Online K-12 VS Private School: Which is better?
With the global rise of access to the internet, opportunities for online education have increased. There are many valid reasons why a virtual school may be of value to some families, such as struggles with bullying, family schedules that are not conducive to traditional school, or limited access to desired programs. In Minnesota there are free online school options available to residents.
Virtual schooling may provide some form of flexibility that families find valuable, but there can be an unforeseen drawback to the lack of personal contact and face-to-face interactions. The lack of personal interaction with staff and teachers who care about the outcome of the student’s education and faith, as well as the success of the entire family unit is an important piece of education that is missing.
At Hope Academy, we believe that the forming of a child’s character is a large part of the educational process. Our goal is to teach the whole child, which necessarily includes maturing in godly character, and that cannot be ascertained through the results of a test. Godly character cannot be fully learned through videos or textbooks; it must be modeled.
Rick Weissbourd, author of the book, “The Vulnerable Child” and a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education explains teacher and student relationships this way, “In these relationships, moral qualities are shaped. Adults do not simply transmit moral qualities and beliefs to children. These qualities and beliefs emerge and continually evolve in the wide array of relationships that every child has with both adults and peers starting nearly at birth, and in children’s felt knowledge of what is harmful, true, or right. In these relationships, children continually sort out, for example, what they owe others, what they should stand for, what traditions are worth keeping, whether to follow rules, how to contribute to their family, classroom, and community—in other words, how to be a decent human being.’”
Children learn how to live by watching those around them. Hope believes that through our shepherding-learning model, our students will be positively influenced to live a life in accordance with the Gospel of Christ.
What is lacking in an online K-12 education is the mentorship, relationship, and discipleship. At Hope Academy, we believe that this piece is crucial to the success of our students and their families. Our partnership with parents and seeing our students face-to-face, allows us to shepherd their lives in a way that is as unique as the students we teach.
Just as Jesus walked with his disciples, all the while teaching them – we desire to do the same with our students and their families. To see the educational difference that Hope Academy provides, come to our open house, schedule an admission tour or a shadow visit. We’d love to meet you!
