Why Cyber?

When we first started looking into alternative schooling for our children, we weren't sure which way to go. Our oldest child went to a private Christian school for most of her school years. That decision was partly made due to the fact that her father and I lived in different school districts (for her middle and high school years) and the transportation issues would have been difficult. My husband and I lived in a less than desirable district at the time and didn't like the idea of her going to school there, either. So the private school tuition shared between two households seemed like a good deal.
When our second child was born, we decided to start looking for a home in a "better" district. So we moved to a more rural, conservative district thinking we would fit in better; being conservative people. Little did we know that may have been the least of our worries! When we recognized the need to pull our son out of the school he was in, we started considering cyber school.
I had met a neighbor who was cyber schooling her son. She told me how wonderful it was. I listened, but thought, "you just don't know what it would be like for me to deal with this kid all day!" But, the more I listened, the more I tried to picture myself teaching my child. I also met another mom who had just started cyber schooling her 3 gifted children this year. She had nothing but positive things to say about her experience. She told me that all the time and energy I was spending arguing with my school about the best way to deal with my child could be better spent teaching him myself. In fact, I would probably have less stress if I brought him home. I hope what she said will prove to be true!
Why cyber school over traditional home schooling or private school? We ruled out private school mostly due to the cost. Our youngest will be going to one of the local private Christian schools for Kindergarten, but after that he will also cyber school.
Home schooling has a lot of positive possibilities. However, the need to document and plan for every lesson and/or pay for the materials out weighs any benefit I could see. So, it was to be cyber school.
In PA we have 11 schools to chose from. If you are not familiar with cyber school, I'll give you a basic course in how it all works (at least in PA):
Cyber schools are a part of the public school system. They are charter schools. They are paid for by tax dollars. Therefore, there is no cost to the parents. The home school district pays the tuition from the funding they receive for that child. That home district keeps a small portion of the alloted money to cover the expense if your child would chose to participate in extra curricular activities (which they have the right to do according to PA state law). Here's a link to the PA Department of Education website that provides additional info and links:

http://www.pde.state.pa.us/charter_schools/site/default.asp?g=0

The cyber school provides the curriculum, all the classroom materials including text books, a computer, printer, headset, reimbursement for internet service, as well as postage to send in any assignments or assessments. The cyber school does all the reporting to the state on our child's learning. That takes a big chunk of the responsibility off of the parent's shoulders. Some schools also provide other services. Our school provides a reimbursement towards PE class every year.
There are also opportunities for the children to get together. At a statewide level, there are field trips offered. On a more local scene, there is a group, similar to PTA, that helps keep the kids connected through various social and learning events. So, if you are worried about socialization (we are not, due to involvement in other activities) that helps cover that aspect.
Parents are the facilitators of the classroom. For the younger children, it's much more hands on. The older kids take "virtual classes". There is a teacher who has a group of students as her "class". The students participate in the class by wearing a headset and watching on their monitor. When a student has a question, they can raise their hand by clicking an icon on the screen. The teacher "calls" on them and activates the mouthpiece on their headset so the whole class can hear the child speak. Here's a link to PA Cyber's website that explains a little more about the virtual classroom:

http://www.pacyber.org/students/technology.aspx

We have chosen to use Calvert curriculum which will make our schooling more like home schooling for the elementary years. We did have the option to chose virtual classes starting with 3rd grade, but we wanted to keep the ability to modify the curriculum based on the speed our son was learning. That's the joy of the whole cyber school experience! We can choose what suits our child's needs best! PA Cyber's tag line is, "Build your own school....out of choices, not bricks". I just love that. Every time I see that on the materials they have given us, I feel so positive about the next school year. For so long it's been, "We don't do that here".
I know this is going to be tough. I know there are going to be days that I want to run after the big, yellow school bus and beg them to take my children with them. But, I also know this is a small sacrifice I can make so my children can continue to love learning. With the opportunities before us, I guess we will soon find out....