With everything that’s been going on with schools during the pandemic that past couple of years, you may be considering options outside of the classic neighborhood brick-and-mortar school. Although cyber school may seem a bit different than the school that you went to growing up, there are many reasons to join online school. In this article, we will take you through some of the top reasons to join online school.
Many children have busy schedules. They might have an after-school job. Or, maybe they play sports, play an instrument in band, participate in a club, volunteer after school, or have a younger sibling they have to look after. Sometimes it can be nice having a schedule that is set. But being in school every day for a solid six hours straight plus transportation time can be a lot. If your child has a doctor’s appointment or a family matter that comes up, that means that they’re missing school and have to find a way to catch up. That is, unless they go to a PA cyber school that gives them the ability to set their own school schedule.
Letting your child sleep in and start school a little later may seem counterproductive if you’re trying to prepare them for the 9 to 5 workday they’ll face in adulthood. But full-time 9 to 5 jobs aren’t as abundant as they used to be. Many people work remotely nowadays, and the freelance work market has really exploded over the past few years. Therefore, having a flexible school schedule may help prepare your child for the working world of the future. Depending on your child’s age, they may not be getting enough sleep. If they’re allowed to sleep more, they’ll be well-rested for school and more attentive and focused.
Flexibility is one of the top
reasons to join online school. In the traditional school, there is a rigid schedule that is broken up by a series of bells throughout the day. Is there any other part of your child’s life when they’ll have to adhere to a bell schedule like this? Most likely not.
Children are given a little more responsibility when they’re able to move from one class to another at their own pace. Additionally, this allows them to spend more time on the subjects they have a harder time with. Maybe your child is a math whizz that struggles a bit with history lessons. If an online school offers a flexible schedule with asynchronous learning, your child will be allowed to put some more time and effort into history lessons and advance in that subject. Plus, they won’t have to worry about falling behind or getting too far ahead of the other students in their class. They can work at their own pace.
There are a lot of different distractions in the brick-and-mortar classroom. It might be gossip, social anxiety, or a school bully. Or, maybe it’s just someone who keeps whispering to their friend in the corner of the room. It could even be the school announcements or hallway bell that becomes a distraction from learning. When you set up a virtual classroom at home, your child won’t have to deal with any of this. This way, they can focus in on their studies.
On the other hand, you might be worried about socialization opportunities in online school. Some of the top PA cyber schools actually offer a lot of different opportunities for children to socialize. It might be a school club, a class field trip, or an event in the community.
Nowadays, there are a lot of different options for schooling. You can look outside of the neighborhood schoolhouse to find a school that aligns with your child’s needs and interests. Traditional public schools receive government funding, so there are stricter rules, regulations, and curriculums that they have to follow. Most likely, they’ll focus on the core subjects and maybe have a couple of other offerings. Meanwhile, a private school or online charter has a little more flexibility, allowing them to offer more courses and meet specific needs.
Maybe your child has an IEP that can be addressed better at another school they can attend online. And if your child has an interest in the arts, they can join a performing arts school. If your gifted child is bored in the classroom, maybe they can join an advanced program at another school. And maybe your child has an interest in tech. Online education allows students to start developing their technical skills at an earlier age than many adults did. On the other hand, you may be worried about the amount of screen time that online learning requires. Many of the best cyber schools give students breaks from screen time. That may include hands-on assignments or just a break from classes to get out in the fresh air.
In a full physical classroom, students may struggle to get one-on-one time with their teacher. They have to compete with students that are louder or are maybe just sitting in the front row of class. Online learning levels the playing field here. Students can discuss assignments in an online forum or chat with their teacher directly whenever they need to. Meanwhile, in a physical school, you get a teacher for a 45-minute period, and then they’re gone for the rest of the day, teaching their other classes.
Another reason to have your child join online school is to get more involved yourself. You might become a learning coach for your child, or maybe you’ll just be there to help out with assignments or offer encouragement. Whatever the case is, you’ll have a better sense of what your child is learning in school. We hope that this list of reasons to join online school is helpful in your decision process.
