Controlling one’s own school day may seem impossible, but through cyber- schooling, one will get to do work on their time, sleep in, and take breaks as frequently as they wish.

Being taught at home, though, can have its drawbacks.

Sophomore Samantha Tower, who was cyber-schooled in seventh grade, prefers the face-to-face learning of public school to learning through the computer.
  

“I need someone there to explain stuff to me,” said Tower. “Sometimes books just don’t do it.”

Tower feels that having teachers in the classroom helps her pay attention and stay tuned in to the class.

Rather than simply having to read the straight facts, she believes having someone being there to explain the information, helps her learn and remember it.

“I remember nothing from seventh grade. When I was done, nothing stuck,” said Tower. “There was nobody there to reinforce it.”

Teachers in public school can bring their experiences, personalities and opinions to the classroom making the lectures more interesting, while the teachers who run cyber-school only give the facts, said Tower.  

In cyber-school, deadlines are not as strict.

If one chooses to, they could do two days worth of lessons in one, and then take the next day off, says Tower. It depends on the individual motivation of each student.

Lack of deadlines could become a problem when students get into college.

 “I would have freaked out about deadlines in college, because I never would have had them before,” said Tower.

While some people feel they get more out of public school, others prefer to be taught at home.

Junior Meghan Mendez and sophomore Taylor Olbeter have been cyber-schooled for most of their lives.

Olbeter feels that she gets the same quality of education being cyber-schooled as she would if she were in public school.

“I can work at my own pace, which is really nice,” said Olbeter.

Being cyber-schooled does have its advantages.

Vacations during the school year are easier to schedule, explained Mendez, because of their more flexible schedules.

They can take their work with them without missing anything.

According to Mendez, they can get all the lessons done for that day before they even leave if they chose to.  

Even though she is cyber-schooled, Mendez doesn’t feel as though she is missing anything socially.

She swims for the high school swim team and she can do other things with the kids from cyber-school, and she has the option to do any other sport through Franklin if she wanted to.  

Olbeter on the other hand, does feel like she is missing out on making more friends.

She would like the chance to go to Homecoming or Prom and see her friends who attend public school every day.

Olbeter makes up for this by getting involved in her church and in something called Tellecommunity, where they learn about making media from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation of Journalism. 

“I still have tons of opportunities to meet people,” said Olbeter. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I love being homeschooled!”