Benefits of Online High Schools

When your teen reaches high school years, you can start questioning the choice that will best meet their learning requirements. With online schools, charter schools, private schools, and public schools available, there are numerous resources that are available to help in meeting the educational needs of learners. For most learners, online high school is the best option for meeting their unique requirements. Virtual high schools act as the best alternative to brick-and-mortar schools.

Online high schools offer numerous advantages to learners by providing learners with a flexible studying environment that fits their lifestyle.

In case you want to enroll your teen in a virtual high school, but you are not sure if it is the right option, here are the many advantages that virtual high schools offer.

Flexibility

Timings in school hours are fixed, and students have to learn based on the day’s schedule. Learners have a lot of duties which they must balance. Here, virtual high schools can play a critical role in saving students time for other activities. Because everything can be found online, accessing learning materials is very convenient. This gives learners a choice to determine when they intend to learn.

High school students do not have to worry about their academics if they are unable to attend classes. Parents can assist their teens in order to enhance their learning outcomes. Occasionally, slow learners can take a lot of time so that they can grasp concepts. Online learning provides an opportunity for these learners to study at their own pace.

With online classes, students can learn anywhere and anytime. It assists parents and learners with unlimited access to their educational curriculum. Students do not have to wait for their educators so that they can take a class.

Online High School Enables Struggling Learners to Avoid Negative Peer Groups

Troubled learners might want to change their lifestyle, but it is challenging to change the behavior while they are surrounded by their former peers. Online learning enables students to avoid temptations that are presented by their colleagues at traditional schools with negative influences. Rather than attempting to overcome and withstand the pressure of seeing these learners daily, online students have the chance of making new friends depending on their shared interests instead of shared locations.

Enables Learners to Focus

Some learners find it hard to concentrate on their studies when they are surrounded by disruptions of brick-and-mortar schools, such as social pressures. Virtual high schools assist learners in concentrating on their studies and saving socializing for out-of-class hours.

Online High Schools Enables Learners to Escape Bullying

Bullying is a major issue in public and private learning institutions. When school teachers do not take action when a student is bullied or harassed within the school property, parents may opt to withdraw their children from such an environment and enroll them in virtual courses. Online high schools can be the best home for bullied students. Thus, enrolling your teens in online high schools will enable them to escape bullying, which is common in traditional schools.

Tailored Guidance

Learners in schools are usually accustomed to the utilization of technology as well as browsing learning materials for the purpose of their education. Together with individual guidance, it is crucial for better performance. Additionally, parents can assist students in identifying their strengths and weakness that relate to their studies.

Occasionally, students may not get adequate attention needed in a classroom setting. But with the assistance of virtual learning, such concern is taken care of. Notably, parents and guardians are the major sources of guidance for their teens at home. Parents need to offer personal attention to the performance of their students during the process of learning. Additionally, the interaction of students with their instructors through emails and other platforms can assist them in developing problem-solving skills.

Accessibility

In order to improve the learning performance of high school students, it is important to consider accessibility. There are many learners who shy from asking questions face-to-face in classrooms. Here, virtual learning can assist them in improving their questioning skills. Because everything is online, having access to learning materials as well as submitting assignments is extremely convenient.

Online resources enable students to access unlimited learning materials. Parents and guardians can assist their students in planning their studies and downloading learning materials. All needed reading materials and lectures are accessible; hence students can easily access them from the comfort of their homes, and they can review class materials repetitively.

Assessment and Feedback

With the support of learning platforms, learners can get feedback regarding their performance. Online learning platforms have assessment and feedback tools that assist learners in identifying their strengths and weakness. Also, teachers and parents can track the progress of their students.

With such platforms, educators can create assignments, quizzes, projects, and tests utilizing existing question banks. Also, online learning platforms have automated systems for marking their assignments and tests hence making the work of instructors easy. Students can take online exams and quizzes that have an instance scoring system to enable them to know their performance.

Technical Skills

Virtual high schools provide a platform for learners to learn new tools which improve their online learning experience. With analytics and reporting tools, students are able to automate the marking system, online tests, as well as tracking their performance. Students can get access to study resources anywhere with the use of learning platforms.

Studying virtual skills is crucial in schools and in accessing information, collaboration, interaction, and communication. This can assist students in developing new skills in programs and computers, for instance, sharing and creating documents, utilizing audio and video materials for projects and assignments.

Cost-Effective

Virtual learning programs are cost-effective. Learners can save some dollars on traveling since they can learn conveniently from the comfort of their homes. Online learning platforms only require devices such as tablets, computers, or laptops and an internet connection.

Online educational platforms are cost-effective than offline classes. Learners are able to engage more in their studies than traveling. Students can also take online programs after school so as to enhance their skills and knowledge, and also in their studies in regard to exams, projects, assignments, and tests. Also, students can access books and revision materials at no cost.

Is online school better for anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in children and adolescents. According to a national survey of parents, 18 percent of all school-age children aged 6 to 17 have been diagnosed or treated for an anxiety disorder, which includes panic attacks and phobias. Adolescents with severe anxiety might drop out of school altogether. And they’re more likely than their peers to suffer from depression: 13% of adolescents with severe anxiety also have depression versus 5% who don’t have an anxiety disorder.

Given these statistics, it’s no surprise that many parents scramble to find solutions for their anxious kids — including homeschooling or online schooling…but do even these alternatives help? Or does isolation only make things worse? Read on for more about the relationship between isolation and anxiety, what researchers have found about online schooling vs. traditional education, and how to best help anxious kids without making things worse.

Anxious Kids Make Poor Choices: So Is It Better to Homeschool Anxious Kids?

For some parents of anxious kids, homeschooling can be a great choice — it reduces or eliminates stress from school-related issues like bullies or cliques that might cause additional anxiety in their child. But is it better than other alternatives? A recent study compared homeschooling with two other options: regular public school and attending private school on scholarship (which was considered the “gold standard” control group). The study looked at students aged 8 to 13 who were being homeschooled for primarily anxiety-related issues.

Researchers found that, in the short term, homeschooling seemed to be quite helpful for anxiety — but only if the child also stopped using their medication after beginning homeschooling. (Not taking medication is not recommended for long-term use unless medically necessary.) In fact, kids who took no medications and were homeschooled had outcomes similar to kids who attended private school on scholarship. Kids who continued taking medication while also going to school performed more poorly than any other group: they fell behind significantly both academically and behaviorally compared to children in either of the other two groups. The study does have limitations including its relatively small size: only 95 students participated over an 18 month period. Still, these preliminary findings suggest that homeschooling may be an alternative worth considering for some kids with anxiety — but only if they agree to give up their medication.

Is Homeschooling Right For Your Anxious Child?

Homeschooling is not a one-size-fits-all solution: it’s best suited for children whose anxiety stems from social or environmental factors outside of school, such as bullying. It can also be an excellent choice when the stress your child experiences at school is generalized and “soft” (a lack of motivation to study or poor grades due to forgetfulness rather than an extreme fear of failing), rather than targeted towards a specific cause (like bullying). You might benefit from working with a psychologist to identify the specific factors that are contributing to your child’s anxiety and find a solution that fits both your child’s needs and your family’s living situation.

Resources and References:

• Why Enroll in Online High School
• Bullying in Schools
• Best Online Learning Platforms