The Virtual School Gate

[SuoceraBlues]

For those of us with kids at virtual schools.

In your immagination please see me as nicely dressed, ironed, absolutely no egg on my top, neat hair and well applied make up. I see this as an inate benefit of a virtual school

How many of us are back to school or starting school on Monday ?

Anybody else constantly checking the computer to make sure it isn't going to launch into a million windows dates five minutes before thefirst lesson ?

One here!

DS starts his 2nd yr at virtual school on Monday.

And of course we are also perfectly groomed.
ds never attends class in his underwear

Hoping for trouble free broadband connections all term!

What is this virtual school?

Bonnie, it is school, but virtual.

Like this www.interhigh.co.uk/

Yay MenagerieMadness! You are now offically my virtual school parent mentor!

We should meet here when the bell goes for a coffee and a natter, just like bricks and mortar school mums do.

The virtual coffee and brioche will have no calories too.

ds never attends class in his underwear

Sounds fun although i'm sure there are others on MN with far more experience of internet schools that would make better mentors.

When DS started interhigh he and his friends were obsessed with the fact that he could 'go to' school in just his underwear if he wanted.
When i objected to this he asked a teacher if it was ok and was told that the school had absolutely no dress code! I gave up that fight. I'm just grateful he agrees to get dressed when school's over!

Yeah well, I want you

I seem to feel this need to get the house all clean ready for tomorrow. Possibly becuase I don't have the "get bag/clothes ready for back to school" ritual.

I have been awake since 6 thinking "must clean in time for back to school!". Don't know why, it's not like VirtualOFSTED are going to come an check my "facilites" are up to the correct tidy and hygenic standard.

and was told that the school had absolutely no dress code!

Just as well really with me lurking in the background in fluffy pjs.

It's fine in the spring and summer, but I noticed in the winter that unless I was on themschool run I'd leap put of bed and whack on my super warm pjs while I ran around lighting the fires. ......and even as the house warmed up I'd still be pootling around doing stuff and not finding time to get dressed.

Not a good look. PJs with a fetching twig and ash decoration post fire lighting.

This year I will be diciplined!

Things I will not miss about bricks and mortar school

1 Getting up at 5.30 am on a winter morning when it's -12 and rushing around to try a d heat the house with reluctant to light wood.

2 Dropping a half asleep and cold DS off at school for a 7.50am first lesson start.

Awww its always nice to be wanted I will try my best!

And yes, you could be me, just swop the fire lighting with animal feeding complete with warm pjs and tatty ugg boots

Things i dont miss about bricks and mortar school...

School run

Being forced to buy expensive, poor quality uniform.

School run

Arguing with the local secondary because they appear to think that having the correct uniform is more important than a. having enough teachers and b. dealing with their bullying problems.

Did i mention the school run?

LOL!

Yeah the damn school run.

Boiling pots of water to hurl at the runner the gate sits on so I can unfreeze it and make it open as the clock ticks and lateness beckons.

Driving up the road with our hearts in our mouths cos the council is pretending we aren't on the map when it snows AGAIN (less inclination to forget about us when it is local tax time though).

The rugger scrum for parking outside the school.

The cold sweat when you realise you left with the child, the rucksack, but not the massive art folder, or TD box of tricks, or the insurance form, or one of zillion other things sent home to sign/pay for....and have to dash home and back like your knickers are on fire.

The things I won't miss about HE

The whole thing depending on me.

Having to create a routine that requires me to insist to myself that it is stuck to, rather than hanging off an externally imposed daily time line. (I am crap at that)

Planning a curriculum. Replanning a curriculum. Ripping up all former attempts and planning a new curriculum. Realising one week in that snazzy curriculum design forgot to take into account that there is no such thing as a 37 hour day or a nine day week and DS is not a prodigy.

Trying to teach algebra and set theory.

The feeling of humungous responsibility that it will be all my fault if he never learns anything EVER!

Right. Off to insist child goes and does Conquer Maths. I didn't know that was included in the package, so cool!

The things I won't miss about HE

The whole thing depending on me.
Agreed!

Having to create a routine that requires me to insist to myself that it is stuck to, rather than hanging off an externally imposed daily time line. (I am crap at that)
Yep, DS and I are also crap at that.

Planning a curriculum. Replanning a curriculum. Ripping up all former attempts and planning a new curriculum. Realising one week in that snazzy curriculum design forgot to take into account that there is no such thing as a 37 hour day or a nine day week and DS is not a prodigy.
Lol my DS asked if i was delusional when faced with my first attempt at an HE schedule and pointed out his surname isnt Einstein.

Trying to teach algebra and set theory.
oh god, algebra! How do you teach maths when your DS is better at it than you are?

The feeling of humungous responsibility that it will be all my fault if he never learns anything EVER!
I totally felt like this for a year of HEing. I was convinced DS would be SO behind after my shoddy teaching skills and Interhigh would keep him down a year in most subjects. To my surprise and relief, he was completely up to date with his year group and had covered a few topics early too.

Your DS will probably have learnt alot more from you than you think.

Your DS will probably have learnt alot more from you than you think

I'm pretty chuffed with how well he is doing on conquer maths, but we had to sideline English cos of the annual exams and focus on Italian. Just hope itmhasn't had too much of a negative impact. (slight panic)

I am all ready for him to go to school. Computer on, log ins done and email checked, downloads completed.......all about 2 hours too early.

Can you say "really keen for kid to go back to school"

I have a memory that he has to email in in the morning, but despite desperatly scanning the parents handbook I can find the details

Have I remembered wrong ?

annnnnnd....we're OFF!

He has sent me out of the room

Is refusing to let me lurk.

Becuase I typed "hi" into the textbox for him. Was only trying to help.

Sorry i'm late to the thread today, too much first day panic!

I'm not allowed to hover either DS allows me to enter with a drink at break, thats all. But you can look at the lesson material yourself anytime so it doesnt matter.

Did your DS enjoy his first classes?

He seemed to. Hard to tell with the all the hissing of "get out !".

He's doing his homework now and suddenly I'm all popular again.

Do I just go to lesson library to see what they did ?

I did scroll through the text messages of the lesson and it appears my son's huge contribution was the occasional "yes". Ah well, should not expect too much of him immediatly. Just wish he'd be a bit more willing to contact other students rather than wait for them to find him. I guess it will come when he's found his feet. I did hear him talking a few times when I was lurking outside the door, pretending to be sweeping the hall so maybe it's his hatred or writing anything that left his text contribution a bit...slim.

The teacher is called Jude and is nice according to the squirt, does that ring any bells ?

How did your first day go?

I am having a real stuggle helping him set up his MyInterhighPage, I think maybe I have got the login muddled up with the internal email login.

I have never been so chill (by my standards) and cheerful by the end of first day back. Normally by now we'd be

Struggling with reams of communication from school that they dictate to the kids (and my son turns into garbled nonsense reuquiring twelve phonecalls to mates mums, only to discover they have all garbled it too) and trying to work out how to fit six hours of homework into a day that is damn near over with a knackered child.

or

Fighting cos I'm the mean mummy who is HEing him to death (allegedly)

So I think day one has gone supremely well all things considered.

Sounds like a successful start, i'm really pleased for both of you!

Ds didnt speak much at first but by summer term he was being pulled up for talking far too much thankfully the teachers can individually mute them at anytime if necessary!

Lesson slides should all be in Lesson Library but often its easier just to access them directly through his homework log if you can because the teachers sometimes give their lessons unexpected file names which makes searching a bit hit and miss!

If you forget your logins just email the office

Also...homework? I'm impressed! Mine refuses to do it 'on the first day back' busy day for him tomorrow then.

Heh, the only reason homework is being done immediatly is cos he is still so damn grateful he no longer has a mountain of the stuff.

Let's see what happens when he gets used to the new reality and starts digging his heels in.

Oh wow I have been having a ball in the lesson library!

I have peeked at and downloaded everything he is doing this week

It's stuff he covered last year...but this time in English, in a more enjoyable/interesting format and this time not overly complicated, wordy and dry.

Fingers crossed this year he can mainly revise so his English skills can improve without huge gobs of pressure of learning new stuff on top. It may turn out to be a little easy in some respects, possibly not alot of stretching content wise, but to be honest, after the last few years of hell in a schoolbag, the kid could do with a break so he can build his confidence. And my priority is getting him to speed with his peers in terms of the language, so alls good.

I think I am going to live in that lesson library...s'like Aladdin's cave. Never again will I ask "what did you do today", get a "noffink" in return and have to live with the simmering frustration.

I feel spoilt. I like this sensation.

I think I will email admin about the myinterhigh page log in, I have no idea what I am doing and he wants me to show him tonight.

I think this year is going to be very different from last....in a spectacularly good way.

So chuffed!

OK here we go for day 2.

DS is really tired, he was awake till 11 worrying a wobbly tooth that took its own sweet time to fall out, and his bloody grandmother woke him up at 6am yelling for Giovanni. Whoever he is.

Never mind, I don't think the subject matter today will be totally new to him and that should carry him through even with a foggy sleepy head.

I feel very on top of things schoolwise. A very unusual, but very pleasant, feeling.

I love the lesson library! It is so cool knowing exactly what they did in a lesson and if he does ask for help homework wise I'll actually know what the teacher is looking for. Yay!

How long does it normally take for homework to be graded?

He is champing at the bit to see something in his grade records, (for the first time in his academic life )

Good morning, i have a tired DS too, must be 2nd day back to school syndrome as he cant blame teeth or grandmothers.

Teachers vary with their grading speed, some are super quick, others dont hand out grades till almost the next lesson. He'll get an email notification thats its been done and posted on his log. They get emails when homeworks issued too.

I've connected the school email to my phone so i get copies of all his school emails too . Ds doesnt really like it but i know he is so slack at checking it himself!

Lesson library is great isnt it? Every school should have one. Its such a big help at revision time having every lesson of the year available to view.

this school sounds so fun and such good idea.

what happends in exam years?

do they pick gcses?

do they go to actual site to sit exams?

are their any figures on virtual schools exam results?

what happends in exam years?

I'm not in the UK, so I'll either have to fly over to one of the exam centres if I can't get the British Council to hold them for me in Milan. But they might, if lots of kids are doing them.

do they pick gcses?

They do IGCSEs cos of the coursework issue I think. The kids sit which ones they want, when they are ready. Ditto A levels.

do they go to actual site to sit exams?

I think we are entered as private candidates for IGCSE and A levels and go to convienient centres. But with the school helping you navigate the admin side cos they know what they are doing....and I don't . I'll go check the handbook and let you know exactly.

The annual end of year exams are done online, it's up to the parent to invigilate I think. I'll be glowering in the corner looking stern when mine does his this July. I'm not going to be helping him cos I want to know how he has done. I guess other parents do the same ?

are their any figures on virtual schools exam results?

I had NobelGiraffe a teacher MNer check it out for me. She said they had very respectable lresults comparable with an average state school in the UK. Which is good cos they are non selective, many of the kids are like mine having been to school in another language/culture, some have never done any formal study before they join at year 7 or later, others have LDs etc....a much more mixed cohort than the average school has to deal with possibly.

It is fun. DS was on his year group forum this morning getting to know other kids and texting them while they waited for the lesson to begin. He loved the social side of school and really missed it when I had to pull him out to HE. I've had to install skype too cos he is desperate to start videochatting with the other kids so they can collaborate for homework and have a natter.

Ds's mates are saucer eyed about his hightech school and the first time there is an Italian bank holiday that doesn't exisit in the UK he has invited them all over to come and watch. Becuase obviously a houseful of over excited children is what I need on Monday morning

Thanks DS, thanks mucho for that little surprise.

Lesson library is great isnt it? Every school should have one. Its such a big help at revision time having every lesson of the year available to view.

I am addicted. I need a 12 step group to get me out of the library.

I hasn't thought about revision, but you are right. He'll be able to go over everything and clarify his notes/check the context.

I love clarity. I think that's what I hated so much about tests/homework with his school. The instructions were so fuzzy, you couldn't ask the teacher and DS seemed to forget what he had done all day at school the second the bell rang.

Drove me batty.

There were about 7 or 8 of us mums all phoning each other trying to piece together what had to be done and what had been covered ...from the dribs and drabs our individual kids had registered in their sieve like minds.

Yes actually that would be NobleGiraffe not nobel.

I luff her. She saved my bacon this time last year when DS was at school and they were toruturing me him with Set Theory.

She is an amazing maths teacher, who actually should be Nobel, as in a prize, for being a bloody marvellous maths teacher. Cos if she can get me to understand it she could teach a bunch of monkeys to understand it.

I've connected the school email to my phone so i get copies of all his school emails too

Ohh ...how did you do that ? Do you just go to the page and keep it logged on ?