There are 2 different methods of home schooling. The first method is you, the parent or caregiver, solely teaching and educating your child according to the standards set by the state you reside in. Here you would be responsible to produce the learning material, to teach the material and administer tests to your child. The state would basically be supervising how well the child is doing and well you are doing as the teacher. The second method is through the school district and consists of the child signing up with the distance learning program should the district have one in place. I have chosen to write this article based on schooling at home via the internet through the school district.

Schooling from home has changed considerably over the past years with more and more students and parents having the desire or need to educate in this fashion. Even so, many parents can feel quite intimidated by taking on such a huge responsibility with little support when choosing to be the sole educator. There are also a number of parents who are not able to devote 8 hours a day to educating their child by states standards. Something we have seen an increase in with home educating is distance learning. This consists of the curriculum being supplied by the school district for the child to learn via the internet as well as by text book. There is a great deal of support when going this route since there are teachers available to assist the student during school days/hours. The distance learning program must also adhere to all the things the public schools must adhere to such as routine testing, proper attendance time, AIMS and bench mark testing, etc. They also provide the proper testing for each of the subjects at mid-term and finals. When entering the high school program they have advisers and counselors who work diligently searching for scholarships for each student since most students who school in this fashion go onto attend college and many go with a scholarship or two. There is tutoring available both at the distance learning office as well as on-line at any time a student wishes to take advantage of this.

The first thought should be when considering schooling from home via the internet is to decide if your child has the self-discipline, the self-motivation and the organizational and time management skills to make something like this a success. Many parents would be surprised to find their child does in fact have these qualities and are able to catch on quite quickly and do very well. The majority of the distance learning programs through public school districts are put together quite nicely. There is plenty of communication and instructions are easy to understand and follow. If the student simply follows the instructions accordingly and pays close attention to the e-mails he or she receives from their instructors, its actually quite easy for the student to move along at a steady pace.

At the beginning of a new school year, the student will receive the districts welcome package explaining to the parent and to the student about how the program operates, what is expected from the parent and student, a description of the classes and course work they will be doing for the semester and other information based on the policies and procedures of that particular school district. The key is to follow the directions you are given closely and to keep the lines of communication open between the teachers, student and parent. At the end of each week, the student will e-mail an attendance card to the school showing the number of hours they spent in each subject. If there are any text books or other materials required for a given class these this will be mailed to you or you may pick them up.

You should have an area in the home designated for schooling only and should be equipped with a desk, computer, printer and all the other miscellaneous items a student needs when attending school. Having high-speed internet is very beneficial and is required by many of the programs offered today. A few months before the start of a new school year check with the district to find out if they have a distance learning program and take this time for both you and your child to familiarize yourselves with the program in order to alleviate any unneeded stress.

Distance learning can be a great option and very helpful for students or families who have certain situations or circumstances which make attending school in the traditional manner difficult or simply for the student who has a desire to pace themselves at a faster rate than what can be achieved in the classroom.