What are Your Choices in Education Today?

Choices are a big deal in our world today, especially when it comes to what we wear, what we drive, or what restaurant we want to eat at.

But when it comes to education, perhaps on of the more important choices for your family’s future, the culture today only endorses a single option: Public Education.

However, due to corruption and the endless persecution of anything Christian, it has become apparent that, in order to help your kids grow into God-Loving Christian adults, in most cases public schools are not a viable option.

There are many alternatives to public education, such as private schools, online schools, and homeschooling.

Online Schools

There are a myriad of choices for Online Schools. All you have to do is an Internet search (Use goduckgo.com) to find several different options that might meet your needs.

One exciting option is Alpha Omega Academy and Ignite Christian Academy, an accredited online school. They offer rigorous academics that equal or surpass a traditional school. Just like at traditional schools, students earn transferable course credits and graduate with official high school diplomas.  .

Alpha Omega Academy uses a biblical based approach to learning, without having to suffer through lectures on socialism or evolution. Check out the link to the website and see for yourself.

https://www.aoacademy.com/

Homeschooling Options

When many people think of homeschooling, it seems like a huge, arduous task.  However, if you do homework with your kids, then you have already been homeschooling.  You don’t have to have a teaching degree, you just choose a curriculum, follow along, and guide them through it.  You will learn with the kids!

You can get help with classes that you are not able to teach by doing online classes, or through co-op classes.  God will partner with you in this effort.  Dedicate each year to Him and ask Him to help you plan your school year.  He is the best teacher and will help you weave it all together.

The goal is to create lifelong learners. We all have some gaps in our education, but if we know how to learn on our own, then we can continue to grow and learn for life. This is not an extensive list.  There are so many other curriculum choices.  All of these options can be mixed and matched to fit your family’s needs.

1. Whole Curriculums – There are grade-level curriculums you can buy that are basically school in a box.  The plus is that everything you would need for a school year is in one place and some of these curriculums have video lessons that do the instruction for you.   The minus is that you cannot individualize or tailor make your curriculum to fit each kids learning style and this approach may be impersonal.

• Family Co-op – The parent participates in some way to help, like teach a class, work nursery, set up, or tear down.  These meet 1 day a week.  Students sign up for classes and they have class one day a week.  Teachers give assignments for the week and students work on these assignments and then turn them in the following week.  These co-op options are usually much cheaper because the parents are also helping run the co-op.

• Pay per Class Co-op – These Co-ops allow parents to pick and choose classes that their students may need.  You can take 1 class or a whole class schedule.  Parents do not have to teach or serve at these co-ops.  You pay for the class.  These are mainly middle school and high school classes.

• A-la-carte Curriculum – This would be individual curriculums for each subject.  This allows you to tailor curriculums to your student’s needs.  The benefit is that you get to choose the best and most interesting curriculum for each subject and you get to choose the curriculum that works best for each child.  The downside is that you have to find the different curriculums.

• University model schools– These are Christian schools that have the student attend 2-3 days a week and the student does the assignments on their own on the other days. 

• Dual Credit – Community college courses – You can take dual credit classes at the local community college.  Some co-ops also offer these dual credit classes as part of their co-op, so you can take the class with other homeschool students. 

• Online Classes – Whole or partial curriculums that are offered completely online.

Click below to download a prepared document with links to local homeschooling and online resources.

Homeschooling Options in Detail