not enrolled in 'public' school, I am enrolled in a tuition free private school. All of our curriculum is online, but we still go to a building every day.
I've also tried the online, away from school method.

Very few have actually learned anything at the school I go to, cheating is very simple unfortunately.

Originally posted by LibertyLover
I think they have their place in the educational scheme of things, especially for non-traditional high school students. I have a friend who is a math teacher for one of these schools and she mentioned that a number of her students are drop-outs who've come back to get their high school degree. The on-line education scheme fits their schedules, since many are adults working for a living. I wonder if it might also work well for kids who are on the autism spectrum?

I can appreciate your positive approach. I sometimes find it hard to believe that anything the Government does is for our own good.

But there is merit in your words. It could help a lot of people who are trying to fit their education (indoctrination) in their busy schedules. Perhaps you are right. I hope so. However, I can't help but recognize the significant cost savings in sponsoring such a program, thus my suspicions.

I also recognize the Governments increasing lack of respect for teachers around the nation. I suspect they will be obsolete in a few years time. Replaced by the internet and increased Government control over it's citizens and leverage over their lives.

I watched that movie Surrogates the other night starring Bruce Willias, and as bad as the movie itself was, it sort of made me think of how the future may look if this internet revolution continues on.


People are already working from home, many companies are now hiring people to work from a remote location via the internet, so that they can reduce overhead.

Millions of people are going to college and studying for advanced degrees, all done online now and acceptable as education standards are concerned.

When we are at home half of us are glued to the internet, many for hours on end. Kids are growing up knowing little of manual labor, outdoor play or socializing with peer's, and instead are glued to online networking sites and online video games. Even when they are at school or in public their faces are usually buried in a cell phone.

Is this what life as we know it has evolved into? I for one don't much care for it. Computers, phones and other gadgets do well to enhance our lives and make them more convenient, but when it gets to the point where you entire life is spent in an artificially generated reality, then something needs to be done.

Online public school should only be an option for children with physical disabilities that make it impossible for them to attend school and otherwise get an education. As for the rest of them, I say suck it up, get your butt out of bed and go to school like the rest of us had to.

Kids need social interaction and time to familiarize themselves first hand with human and peer interaction. It is a necessary part of child development and taking that dynamic away would be a serious detriment to a childs natural growth as a person.

Originally posted by an0maly33
My wife and I were talking about this last night - in the context of "I bet soon kids will just 'go to school' online at home from their computers."

As someone that was planning to homeschool anyway I consider this as a viable supplement to our home-school curriculum.

The no-socialization argument only holds up if your kid also never leaves the house. My kid plays with the neighbors, kids at the park/playground, friends' kids, etc. Plenty of socialization and in my opinion it's better than letting them hang out with random hooligan kids and being under no-tolerance policies that get kids suspended/expelled for mundane crap.

I agree with you, my kids are home schooled as well and socialize at parks and places where kids gather.

Surely the Government would find tremendous advantage in controlling a child's education? No need to pay teachers, no need to train them. No more teacher strikes and issues of morality or disruption of their agenda. An education curriculum that is the same across the board and virtually impervious to community involvement and parental involvement.

reply to post by tk2dsky


Amen to that. I've seen ,first hand, how much damage a school can inflict on a child's self esteem and his/her ability to understand their own emotions.