As a parent who had children with different learning abilities, homeschooling and online classes were both methods of teaching that we explored for a variety of reasons versus keeping our sons in public school.

In today’s world, our students are facing many more issues than I did over 45 years ago when I attended school. Many students experience bullying, have difficulty with a particular subject, or may have a disability or chronic illness that prevents them from being able to attend school regularly. 

Reasons for Chronic Absenteeism

A child enrolled in public school is required to attend school on average for a period of 180 days throughout the year. When a child misses 10% of instruction time (roughly 18 days – in Virginia it is 15 days) whether excused or unexcused – that is considered chronic absenteeism. It doesn’t matter to the school board why, just that it has happened.

There are some reasons for absenteeism that cannot be avoided. Life happens. Common illness-causing high fevers and fatigue happen. But, if your child is missing many days of school, or a few days every single month, it’s important to consider the reason for the absenteeism.

Is Your Child Chronically Absent From School?

A nationwide study found that kids with ADHD, autism or developmental delays are twice as likely to be chronically absent compared to kids without these conditions. (source)

Children with common chronic illnesses, such as asthma and type 1 diabetes, miss more school when they are having more symptoms.

Mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression, are common reasons for absences.

Up to 5% of children have school-related anxiety which may create reasons why they should not go or outright refuse to attend school. Anxiety can be caused by bullying, learning difficulties, an inability to fit in and be accepted by their peers. The list goes on and on.

Having to Deal with the Law

In Virginia, children between six and 16 who are not at school during a normal school day — provided they are not at home with an illness or otherwise excused — are considered truant. Even with an excused absence or illness, after 15 days they can be expelled for the remainder of the year. 

Truant children may be placed in the temporary custody of the police and may be processed in juvenile court. Parents may face criminal charges if they intentionally fail to meet their legal obligation to send their children to attend school. If found guilty of the misdemeanor, the parents could face fines and even jail time for repeat offenses.

The legal system doesn’t take into account the reasons for the truancy, they only go by the numbers. I’ve been through this scenario more times than I care to admit. It was a deciding factor in why I allowed my youngest son to drop out of high school and take his GED – which he passed in less than 6 weeks – and had the highest score of any student who had taken the GED in our county.

The Coronavirus Pandemic – To Wear a Mask or Not?

We haven’t even factored in the COVID pandemic, which has caused some schools to close completely and go to virtual learning, or provide alternative days for in-class learning and virtual learning. Even though I am fully vaccinated, I refuse to go into any public space without my mask unless I am the only customer in there at the moment. That is my choice to protect myself and my family.

In Virginia, many parents do not want to send their children to school because of the executive order from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin banning mask mandates in schools. Schools have until March 1, 2022, to comply. Parents who have children who are immunocompromised or have not been vaccinated, do not want their children to be put at risk, and rightly so. He has made it the choice of the parents and/or students on whether they want to wear a mask – but what rights do the parents of children who have immunocompromised systems have? None according to this executive order.

Masks significantly reduce outbreaks in schools, research from the CDC shows. Schools without mask mandates are three times more likely to have outbreaks, and counties with mask requirements in schools had markedly less spread. There is no evidence that masks negatively affect children’s social, behavioral, or linguistic development.

To wear a mask or not, is just one more issue that is being placed on our children that shouldn’t be. As parents, it is our job to keep our children safe and if your beliefs do not align with the public school system where you live or the state government – then online classes and homeschooling are a way to take that burden away from your children, and from you!

How Allschool is Different

One of the factors that I loved about homeschooling is that we got to choose the curriculum for our kids. Yes, you have to abide by the Department of Education guidelines as well as local county or city guidelines, but you have the ability to tailor what your child will study, when, and how they learn.

With all of the negative aspects of public schools, such as overcrowding, teachers who are overworked and not paid nearly what they should be, budget cuts for the arts and extracurricular activities, bullying, it’s a relief to know that there are other means of providing your child with a quality education.

That’s one of the things I love about Allschool.

Allschool, founded in Singapore, is an innovative online platform that brings highly interactive live small-group classes to children worldwide. It hosts thousands of devoted and talented teachers from different countries and brings a variety of premium live classes to learners at their fingertips, ranging from mathematics, languages, visual arts to game design. At Allschool, they empower learners to explore and pursue interests and advance their academic performances through inspiring and engaging learning experiences.

In order to deliver extraordinary experiences for both teachers and learners, Allschool has developed a set of professional and powerful tools specifically for online education. Their innovative tools, such as performance rewards and gamified learning, brings in-class interactions to the next level. Learners are able to be completely involved in the classes and acquire knowledge in an enjoyable environment. 

Allschool provides over 10,000 courses for ages 3 to 18. From preschool to high school, let your children learn what they want to learn in addition to what they need to learn. Don’t see a class your child is interested in? Allschool allows you to request a class topic you would like to see with regards to subject and age that they then share with their teachers to create a class based on your request.

Allschool subjects include:

• Arts
• Coding & Tech
• English
• Life Skills
• Math
• Music
• Science & Nature
• Social Studies
• World Languages
• Chinese

Allschool provides live, small-group learning experiences to ensure every child is learning at their own pace in a fun learning environment that is hands-on. I can’t think of anything more boring than having a teacher stand at the front of the room and speak for 90 minutes while you take notes, which is how we were taught eons ago. I can recall a handful of teachers who actually made class FUN with interactive lessons that had every member of the class involved. That should not be the norm.

Allschool also provides a wide range of subjects in multiple languages so that every child has a chance to participate in their interactive online classes.

Even if you follow a rather strict homeschool schedule – your children can still benefit from courses that are offered from Allschool to supplement the curriculum you are teaching at home. If your child shows great aptitude towards technology – enrolling him in a few of the specialized coding and tech classes with Allschool would be a natural segway to encourage and feed that interest of your child.

Allschool’s Animal Fun Fair for Ages 5-10

I am so excited to tell you about this class! If I could sign Aubree up for it, I would! I’ve always had a love for animals (probably from growing up on a farm) and this is the neatest class I can think of for kids to learn more about the animals of the world that they might only see at a zoo. This class will be available from February 15 to March 15, 2022.

In this course, students will learn all about foxes, snakes, giraffes, and tigers. They will discuss their habitats, social activity, parenting, hunting, and daily activity. This class incorporates lots of student interaction, slides, video clips, and a virtual visit to several zoos to see the animals live. Teacher Tracy will also introduce students to some of the animals at the zoo where she works at. She works hard to provide an engaging, fun, and educational classroom for all of her students. She will also be helping students to draw an easy animal during class. This is a great class for students interested in science and nature. Click here to sign up today and check out this video below! In addition, our readers get their first class FREE with this $12 off coupon! (limited time offer so grab it today)

Learn from Vetted Teachers at Allschool

Allschool values your children as much as you do. That’s why all teachers must complete an application with their credentials, upload a demo video for review, undergo identification verification and rigorous background checks. 

Join Allschool Now

To begin learning with Allschool, you can download the app CLASSPOD (you can use your PC, iPad, or Android tablet to download). Then you simply head to FIND CLASSES and you and your child choose the classes he/she wishes to attend. Classes are billed in sessions. If you select a class that has multiple sessions, you will see how many learners are allowed per class and the cost per session, and then simply click on the Purchase Total to add it to your cart. It’s that simple!

Give Your Child a Voice In What They Want to Learn

We all know that there are core subjects your child needs to learn to thrive on their own when they become adults, but rarely does an elementary, middle, or high school afford our students the ability to engage and learn in subjects that they have an interest in. With Allschool, you and your child select the courses you want to take. This gives your child the chance to learn more about a particular subject they have a great interest in – which means they will be eager to attend classes each session.

Allschool is Available in Different Languages

Allschool provides classes in Chinese, Spanish, English, and French. Students can attend classes in their native language. There are some preliminary courses to teach English-speaking students Spanish with courses to learn French and Cantonese coming soon! My personal opinion is that everyone should be able to speak at least two languages, and Allschool is a great way to do that.

The Ability to Attend School From Anywhere In the World!

Remember the days of having to make sure you took your vacation before school started so the kids could be back in time for the first day of school? With online learning, that is something you no longer need to worry about. You can literally travel the world while your children attend school every day – all you need is a computer and reliable internet!

Connect with Allschool

See why we are so excited about this new interactive learning tool for our kids. Connect with them on their website and social media channels. We’re positive that you’ll find a class that your student will love!

Website – Facebook – YouTube – Twitter – Pinterest – Instagram

Don’t forget to sign up for the ANIMAL FUN FAIR CLASS and use our coupon to get your FIRST CLASS FREE!

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