Washington Virtual Academy……

[MousePotato]

We had our daughter in this program for about half of her 6th grade year. I thought it was a great program. They had an orientation at the Museum of Flight and sent us a HUGE box of text books and equipment for projects (like science experiments).

They have great teacher support and access to a schedule of online courses that are live. You can call the teachers if needed and they are quick to help out. Strong curriculum as well.

The only reason we left the program was that our daughter was getting very lonely at home by herself. They do have gatherings but not much time to really make friends.

You have to work hard to make this program work and you need a child that can do a LOT of self study and work but I think it’s a good program….

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[maplesyrup]

Don’t know if a lot of families in WS are participating in the program, but I am good friends with someone whose kid did the program for a year.

According to the parents, academics were great because the kids can work at their own pace. In my friend’s situation, their son finished his required curriculum for his grade in April, and only working 3-4 hours a day. (Makes me think about how much time is wasted in a traditional school.) From there he was able to move on to things beyond his normal grade level, and on to things that piqued his interest.

Conversely if a kid has trouble with a particular subject but excels in others, it allows additional time to focus on the areas where they need help.

But like mousepotato’s situation, this boy ultimately left because he wanted more socialization with his peers. His parents thought they could come up with enough extracurricular activities to balance out the isolated study, but in the end it still wasn’t enough. So there’s the rub.

Hope that helps.

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[luckymom30]

Thanks so very much! I have toyed with the idea of home-schooling our daugter for years and I will admit I am very apprehensive of her going to middle and high school what with all the stories I have heard about problems. The main reason I guess I have shyed from home-schooling is she is an only child and there are no other kids in our neighborhood, the program did stated that they have several outings and this past week both my daughter and I met a wonderful family of 2 boys who are in this program and love it.

Our daughter has only excelled at her present school and she is part of the school band and a reader mentor so I don’t want to take those opportunities away from her. I am definitely a fan of Seattle Public Schools with all the politics and such!

So did you opt for private or public schooling inplace of this program? We have 1 year to decide but I am already feeling the push to make a decision. Thanks to both of you for your input!

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[maplesyrup]

In my example, he went back to the public system.

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[WSB]

Junior Member of the Team has just completed 7th and 8th grades in WAVA. We have chosen to re-enter Seattle Public Schools for high school. I can’t speak much to just how academically strong the program was or wasn’t but I can say that if you need family flexibility – nothing beats a program where the student can go to school any time day or night as long as they get the work done.

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[MousePotato]

Our daughter ended up going to Denny. We were apprehensive and with our hands covering most of eyes but I have say, we have been very pleasantly surprised. It was a little slow start for her but she gained a lot of confidence and has made a GREAT group of friends. I know there are stories but it seems to me that it’s really up to the child and family for how the experience turns out. She hasn’t had any issues and I’m proud to say she’s a straight A student but she did have to work to get them. It wasn’t a hand out…. They do have advanced programs you can enter that we will be starting next year.

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