Online learning is growing. It is growing quickly compared to other enrollment where overall college enrollment has dropped. This is true both in the higher education sector as well as in the K-12 sector. The question is why are students and parents continue to flock to it?
There are a few boilerplate reasons consistently cited: flexibility of schedules, no commute, workplace subsidization, easy means to degree completion, etc. I am interested in a few other reasons for this growth and one struck me as a statistic we should look at more closely in the coming years: bullying.
Check this out.
That is a lot of desire for change in environment. What is going on in our schools then? It might not be just the curriculum but the places we are sending our kids. Would you send your kid to a babysitter’s house where you really aren’t sure what happens there? All you know is that the parent comes in once in a while to make sure things are ok. Most of the time the babysitter doesn’t have time to watch all of the kids and the kids are free to do what they please.
Yet that’s what happens in schools all over the country.
Our kids go there for up to 10 hours a day if they are in extra-curricular activities. We don’t get to see what is happening there. If this data is correct, as a society we are trusting the school less and less to offer a safe learning and social environment for our kids.
Think about it. What kind of environment are you comfortable leaving your kids with?
During the week, they are there more than they are with you.
Mind Squirrels 