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Middle schools have been shifting from traditional education to online homeschooling in the past few years. Some parents have already taken advantage of online homeschooling, while others are still trying to understand what it is. We’ll explain what online homeschooling for middle school means, so parents can decide if it’s the right choice for them.
Online homeschooling for middle school is a flexible way for students to learn from home using online tools. Students follow lessons on a digital platform. Students plan their study and activities flexibly. Parents are always nearby to help their kids with any problems in online learning. We will discuss in more detail why online homeschooling is worth choosing. We will see what parents need to understand about this type of education, and the pros and cons involved.
Why Choose Online Homeschooling for Middle School?
Online homeschooling is chosen by hundreds of families. Here are five simple reasons why families prefer it:
- Students have a lot of freedom. Students choose their own learning pace and schedule. This makes it easy for kids to balance school with other activities.
- Children are safer at home compared to traditional schools. Online homeschooling helps avoid problems like family income differences, bullying, and other risks.
- Online homeschooling’s students choose from more programs, which they can’t do in regular schools.
- Online schooling costs less than regular schools. Families save on travel and school fees.
- Students develop digital skills and remote communication experience. This makes it easier for kids to enter the professional world later on.
A Typical Day in Online Homeschooling
Let’s see how online homeschooling looks by going through a day in Jake’s life, a seventh grader. Jake gets up early to watch cartoons. He logs into his online platform and checks his study plan for the day. He does a few actions for his online learning.
First, Jake works on science. He learns about global warming and takes a short quiz to test his knowledge.
Second, Jake takes a 15-minute break to rest his eyes, trying a new study-rest method.
Third, Jake moves on to math. He watches a video explaining the new topic and practices it online. He re-watches the video, if he gets stuck.
Fourth, he takes another 15-minute break before starting a new subject.
Jake follows this routine until 2 PM, then plays computer games and relaxes. Jake likes online homeschooling because it helps him balance school and free time. He changes his schedule if he wants more time to relax.
Understanding the Online Homeschooling for Middle School
Parents and students understand online homeschooling to see if it’s a good fit for them. We’ll go over a few factors to help with the decision. These factors include the accreditation, school curriculum, extracurricular activities, and the parents’ role in their child’s online learning.
Accreditation
Accreditation is when a school is checked by an outside group to make sure it meets quality standards. Accreditation shows the school provides good education. Accreditation matters for online homeschooling, because it ensures the credits students earn are accepted by other schools and colleges. Always check if the online school is accredited by a trusted organization. Use these sources to check the school’s accreditation:
- U.S. Department of Education
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
- School’s official website
Curriculum
Curriculum is the plan of subjects and materials students go through in online school. Curriculum includes assignments, lessons, and topics in math, science, languages, and other important subjects. Parents review the curriculum to make sure it fits their child’s needs.
Extracurricular Activities in Online Homeschooling
Extracurricular activities are activities students do outside regular classes. Parents need to know online schools have limited extracurricular activities. These activities include virtual clubs or online competitions. Parents check what the online school has to help their child build skills and socialize. Parents use Outschool virtual clubs to find more activities for their child if the school has limited options.
How Parents Make Online Homeschooling Work?
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Parents, Take Note
The study “Homeschooling and the COVID-19 Crisis: The Insights of Parents on Curriculum and Remote Learning” was conducted by Daniela Fontenelle-Tereshchuk and involved 10 parents of children in Alberta, Canada. The study focuses on how remote learning impacted children and parents, revealing challenges related to technology use, curriculum delivery, and parental involvement.
Key findings of the study:
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Parents play a key role in their child’s success. Parents help their child more than in traditional schooling. The range of issues they assist with is broader due to the specifics of online learning. They help kids with everything from tech issues to homework. Parents use resources like Homeschooling Parent Support Groups to get tips on how to support their child in online homeschooling.
The Pros and Cons of Online Homeschooling
“Well, the basic reason we started homeschooling is that we learned from an educational psychologist that kids get their values from whomever they spend a majority of their time with. And so we saw our oldest daughter, who was in the first grade at the time, caring way too much about what her fellow six-year-olds thought about life and her mom and I thought that we were smarter than a bunch of six-year-olds and that we’d rather transmit our values than the six-year-olds transmitting their values”
Michel Martin, NPR
Online homeschooling has advantages and challenges. Here’s a quick overview of the five pros and cons to help you decide if it’s right for your family.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Self-paced learning | Stringent self-discipline |
| No commuting required | Limited access to hands-on activities |
| Safety while learning | Loneliness is possible |
| Variety of programs to select | Dependence on technology and internet |
| Development of digital skills | Harder to develop teamwork skills |
Choosing the Right Online Homeschooling Program
We’ve covered factors parents think about when choosing online schooling for their child. Here are five steps to help parents pick the right online homeschooling program:
- Check if the online school is accredited. Use sites like the U.S. Department of Education to confirm the school accreditation.
- Use platforms like GreatSchools or Niche to find reviews, ratings, and details about different online homeschooling programs.
- Visit each school’s website and look at their curriculum pages. Compare subjects, flexibility, and any special programs they offer. Focus on the subjects most important to your child’s education.
- Join homeschooling forums like Homeschool.com to get real feedback from other parents on different programs.
- Pick your top three schools after collecting the info. Talk to the school’s representatives and choose the one which fits you and your child best.
Legacy Online School’s curriculum won “The Best Homeschool Curriculum, Products & Resources!“ award. This win shows the school’s strong focus on quality, innovation, and helping students succeed. Our school is one of the best and offers your kids a learning plan fitting their needs.
Additional Tools and Resources
We made a list of useful tools and resources to make your online homeschooling better.
Reading and Vocabulary
Writing and Grammar
Typing and Study Skills
Math
Conclusion
Online homeschooling for middle school helps many families, especially those with children who have special needs. We looked at a typical day in online homeschooling and pointed out what students and parents focus on. We discussed the pros and cons and gave tips on how parents choose the best school for their child.
