The Untold Secret to ONLINE HOMESCHOOL in Less Than Ten Minutes

Here are the top secrets to online homeschooling in less than ten minutes:

Interruptions need to be reduced
In the present age, a phone can be a big distraction. At the time of working on your homeschooling course, make sure to switch off your phone.

Consider getting a decent answering machine as well. You can use it at the time when you are learning. You can even consider going for voice mail. You can ask your friends and even family members not to disturb you in your hours of study. That is why it is better if you fix a particular time frame for working on your online homeschooling course. It is only then that your friends and relatives will understand your urgency of learning! Do not go to parties every alternate day! In other words, prioritize your learning. This is the only way to excel in your online homeschooling course.

Parental intervention is required
In the case of traditional homeschooling, parents do need to involve themselves to a great extent. After all, they need to take lots of responsibilities. They need to create a curriculum right from scratch and then stick to it. Not only that, they need to perform the role of teachers.

However, when it comes to online homeschooling, parents can actually shed off a lot of responsibilities. However, still, they need to be involved in some manner in their child’s learning. In the initial stage, their kid might not have the proper sense of responsibility. So, the parent needs to poke his/her child and make sure that he/she is following his/her learning schedule. So, they will have to dedicate some time to their child’s learning. In the least, they will be required to monitor their child’s personal as well as academic progress.

Mix fun with education
One of the biggest advantages of taking online homeschooling classes is that it allows students to learn in a fun manner. This is where traditional school classes lose it! Thus, homeschooling students need to maintain a fun and positive attitude while learning from home. Parents and teachers should make sure that the kids are enjoying the learning process. If not, they should take reasonable steps to ensure the same. After all, a genuine online homeschooling curriculum can be tailored to fit the child’s needs. Little changes can be made to the homeschooling schedule in order to keep the students’ minds stimulated for longer hours.

Parents will have to maintain a positive outlook throughout. Only then students will feel the genuine positivity while learning online from home. Also, parents and teachers should allow students to be open to their concerns and queries. Transparency is the key here!

Trust yourself
Students should be made to believe in themselves. Most of the teachers in online homeschools provide students with instant and honest feedback. In case the child does not perform well in an online activity, the teacher must not be harsh and pinpoint only at the negativities. Same applies to homeschool parents. They should all give genuine feedback but from a positive space. They should give room to the students to improve and work on their shortcomings.

Parents might incorporate tutoring assistance if required. They should try every possible means to make sure that the child remains confident, driven and success-driven. Most of the online homeschooling teachers are given the same training. They are specially trained to instill necessary values and life-skills in online homeschoolers that are required to succeed.

Keep it systematic and simple
The organization is the key to success in online homeschooling. If you are a homeschooling parent, you should not be fickle-minded. Do not change the learning schedule every day! Change it, only if necessary and only if it works for your kid. You need to be systematic and organized. You can even plan to gift your kids with small rewards if they achieve some minor goals related to academics. Do not go too harsh on them. Keep it simple and fun! Else, it will be no better than rigid traditional school classes!

Take short breaks
Breaks are truly important while learning. When you are a homeschooler, you must take out some time to rejuvenate your mind and body. If you wish, take breaks frequently. You can even keep some healthy snacks in your room while studying. Drink ample water in breaks. In short, keep yourself healthy!

If you are getting too clogged up in your mind, you can even take one or two days’ break. You can arrange for a short trip with your friends or family members. Focus on socializing effectively during the time. Never get yourself isolated. Do your work and maintain healthy bonds at the same time. Yes, you can do it!

Do not overdo it
Certainly, it is good to go on field trips and social outings. However, do not overdo it. Maintain a proper balance. Too many outings can ruin it all! Again, focus on your priorities. Spend free time with your family, but not at the cost of your learning! Thus, you need to strike a healthy balance here.

Talk to your mentors
It is important to surround yourself with people who motivate you if you truly wish to succeed in the long run. Socialize online. Make friends with students and seniors who have similar goals and mindset. It will help you to walk on the right path. Whenever necessary, ask questions. Make sure to ask for helpful advice, whenever needed. Just do not try to deal with everything, alone. Talk and open up to others, at least people who you can rely on. You can even go through some home education books. This is sure to boost your confidence, providing you with the right tricks and tips to proceed in your study life.

Visit the library
Of course, you can get everything online. But, there are times when you might just get a little bored of the same study space. This is when you can go to a different place to study. What better place than a quiet library?

Why Parents Shouldn't Be Afraid of Virtual High School?

Even today, there are many parents who are literally scared of online courses for their kids! One major reason is that most of them are misinformed about online education. Some have false notions related to online learning.

Here are some top reasons why parents are afraid of virtual high school and why should they not be afraid:

Online high school course is easier than a traditional high school course
This is a myth altogether. Most of the genuine and accredited online schools make sure to provide challenging online courses. These online courses are highly engaging. Thus, students take a genuine interest in their studies. This helps them finish off their daily online course work in a short time when compared to that of a traditional school student. The other major reason behind this is that the online learning environment is devoid of distractions. Thus, students benefit here since they get a lot of time to work on their own skills.

Online high school courses are unaccredited
There certainly are some online schools that are not accredited. However, most of the genuine online schools are regionally accredited. You will have to do your own research. Try to know the accreditation status of the online school, first and foremost.

When an online high school course is regionally accredited, it implies that the online high school coursemeets the same high standards as on-ground courses. This is required to remain certified and hold the accreditation status.

Employers and Colleges do not accept online high school diploma
This is completely false. When an online high school diploma is regionally accredited, employers and college admission officers hold it in high regard. They surely do accept online high school diplomas, but only those that are regionally accredited.

In fact, many employers recognize that students gain excellent skills through virtual learning. Some of the vital life-skills gained through online learning are time-management, self-motivation, self-discipline, family values, sense of balance, etc.

No proper teacher-student communication
Since online learning involves no face-to-face communication, many parents are of the opinion that it might be a big challenge for an online student. However, it is not so! Students can easily talk to their certified teachers via email, Skype, or chat. Most of the online high school courses include group projects. Thus, even the shy and reticent students get to speak up in a traditional classroom setting. Thus, they readily take part in online discussions, without the fear of getting laughed at! This type of communication and a healthy exchange of ideas also lead to a strong sense of community. Most of the online schools make sure to create an active online community, with extracurricular activities.

Cheating is common at an online high school
The truth is that cheating can happen at any place, whether online or a physical space. However, in an online school, certified teachers know how to take steps to prevent cheating. Many software programs are developed that help recognizes plagiarism.

Online schools make students socially awkward
This is one big myth related to online schools. It is true that the ways of socialization are different in the virtual learning environment. However, these ways are pretty effective that lead to meaningful socialization, in usual. The good thing is that in an online environment, the student has the liberty to choose his/her friends or the one he/she wishes to socialize with. There is no forced socialization here.

Virtual schools are highly technology-driven
It might be true to some extent. However, it does not mean that an online student is required to be technically expert in order to succeed in his/her online high school course. To speak the truth, virtual schools are about curriculum and instruction for students. Most of the virtual high schools have the basic technology to enable students to join a virtual classroom, especially where there’s proper internet access. However, students will have to take the online curriculum and instruction very seriously. They should know the basics of technology. As such, basic technical skills are required everywhere today. So, it is not too big of a demand!

Virtual school students get addicted to their screens
It is a common concern. Now, online high schools provide a lot of flexibility. With this level of flexibility comes a good deal of responsibilities as well. So, students need to put limits on certain things. Parents must make sure that their kids are making limited use of social networking sites or other entertainment-related sites.

Also, many online students actually use textbooks, pencils, microscopes, and interactive curricula to study. In an online learning environment, a computer is a tool for teachers and parents to manage and track assignments. Also, it enables students to communicate and deliver interactive curricular materials. However, students can also complete some assignments off-screen. They can also spend their free time reading textbooks, using workbooks, reading library books and other things. Thus, students and parents need to work it out this way.

Parents need to teach and take a lot of responsibilities
Any online learning mode calls for some parental intervention. However, it might just be little! Most of the online high schools today come with a full-set of certified and qualified online teachers and other resources. They are sufficient to help your high-school kid learn in the most effective manner. Being parents, you would, at least, be required to monitor your child’s progress and attendance. Surely, you would be required to do the same when your child takes conventional high-school classes.

However, parents must do their homework before choosing an online high school for their kids. Not every online high school is credible! There are many fraudulent schools today. So, parents must be vigilant.

Make sure to look for a virtual school that has a track record of delivering student academic achievement. It must have good levels of parent and student satisfaction. Some of the other vital quality benchmarks include accreditation from AdvancED, highly qualified teachers, cutting-edge technology resources, networking opportunities, community activities, extracurricular activities, field trips for students, volunteering opportunities, early graduation courses, etc.

How Parents of Online High School Students Should Prep for Success?

Parent engagement is pretty important in helping online high school students succeed. The extent of parental intervention depends on multiple factors, such as the qualifications of the parents, whether or not the student is an independent learner, whether or not the online school provides proper teaching support, how busy the parents are in their professional lives and many more.

It is up to the parents as to how much involved they want to be in their child’s education. Even if they have a busy schedule, they need to take out some time to monitor their children’s growth and attendance. 

Here are some of the most prominent ways parents of online students can prep for high school success:

Prepare a proper learning space

You, as a parent, need to zero in on a proper study place. It might be an entire room or just a little corner of a room. You must consult your kid, before preparing his/her study space. After all, you must have an idea as to what suits him well and helps him keep focus.

Usually, setting up a simple study space works really well. You must keep a notebook, pencils and other needed supplies that your child might need. Keep in mind that finding a learning space that works for your child may take some trial and error. However, certainly, it worth the time to find dedicated space. Space should be with zero or minimal distractions. There should be proper light and space. The place should be relatively quiet, as compared to the other rooms of your house. It should be maintained clean and organized.

Separate study space is more important for your kid than you think. Taking a plunge into online high school education can be highly baffling for any first-time online student. So, you need to give efforts to create a working environment that will ensure your student’s success. It should allow them to finish off their daily coursework, without fail.

Thus, the workspace needs to be designed for productivity.

Prepare a weekly schedule

Without a proper schedule, a student is likely to proceed in a directionless manner. In this case, there are high chances for the kid to get deviated midway in the online high school course. So, for everything to fall in place, the starting point needs to be a definite one. Preparing a proper schedule is equivalent to marking the starting point!

Parents must help their children to set up a weekly schedule. Doing it all alone might be is time-consuming. Even better if you come up with a weekly routine for your child. This is believed to be more effective. You can make changes whenever and wherever required, as per your student’s learning pattern, style, and pace.

A weekly schedule must be very detailed and feasible. Never keep it too loaded. Else, there are high chances for your kid to get disappointed when he/she will not be able to live up to his/her schedule. Thus, balance is key.

Your student needs to set a start time, daily, and their day should include times for short breaks.
The catch here is that you need to help your child not just block out time for each subject but also set certain personal deadlines to complete course-related tasks. This will help him/her to submit assignments and projects in a timely fashion. Above all, you must be engaged in your child’s learning. You should follow up with them. Make them realize that they need to stick to their learning schedule, no matter what!

Encourage your children to communicate with their teachers

Communication is truly vital in any learning environment. In an online learning environment, communication plays a major role because there is no face-to-face interaction here. It is impossible for the online teachers to get any visual cues in case something wrong has happened with a child that might be hampering his/her learning. So, children need to voice out their queries and worries openly, to their online instructors.

While many kids will be self-initiators right from the beginning, certain kids might need a special kind of “push” to express their issues in front of their online instructors. This is where parents need to get involved and help their introverted children. Parents need to play a huge role in opening the lines of communication between the instructor and the child.

As a parent, you must also communicate with the online teachers, especially who teach your child and monitor him/her. Try to find out how you can support your child in better ways. Ask the teachers whether extra help sessions are available.

An online learning environment can be thriving and success-driven for your child only when he/she communicates with the online teachers.

Setting certain limits

Now, too much freedom can lead to too much comfort. And, getting too comfortable is not a good sign! Parents must set ground rules for breaks. You should make sure that your student is avoiding gaming, videos, or any other technology during break time. These breaks are created to give your student a short time away from the screen. It should be a relaxation time for your kids.

Create pacing guides

You must create pacing guides for your children to learn in the most systematic manner. These will help your student understand what to achieve in each subject area. Accordingly, they can plan out their weekly schedule. This will also help them to complete their courses on time. Keep in mind that pacing guide length and the amount of work will vary on a daily basis. You can ask your student’s teacher for help for creating pacing guides.

Be open to learning

You need to be a good learner yourself, in order to teach your children well. You must be aware of the tools and services available to your student. When you are pretty aware of the online learning tools and resources, you can help your children in their learning, more effectively. Thus, your student can successfully navigate the online world of education.

How to Catch up on Credits and get back on Track to Graduate?

What are credit recovery programs?

Credit Recovery programs are mainly crafted to include different strategies that can be customized to suit each student’s individual academic needs. No two students have the same capabilities and grasping powers. Thus, the course material needs to be tailored in the best interests of the student. This type of customization can maximize learning and improve retention as well.

Usually, the most common form of delivering Credit Recovery programs is via online summer school programs. From a traditional perspective, students can take Credit Recovery courses during regular school hours, after school. They might even take such special courses during vacation breaks or during the summer.
Today, there are many online schools that are offering Credit Recovery programs. Thus, students now have multiple options to make good on their credit score. Thanks to online platforms, the students can now work with a variety of learning styles, creativity, and communication skills.

Need for Credit Recovery Programs
In the present times, the level of competition in the job market is really high. Also, the globalization is increasing rapidly. A high school diploma is never sufficient. It is pretty much the first step toward building a solid and secure foundation for the present-day students.

A high school diploma is a big asset for any student, in whichever field he is opting to go. It is all the more essential for those seeking to go on to college or applying for a job providing a fat salary.

Most of the summer courses can also be taken for credit recovery. These courses are pretty much instructor-led. The students make sure to follow a weekly schedule. Courses need to be NCAA affiliated.

It is important for students to understand the importance of having a high school diploma. Students need to understand the value of a high school diploma right from the very beginning. Such programs usually prepare the children for the upcoming college-level or job-level work environment.

It is required for students to approach online learning with a new mindset. Online courses can do much more than just to help you recover your credits! Most of these online courses offer you an exclusive platform with new learning methodologies. These modern methods make use of learning processes in order to maximize retention.

This helps students to improve their overall learning process.

Here are the top benefits of enrolling for credit recovery programs:

• It offers a good deal of flexibility and convenience
• It provides engaging course content that can be personalized as per the student learning needs and objectives
• It helps the student to develop good retention skills
• It helps the student to build better synchronization of time schedules
• It helps the student to overcome geographical limitations as well. They have good access to the online teaching faculty.
• The system can speed up the process of delivering results and feedback
• The timelines are optimized strategically, maintaining an unwavering focus on the structured and accelerated curriculum

Most of the online courses tend to give your child the edge needed to deal with these and other credit recovery issues. The best part is that your student will have the scheduling flexibility to retake courses to bring up his or her GPA. You can even catch up to classmates and get the credits that are way important to graduate in a timely fashion.

Core Credit Recovery Courses
The core Credit Recovery Courses usually include English 9, English 10, American Literature, British and World Literature, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Integrated Mathematics I, Geometry, Integrated Mathematics II, Algebra II, Physical Science, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, World History, Modern World Studies, Geography, U.S. History, Modern U.S. History, U.S. Government and Politics and Economics.

Most of the online credit recovery courses are affordable, convenient, and flexible. These are importantly self-paced.

You can have immediate access to your course. You can start as soon as you are ready. These are free one-on-one online tutoring. These include a writing center, scheduled, or drop-in. Your degree plan usually consists of full course credit for courses. You might experience easy credit transfers.

Most of these courses provide live support to get the technical, membership, or course support. Go for full course credit for courses within your degree plan. Always remember that high-quality degree programs and commitment contribute largely to your educational success.

Many individual schools determine credit eligibility these courses. Students who enroll in a credit recovery course are not really dependent on their school. They are pretty much responsible for determining whether their school will grant them the credit.

Thanks to online learning, online homeschool programs have access to a platform that can be customized to suit their personal needs. They usually have complete control over the way they learn without having to deal with conventional pressures. These pressures mostly include coping with their peers and finishing off their assignments within set deadlines.

In online learning, the students have the freedom to browse through their content at their own self-generated pace. They can spend as much time as they need to in order to learn it thoroughly.

The online school programs have deadlines as well. However, these courses are pretty much flexible than traditional schooling programs. Most of the online summer school. Students are more open to asking questions and understanding their course material when they are not subjected to the possibility of public ridicule by their peers. Online learning platforms allow them to do that. They are free to interact with their teachers and their classmates online. They can exchange info and ask questions without being laughed at.

Thanks to online learning, students have easy access to a number of different opportunities in the virtual environment. Many online courses can be used to earn extra credit, enroll for electives, Advanced Placement courses, Dual enrollment courses, and other advanced ones.

Thus, it can be stated that online platforms provide a feasible option for imparting education. Most of these credit recovery courses can be rigorous to test the true mettle of the students.

Why Choose Forest Trail Academy?

While online home schooling isn’t a new concept to people in the United States, the technology currently being used is definitely a lot more advanced and is moving forward at a rapid rate. Adapting to new technology has never been an issue with the young generation, which is something we need to take advantage of, especially when the technology being embraced is all set to benefit them in a huge manner. Forest Trail Academy has always embraced change and it is one of the key factors we focus on when imbibing in our students the values and skills they need to be successful in the real world. As most of you may be aware, there are a number of schools in the country conducting online K-12 courses. So, why should you choose to enroll with Forest Trail Academy?

For starters, Forest Trail Academy is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and is also nationally accredited by MSA-CESS. We provide our students with a course curriculum that is aligned and articulated to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. Moreover, our integrated online learning platform offers our students access to some of the best online facilities one could ask for. For those of you who may be new to the concepts of online education and distance learning, we’ve even come up with an online demo facility, available at www.foresttrailacademy.com, to help you browse through and know more about the kind of online environment you would be studying in.

Studying online is now an option for students across the country and across different grade levels too. While most parents are aware of online high schools, there are online middle schools and online elementary schools as well in the country that are helping groom students for the future. Online learning isn’t just for high school students but also for lower grades and working professionals as well. In addition to helping working professionals get back to school and further their education, online environments have also been employed by companies to impart training to their workforce in an endeavor to further their competencies while keeping costs low. From the perspective of imparting education at the school level, online schooling certainly seems to be the way forward in delivering high quality education at a fraction of the costs of traditional methods.

Helping our children gain back their advantage over their global counterparts is of prime importance and the adoption of online education and distance learning is one sure way to help them get there. Online K-12 courses run by online high schools, online middle schools and online elementary schools in the country have opened up so many new possibilities and opportunities for students to pursue their different interests without compromising on their current education. They have been given the opportunity to explore subjects that may have been out of the purview of their traditional education course curriculum without any real hassles. All they need to do is log in to their computers to access their course material, thereby making it a very viable and feasible alternative to traditional education.

Learn More about Virtual Schools

Pursuant to the numerous myths surrounding contemporary virtual schools, the kind of education that is imparted to students studying in a virtual environment seems to be another major concern for most parents seeking to enroll their children with virtual schools in the United States.While the results have been promising in various schools across the nation, there is a certain skepticism that still persists in the minds of parents owing to the new technology it employs. Unlike their children, most parents haven’t been exposed to information technology and seem to have a hard time grasping the concept behind virtual learning environments. Since most have grown up in traditional learning environments, having your school available at your fingertips is something they could never imagine experiencing. However, as time passes by and more parents and students open up to the idea of online learning, several schools such as Forest Trail Academy are in the perfect position to help students capitalize on the opportunities that are available to them via such learning environments.

Best K-12 Virtual School in United States

Forest Trail Academy is one such virtual school in the United States that is responsible for the improving graduation rates of students from high school. Over the years, although many may not agree, the graduation rates of students have been dropping resulting in a high rate of high school dropouts. With the Federal Government embarking upon an ambitious journey to ensure that ‘No Child is Left Behind’, ensuring students stay in school and graduate has been a herculean task, at least till online schools came along. With students now being provided with the flexibility they require and a learning environment that is highly interactive and also tailor-made to suit each student’s needs, learning has never been more fun and interactive and the results speak for themselves. While parents may still harbor doubts about the effectiveness of online learning solutions, academicians are all praise for the solutions available at hand since they are certainly delivering what is expected of them.

Studying online isn’t just about earning a high school diploma. It is about exploring new avenues in an endeavor to further the standard of education in the United States. For long, America has been known to be the most favored destination for students from around the world. But the last decade has seen us lose that status as more and more students now prefer to go to Europe and Asia. In terms of affordability too, online solutions have a lot more to offer when compared with traditional schooling methods since they are a lot more cost-effective to set up and require very little investment for maintenance. As college education gets more expensive, the average American definitely needs more economical alternatives to garner a good quality education. In matters relating to concerns about the results of availing such an education, the statistics speak for themselves. Online education is certainly the future of our education system!

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