Online Schools. A Solution?

This is a review, but I would personally appreciate your input if you homeschool!

Homeschooling has never scared me. I've taught high school, Community College, prison inmates, and various Adult Ed programs, so my own kids? Piece of cake. Until we start talking about high school.

Homeschooling at the high school level kind of freaks me out.

Suddenly I have to worry about documenting and proving every thing we do and making sure our studies align with certain standards and expectations. I have to create a transcript and worry about colleges accepting our Homeschool Portfolio.

That's a whole lot of pressure, ya'll.

I've heard about Virtual Schools but to be perfectly honest with you I completely dismissed them. If I didn't want to be in charge of my child's education, then why even bother to homeschool, right? Our choice to homeschool was based on a desire to provide our children with a quality education and instill a love of learning, so I never even considered handing the reins over to someone else.

Then I was asked to review Online School Solutions.

And I am about to eat crow.

In Georgia, our Online School Solution is The Keystone School, which offers complete middle and high school education. I have spent the better part of today clicking around the website, viewing demo courses, looking through the course catalog, and educating myself about this option. And I have to admit, I am quite impressed.

The Keystone School is accredited, and offers a high school diploma and transcript. That alone is a huge benefit, since that takes all the worry out of homeschooling at the high school level. The coursework looks impressive as well; there's traditional textbook work, online activities and supplements, writing assignments, and more. Students can take up to twelve months to complete a course, so there's plenty of flexibility. Keystone has fully licensed teachers to assist you and your child, which is nice for those subjects I'm not so strong in (Like Geometry!).

The biggest selling point for me? The ability to take Honors and AP classes. It's possible to provide those in a traditional homeschool environment, but it can be next to impossible to "prove" to a College or University.

Poking around The Keystone School today has introduced a middle ground that I had never considered before. I can still homeschool my children, but with the support of a fully accredited online school. I can still offer my children the flexibility they need to meet their interests and abilities, while ensuring they receive a well rounded College Prep curriculum. By being accountable to another teacher, and having to manage deadlines for assignments, my kids would be easing into the "real world" while still having me next to them for support. It's starting to look like a perfect middle ground between homeschool and College.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you homeschool would you ever consider an Online School Solution like The Keystone School? Why or why not? Head over to Online School Solutions and select your State to learn more about online schooling in your area.

Keeping it real: This is a compensated review, through Mom Select.