It took all morning and part of the afternoon, but we officially have applied to Georgia Virtual Academy. Woohoo!
Providing that Geddy had a chance to fax the 10 pages of documentation we already knew about -- and that they went through okay -- that part is done, too. We got back from the post office an hour or so ago, because there were two more printable documents (per child!) that had to be snail-mailed to the K12 office in Virginia.
I'm confident we've done a fair job independently home educating the children over the past six years, but Geddy and I talked it over at length and decided to give GVA a try next school year. It is a public school program where students work at home, so we won't technically be homeschoolers, but that's a technicality we can live with.
With GVA, someone else is doing all the hard stuff (lesson planning, record-keeping, curriculum selection, scope and sequence) and I get to facilitate, supervised by a state-certified teacher for each child. And although we would be willing to spend whatever was necessary to give our children a good education, I can't say it's not an attraction that the program is tax-funded so that the cost isn't further out of pocket to us.
The K12 people I've talked with expect a huge jump in applicants this year, though they all but assured me all three of the children can get in. However, they did recommend quickly registering, completing the online placement exams and getting the required documentation back to them. So if any of you Georgia folks think you might be interested, you need to get on the stick if you want a spot in the program.
I think a couple thousand students participated last year. I will be interested to hear what the final enrollment is for next year, what the "big jump" winds up being. We should get word of our approval in the next couple of weeks, but if for some reason all three children can't get in, we're planning to withdraw all of our applications and continue to independently homeschool.
The program only serves K-8 students, so even if we love it, Larry would only be able to participate for two years. Our family's commitment to the program is for one year, so we'll have to re-evaluate next spring.
Anyway, wish us luck or even pray for us if you're so inclined. I felt a little sick and sad and a lot anxious when I was filling out the forms today. Now that the stressful part is over, I hope to soon feel some excitement about our new adventure.
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3 comments:
We have really enjoyed GVA this year. We will continue with GVA for as long as they are available. They should add high school in the next couple of years, but even if they don't for some reason we will pay for it at that point. The curriculm is wonderful and the learning experience is great for the children. It seems less expensive than other programs we have looked into. Best wishes for your enrollment, we have been approved for next year and are very excited to see so many new applicants.
I am so glad you stopped by to comment, and even more glad you like GVA! Truthfully, I haven't heard anything negative about it, but every positive comment gives me more confidence we've made the right choice. Have a great year, and thanks again!
I have enrolled my 2 children into GVA and I too was a homeschooler but the fact the curriculum is free inclined us to give it a try especially with all the layoffs and gas prices.
I have heard nothing but good things about GVA and I have joined the GVA12 yahoo group and all the parents there who have been in GVA since it started all say they love it. I am excited about the new road we will take and look forward to it. Just take a deep breath and relax....enjoy the ride down your new path.
Lynn
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