My husband and I are in a quandry regarding our 15y/o son.
He is very intelligent, but has rarely excelled at school, for a variety of reasons.
He is more than capable of doing well, but bores easily, and isn't the least bit interested in the daily routine of traditional high school. He actually prefers being in detention, so as to just have his work brought to him, so he can quickly complete the tasks, and be done with it.
We are at a crossroads of determining his future education, now that this school year has just ended.
In addition to researching charter schools, boarding schools, and other alternative high schools, we are also trying to get as much information as possible about online programs and/or home-schooling.
Since he doesn't want to "conform" to the traditional method of finishing high school, we would like to present him with some options before next Fall. He claims to want to finish high school and contimue on to college, but at this rate, I'll just be thrilled for him to earn a high school diploma.
Is there any advice or information you can give us about online high school, that we can pass along to him?
Do you have an opinion of online school vs. home school, or do you, like we, assume that they would actually be somewhat of a combination of both to acheive one goal?
I noticed in the blog section of this site that there is a home schooling seminar where you will be speaking, in Cali., next month. I'm wondering if you know of any similar event this summer that might be closer to Texas?
We will certainly appreciate any information you or any other readers have to offer, to help us guide our son on the best path for him to continue his education, without the ongoing struggle.

To begin with, there is tremendous cross-over between online high schools and homeschooling. Some homeschooling families do use an online program.

As for your son, one concern with an online program that is not closely monitored is that it will require too much independent work and will bore him.

One school that your son might consider is 3DLearn Interactive Academy in Bonita Springs, Florida. It is located on the web at:

http://www.3dlearn.com

From Complete Guide to Online High Schools:

Perhaps the coolest online high school, 3DLearn Interactive Academy promotes an academic environment based on constructivist learning. It provides students with a virtual reality universe called Wiloworlds where students learn by doing. For example, on a typical day, a student might be doing role-play of an historical figure. They also might be learning 3D computer programming or putting on a play.

My thinking is that you need to find something that challenges him and that keeps him interested. That may be the way to go.

I encourage you to ask follow-up questions.


Tom Nixon