Steven Helmer Publications

I think it ended up being a great decision. Granted, pulling a child out of a traditional school setting in favor of taking their classes online isn't something that is going to work for everyone. But, while I had my doubts when we pulled the trigger following her freshman year of high school, it was definitely the right choice for her. First of all, her grades have improved considerably. She went from barely passing her classes to A's and B's with high marks both on tests and homework (the latter was her primary issue). She feels the lessons are much easier to follow without constant distractions from kids who don't want to learn (a huge problem for her last year) and, if she doesn't understand something, she can get almost immediate help from the teacher or can just watch the video replay of the class. She is also a heck of a lot less stressed than she was last year. She doesn't have to worry about forgetting something in her locker or only having three ...

School starts in a couple of days and, while it will be business as usual for our youngest daughter, her older sister will be doing something new, homeschooling. OK, technically, she is still attending school. She'll just be doing it via a virtual (computer) environment. But, for all effective purposes, she is learning from home with my wife, my mom and I sharing her educational responsibilities as she starts her sophomore year of high school. To tell you the truth, there was a time when I thumbed my nose a bit at people who homeschooled their kids, mostly because I couldn't see the point when public schools seemed perfectly adequate. Now, I am apologetically confessing and admitting they might have been right all along. Both of my daughters are bright and talented kids and were on the school district's gifted/talented list. But, while her younger sister seems to be thriving in a traditional school setting, my teenager has had her share of issues. In elementary s...