Are teachers at an online school different from those in the classroom? Generally, no – an accredited online high school will normally employ teachers certified in their subject areas just as a brick-and-mortar school would. However, while online teachers have typically taught in a classroom, the way they teach online is quite different.
Any adult will tell you what they learned “between the lines” as they were growing up was as valuable as what they learned in the classroom. An online high school education can often do even more for students than a brick-and-mortar institution when it comes to building real-life skills necessary to succeed on the job and as a person.
Parents of public school children know their local schools are required to meet standards set by their state government. You don’t have to wonder or worry whether the credits your child earns in high school will be valid and transferrable when it’s time to apply to college or your student changes schools.
This posting was written by Sterling Academy faculty member Dr. James Croasmun.
Online school curriculum is the same as traditional school curriculum, in that it includes all the state requirements necessary for students to graduate from a bricks-and-mortar high school. That includes the core subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as other required courses such as health & PE, languages and fine arts.
While attending high school online is an attractive proposition for students who travel, have medical problems, or are training or auditioning, those that have college aspirations - and their parents - may balk at the idea of an online high school because they worry that colleges will not accept them. However, an online high school diploma is not a barrier to college admissions.
In order to meet our students’ scheduling needs, Sterling Academy doesn’t follow a traditional school calendar. Because of this, we sometimes get asked how due dates work in our online high school classes. There’s a misconception that there aren’t due dates, but we do work with students to ensure they complete their studies.
Not all online high schools are the same, and this definitely comes into play when school calendars are taken into account. There are different levels of how much a particular school adheres to a traditional calendar, but here are the general guidelines when choosing a program, particularly for a student with a busy or unusual schedule.
Perhaps you have seen TV commercials advertising free online high schools. These free enrollments are at either public or charter schools, funded by taxpayer dollars. But there are potential snares to be aware of.
One of the concerns often heard in regard to online high school programs is how students and teachers interact. Since students are not in a classroom every day, parents may worry that their children aren’t getting the teacher interaction and help they need to learn. But in-classroom interaction isn’t the only way that students can learn the material effectively; teachers can effectively help students in online settings.
