[UncoderMom]

No offense but that virtual school scored better the public school did.... yikes!

The virtual school is NOT a replacement for parent involvement. ITs a powerful aid, if you ask me. My good friend from church has a son that scores in the 90th percentile and she uses a private video taught at home school (the school is some where in north fl).

Never before (other then the no child left behind, for private day school) has the government took responsibility for a childs education (other then harassment like your a freak) and acknowledged that they have a responsibility to provide an alternative (they can only try and deni the success rate of home schooled children for so long, what with the drop out rate soaring to new heights). My kids do AMAZING things and learn SO MUCH just from google... even my 7 yr old can type a search phrase for my little pony wallpaper, download it and install it. She can totally organize her desktop and create file folders with her topic names and organize it all. She can type a web address from TV and then print the page. Why, because I taught her. I think people under estimate the little ones. LOLOL Her teacher struggles all week to teach her something but if I go to the class and sit with her she learns it in minutes??? (dont get me started on her teacher either). My child might be strong willed but shes FAR from hard to control. I told her teacher flat out that my daughter doesn't like her... shes hostel and erratic (to the eyes of a child anyway). I watched her in the class room and she TOTALLY has NO sort of patients and was spewing threats in order to ascertain control instead of engaging their attention. She's not a "bad" person... she just majorly lacks behavioral skills. Children are about the easiest things to manipulate. Shall I upload a handwriting sample of her teacher?? haha Shes had STELLAR teachers and shes had two duds. The public school system here is not dependable and lacks consistency. So many of our schools are failing and/or have a C average. Terrible. Billions of dollars and thats the best they can do?

You change the whole structure and success rate when you think outside the box with children (especially strong willed children) When your in a classroom setting its cookie cutter and whats good for one might not be good for the other in the same order. You need the childs attention and if they're not interested your not going to accomplish much. JMO. When you stick a weeks worth of activities in front of a child and say... you pick, which do you want to do today and see what happens. Its the cookie cutter system that is destroying education. Again, JMO. Children need to be engaged in what they're doing. Learning should be fun and easy, not stressful and discouraging.

Florida school system SUCKS BTW! LOL I'm also tired of secular crap being pushed at my child! It has nothing to do with abc's and 123's. DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED. haha Lets not mention the pressure standardized testing puts on kids that are being drilled with its preparation all year. I NEVER had that crap growing up in school. Our worst fear was a pop quiz. My kids stress about FCAT this and FCAT that. The Fcat is a funding test BTW. Federal funding is based on these FCAT scores. BS! Children should be tested, sure, but greed and money should NOT be driving its motives!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCAT (scroll to the Criticism part).

Can anyone tell I'm fed up? hahahahaha Its a shame that the schools can teach a child (even a failing child) to master the art of putting on a condom but yet the vast majority cant name the presidents of the united states. Priorities are WAY screwed up and to many agendas are screwing up the education system. They try and be moral police and what happens? The pregnancy rate goes UP not down. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!


And Shelley, that teacher should be locked in a room and force to consume 2 gallons of water and not let up until he urinates on himself! WTH?? I'm so sorry for your brother! Not only is that neglect its mental/emotional abuse in my opinion. Let us know what happens today!!!

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Originally Posted by smacklan

I personally do not want any funding from the government. As soon as I accept that, I give them the right to tell me how to educate my kids...it is a slippery slope. We still have to retain the services of the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) each year at our expense just so we are protected from the government barging in and trying to shut us down or legislate against us (which happens all the time across this country and the biggest offenders of these attacks are the teachers unions!). No offense to all you dedicated and caring teachers out there but your unions need to stay the hell out of things that aren't their business! I agree with what others have said...that it's not for everyone but I will tell you this...that is an excuse for many to not even try

I agree that still having the government in control can be hard to swallow but at least there is a third party public school in between. I guess its like an online charter school. Classified as a public school.

Its a good step for people like me who want to homeschool but lack confidence and personal funding. Homeschooling can get rather expensive.