Not the Old Way of Doing Home Schooling

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - Hallways, lunch hour, recess and homeroom -- all gone. Homeroom is now the kitchen for three siblings ages five, eight and ten. Their parents have started noticing a change in the last year and a half.

"They have learned so much more then they … ever learned in school, and that really just threw me because I'm like, wow, you're actually learning something. To hear them speak, their vocabulary has completely changed. We [were] watching a movie and my daughter's like that's the Coliseum. The things they were pointing out. I'm like you would never have thought they would know these things," said Artavia Ceteways.

They learn these things from the Michigan Virtual Charter School. It's a cyber school that is located wherever you live.

"Our children can't choose where they live. The parents should be able to choose how they're educated and where they're educated," Ceteways told us.

That's the idea behind two cyber charters that are running in Michigan. They are free and open to just about anybody, but the problem is right now it's capped at about 1,500 students with a growing waiting list.

One of the lucky families is the Ceteways. School starts at 9:00 a.m. They work until they're done.

There is plenty of feedback. Even if the kids are working at their kitchen table at home, they can't move on to the next lesson unless they master at least 80-percent of it. As for cheating, there are safeguards against that, too.

"This is not home school. This is schooling from home, but you belong to a public virtual charter school, so you have the support of teachers. You have a one-on-one learning coach," said Stephanie Hargens with the Michigan Virtual Charter School.

She said the school works at the pace of students, not the other way around.

"So, if you're student is working two grade levels above in language arts, they can do that. If they are working a little bit more slowly in math, you can spend the time doing two hours of math a day or more depending what you need. So, it's very individualized. It's flexible. You set the pace," Hargens explained.

A pace that varies depending on what's happening at home and on the interest level on subjects being taught. Artavia Ceteways, the kids' learning coach and mom, has seen a big difference.

What about kids seeing other kids -- the social aspect of school. The cyber charters have that built into the curriculum, too.

"Every week, our kids have homeroom with their classmates of their grade level. They meet with small groups of kids doing different learning sessions. We also have numerous opportunities for outings. All of our teachers each plan an outing per month," Hargens said.

With close to 5,000 people who applied for the two cyber charters, this Senate bill is now in the hands of the House. They're expected to vote on the measure after Thanksgiving.

It's a new high tech alternative to an age old issue of getting and keeping kids engaged.

"You actually get to do … way more," said ten-year-old Yakini Ceteways.

Keeping pace at their own pace.