Many families are taking advantage of their right to teach their children from the comfort of their home, with differing reasons behind their decision. Yet, a shared desire between homeschooling families is that of unity with other families on the same educational journey. The creation of virtual schools and the homeschool academy
What Is a Homeschool Academy?
Homeschool academies are very similar to actual academies, or private schools; they are also similar to virtual schools, in that they are often web based and offer curriculum online, as well as textbook and experiential learning materials sent via mail.
Attending an academy offers homeschooling families the opportunity to have a structured curriculum but still maintain flexibility in their schedule. Most are accredited to ensure the quality of their educational services.
Homeschool academies are also a wonderful way to connect with certified teachers (which can be especially helpful for new homeschooling families who find teaching alone intimidating) and other families both locally and around the world. Not every homeschool academy offers a teacher/tutor guide for parents and students though, so if this is important to you do your research before registering your child.
Much of the planning is taken out of the parents hands with homeschool academies, saving time loss to lesson planning. Records are also tracked and transcript services are provided as they are through traditional schools.
Tuition payments are flexible and many are very reasonably priced, providing a private school education at a much lower cost.
It is similar to having your child attend an actual school, without having them attend an actual school!
Is a Homeschool Academy Right For Your Family?
If connecting with other families has been difficult for your family or a bit restricted due to travels, attending an online homeschool academy that has means for members to connect with one another would be beneficial. Many schools offer clubs, extracurricular activities, field trips and plenty of opportunities for students and their families to connect both on and offline.
Like most home school settings, these academies offer flexibility that can make a huge difference to how your child learns as well as where they learn, because there is great freedom in the schedule and curriculum you’ll use.
There are two types of home school academies, secular and faith based. If your family does not have a practiced religion, you may be most interested in enrolling your child in a secular home school academy to ensure they are receiving an education with no religious overtones.
Many homeschooling families decide to home school their children due to religious beliefs or a strong desire to educate their children with the use of curriculum that incorporates their faith and beliefs.
Either way, you can search parenting forums to see what others have to say about homeschool academies their children attend. Contact academies you find to see what they have to offer and determine how they match up with what you are looking for.
There is a home school academy that suits your family well – you just have to do your research to find it.
