"What program do you follow?"

anonymous asked:

So do you do online or homeschool (you teach yourself and set the curriculum as oppose to following one online)? What program or plan do you follow?

Hi! I use a combination of schools, but mainly I use Stanford Online High School. Their classes are extremely challenging and high level. The style is a live classroom where the students and teacher are all interacting together at a set time through Adobe Connect. 

I also do straight homeschooling with a teacher. Last year, I had a great experience learning calculus one-on-one. I got to learn the subject very throughly, as the teacher was only teaching me, and I got to set my own pace; I could speed ahead or slow down depending on my extracurricular schedule. This year, I am learning US History one-on-one because I did not enjoy following the AP Curriculum and decided I would like to learn history in a less fact-driven/objective way. I also picked up Linear Algebra one-on-one simply because I wanted to learn it but wanted to make sure I maintained a flexible schedule. To do this style and get credit, my mom had to register as a homeschool with the state of California. This is actually easier than it sounds. 

I have used Johns Hopkin’s CTYOnline, which is a great way to learn advanced classes. They have a a few formats for their classes. I could not do self-paced, but some students are good at that. They also have courses that set specific dates for the students. In all the classes, the teachers are available for questions, which I found essential. The response time and helpfulness varied.

I have taken classes with my local community college, which allowed me to enjoy the social and collaborative aspects of learning. In person interaction with teachers tends to make learning easier. I found my experience at community college to be particularly noteworthy because of the fascinating and diverse set of classmates.

Some other programs I have used are UCLA Extension (many universities have some program for non-college students to take classes), which can be in person or online, and APEX Learning, which is a typical self-paced online school. Beware that many online programs rely on multiple choice quizzes that can be frustrating because there is no partial credit or arguing with a teacher over the correct answer. Also, depending on the school district, homeschoolers can participate in the local school system, so check that out. 

Sorry for this really long answer. The options for homeschoolers seem endless. I myself am barely scratching the surface.