After reviewing different options for high school classes, I signed my son up for an online class. (No, he didn't have a lot of say in the matter. However, since he didn't throw a fit, I count it as a form of acceptance.) I thought, and he mumbled agreement, that it would be good for him to try a different format than we have generally used (meaning something with structure for a change) to see what would work for him. It would also allow him to be responsible for work to someone other than his parents. Most importantly, it would get his parents out of having to plan a lab science class.

Just as an aside, both my husband and I firmly believe that high school labs were a waste of time, and for that matter, most college labs we took. Some people may get something out of the "hands on" discovery approach, but I never had (and he didn't until graduate school) have a lab that we didn't know what the expected results were before hand. It's like striking a match to see if it would light, "ooooohhh, mine lit because the friction generated whatever and whatever happened." Okay, I don't remember the "whatevers" but I did at the time. As if I couldn't have figured it out what was going to happen from the reading before hand. I and my lab partner for engineering physics wrote up half of our lab experiments (didn't say we did them) in one night the week before we were to turn in the lab book. But I digress (I did say I would...)

Why did I pick an online class? The first reason is the flexibility. As I was looking at the various local options through various co-ops, private classes, and the local community college dual credit option, I realized that we would have to commit to being there at least  one day a week for an entire semester. Since it's only one day, missing that day would have serious consequences. (I'm assuming here because, as I said, we aren't doing it.) I just could not bring myself to "chain" myself to someone elses schedule with "grades" being at stake. I know some would argue, that's part of the learning experience and he will have to deal with it sometime. However, I choose not to deal with it now.

The second reason is that going over the class descriptions, I got the feeling that what you were paying for was the time spent in the lab once a week (which, as I stated earlier, I believe is of questionable value.) You may have a required book and assigned readings but that was to be done on your own time anyway (as if you were attending school everyday.) So now, it's not just once a week, it's keeping up with assignments everyday. I know, I know, he'll have to do it in college.

The third reason has to do with transcripts. If he is stuck being responsible to someone else who will assign a grade, I want that grade to mean something. I've no doubt that many of the local classes are taught by excellent teachers and the grades really do reflect the actual demonstrated learning. However, if we're going to be jumping through hoops, I don't want to argue with colleges about the validity of the hoops and the measurements of the jumps. Besides, I dread making a transcript myself.

And not only are we jumping through hoops, we're paying to do it. Some of the classes were very reasonable in terms of cost. Others seemed reasonable until I started comparing them to the online class. $50 a month for 3 or 4 months plus text book, lab fee, and registration fee. We're paying $159 for one course which includes the "text book" online. Granted, the lab materials I bought definitely increased the cost of what it would be locally but hey, our homeschool group's lending library is going to get a nice microscope out of it. And if we hadn't selected biology (our least favorite science for my husband and I), the price would have been just $159. (BTW, we're going through UT-Austin's high school which uses a program called "ask me," no workbooks and worksheets to mail back and forth.)

So now we'll see how this works out. Theoretically, I've put my son in a situation where he will have to responsible for assignments to another authority for "legitimate" (gag) grades while not sacrificing our (okay, my) ability to blow off a week here and there. This could be a great situation or completely blow up in our faces. But like I said, the lending library will be getting a microscope, prepared slides, and six test tubes out it.