As an educator at a Baton Rouge online school, I have encountered several myths surrounding our school setting. We are advocates for children and their families, and I thought these few facts may be helpful for those with questions or possible interest.
Online school is homeschool. FALSE.
Online school is school at home or commonly called “home study.” We are not a home school program nor do we follow homeschool guidelines.
Online schools are public charter schools. TRUE.
We are a charter school. We are a public school just like any brick and mortar school. We are not allowed to be selective in our admissions and are regulated by the state department of education
We won’t have to take standardized test. FALSE.
All of our students are required to taken proctored standardized tests throughout the year. This includes the LEAP test. Our students are required to appear in person at a site near their home for the end of year testing session.
Our teachers do not have to be certified. FALSE.
At our school specifically, all teachers must be certified and highly qualified. We also are now requiring masters degrees and providing tuition assistance for current teacher whom do not have masters.
Online school is easier than brick and mortar. FALSE.
Online school is very rigorous. In fact, online schools instruct a curriculum cover to cover versus in brick and mortar school, teachers rarely hit each lesson in a book due to loss of instructional minutes.
Online school lack social opportunities. FALSE.
Online schools host field trips weekly. At our school there are field trips all over the state every week. Teachers travel several miles to be in attendance and students interact with kids in their region as well as those that travel from other places based on interest. Students are also encouraged to engage in their local district sports. As public school we can allow our students to participate in their area schools sports team. (This is completely legal and encouraged!)
Could online school be a fit for your family now that you’ve seen these facts?
Well that’s for you and yours to decide. I will say that I love our environment for several reasons! It has given me an opportunity to be innovative as an educator and meet my students needs in ways I never could in the brick mortar class. This is not to say teaching in this setting doesn’t come with its own set of challenges; it certainly has. With every year, though, I see the good outweigh the bad.
