First week of school the virtual way

Last week was our first week of school.  My kids don't have a traditional school day.  We don't technically home school,  but we also aren't in traditional public school.  We use a virtual school.
Our virtual school is technically a public charter school, so we are required to do state testing and keep track of attendance.
We started our virtual school experience 5 years after a horrific bullying experience with my oldest daughter. One day I'll be able to write about it. I still shake thinking how much of the personality of my outgoing cheerful daughter we lost due to that experience. It took over 5 years to see her really begin to come out of her shell again.

We began our journey with K12 Inc. It was great. Then more and more changes happened within our own charter school that made it not the best place for my kids to learn.  I still love the curriculum of K-12 Inc.  Their History program is AMAZING in the way it teaches many cultures and belief systems instead of whitewashing all mentions of any religion.  Countries were formed and kings crowned due to religions.

With 3 children in the K-12 program it was not easy for me as their learning coach to keep track of all their work.  I had to go to multiple places just to get the grades and work for one child. Checking their work due dates and grade books took over 45 minutes due to all the many pages I had to navigate to get to them.  I am a computer savvy person and I would get frustrated dealing with it. This is one place that Connections Academy is really excelling.

With Connections Academy everything is laid out for me easily on the front page of my parent profile.   I can see all assignments that are past due, tests I need to check and a reminder for attendance all on my To Do list.  Connections gave me the ability to run a Family Calendar so I don't have to set birthdays and other events multiple times over multiple schedules. Yet at the same time I can set up separate schedules for each child.      

Every charter school is different within each program. Every family has different challenges and needs.  I love having virtual school as an option for my family.  I have been able to be more active in my kids' schooling and watch them really excel. With the virtual model learning is done in many styles so that all students get a chance to catch on.  It really helped my oldest two with their very different learning styles.

My only regret is not making the change sooner.  You can still ask questions and even join at some school even if the school year has started.  Contact K-12 Inc or Connections Academy today to find what would fit your family's needs or is available in your area.