Beginner pro's and con's of UTVA

So, we have been using the K12 system through our state charter school UTVA (Utah Virtual Academy) for one week now. It has been interesting, because we just received the computer, books, and other items today (which all look amazing btw).

Anyway, even not having any books, I decided to write a primitive review on our experience so far. This is purely so other people who are maybe questioning whether they should or shouldn't homeschool their child with the UTVA.

So, that being said. This week we had our first parent/teacher/student conference call. I don't know how it works in other states, but in Utah they utilize "illumination rooms." I, personally, think they are pretty neat. It's basically an online conference room. The teacher was able to show me via power point, how Harrison had done on his placement tests. Since Harrison started mid-year, these were basically just to see if he was on target for where he should be. The placement tests were done online via a scantron website, and it was very easy to use.

The teacher was also able to show me different things about the program, and answer any questions that I had. She then talked to Harrison, and tested him (without him knowing which I thought was cool) on his reading speed and math. The reading speed is a test they do at the public schools and is supposed to give you an idea of how many words they can read in a minute. I still think it's stupid, but oh well. It is a state thing apparently.

All in all, I thought the phone call went well, and the teacher was very nice and willing to be helpful.

Okay, so, now for the curriculum. My initial thinking is that this is a great curriculum for people who have NEVER homeschooled before. If you have and you have your own system down, this curriculum will most likely drive you nuts because it is flexible in some ways, but more rigid in others. On the plus side, they pretty much provide you with everything you will need to teach your child.

Another thing that I know is frustrating for some parents, is that in the elementary grades, the student is mentored quite heavily by the parent, or "learning coach." This can be more time consuming then other homeschooling methods that encourage the child to learn by themselves at a younger age. I also have a difficult time imagining teaching more than one child at a time with this curriculum, but I know that people do it. They also have tutorials on how you can manage your time effectively so you can teach more than one student.

I have been impressed with most of the books so far. The language arts one I have only used one day, so I am not sure yet of my opinion on that.

Harrison apparently has a strong liking for History. I had NO idea! That is the subject he wants to do, EVERY DAY. Since he is in 2nd grade, he technically doesn't have to do History every day because it's not a "core" subject, but since he wants to, it's no biggie if we do. Plus it helps fulfill the time requirement.

The History lessons are pretty much the only subject that you can purely do online for the 2nd grade curriculum. There are offline history activities, but the lesson itself is online.

The other subjects have a lesson outline that can be used online, but the work itself is all offline. So, I think it's a nice mix.

UTVA encourages parents to get creative with the lessons by teaching them in other places (outside, or in a different location), act out history lessons, etc... to help make it more exciting for your student. I thought it was nice that they gave ideas.

UTVA students also have the opportunity to go on outings once a month. At the beginning of the school year they try to place students with the teacher that is closest to them location wise, but since Harrison started mid-year, his teacher actually lives about an hour and a half away. Each teacher plans activites for their students to participate in, and since Harrison's teacher lives far away, the activities are far away too. This is not a problem though because we are welcome to go to the activites that are with the teacher who lives closer to us.

The idea of the activities is to get the students out and interacting with other students in an educational activity. So, that will be interesting. We haven't gone on an activity yet. The activity that Harrison's teacher is doing is going on a tour of the State Capitol Building. Last month the teacher that lives closer to us took her group on a tour of the Hill Air Force Base airplane museum (which is one of our favorite places to go!) So, I am looking forward to see what the next activities will be.

My opinion of our experience so far is that it is working well for us. Harrison loves it, mainly because it is on a computer, and he did tell me that he likes it better than how we were homeschooling before we got accepted with UTVA. In the morning he is actually excited to start school! (History of course!) So, we will see if it keeps up!