Often, alternative schooling programs are turned to when children are having a hard time keeping up in school, for one reason or another. However, many parents forget that it can also be useful when a child keeps up too well in school. In other words, gifted students who aren’t challenged in regular school can greatly benefit from online learning.

Public Schools’ Challenge

The dilemma presented to public schools is that they have to do their best to accommodate a wide range of students. Some students are dealing with issues that make it difficult for them to keep up with normal coursework. Other students are setting the curve every test. Ideally, though, the majority of students sit at the peak of the bell curve, which is where most of the public schooling system’s curriculum is aimed for.

However, some children are exceptionally bright, and able to grasp new concepts faster than their classmates.

Signs that Your Child Needs More Challenge

While at first, a child being smarter than the rest of his or her age group seems like a good thing, the truth is that it can backfire. Children who aren’t challenged by their schoolwork can quickly become disengaged. They might start to get lazy at school and actually have worse grades because they zone out. Here are some signals that your child isn’t being challenged at school:

• They frequently claim that classes are “boring.” This one might be obvious, and after all, complaining about being bored in class is a natural part of any child’s school experience. However, children are naturally inclined to learn, and to love learning. So if your child isn’t getting any stimulation in class, it could be a problem.
• They test well at the early grades. Many gifted children will show evidence of it early on in their school careers. The learning curve during K-3rd grade is huge; children are learning arithmetic, reading, and writing, which are all major building blocks that they’ll continue to use the rest of their lives. If your child was especially fast to grasp these skills early on in their school days, it could be challenging to keep them engaged for the rest of the school experience.
• They’re acting out in school. This can be hard to pinpoint, because there could be many reasons that children act out. However, a common reason that’s often overlooked is simply that your child is frustrated and bored, and not receiving the stimulation that they need. So, they find other ways to entertain themselves.

Where to Turn

If you’re confronting this issue of your child needing more of a challenge in school, there are many things that you can do.

As a child approaches High School, there are often many options available like AP or Honors courses. Sometimes, High School students can take classes at a local college and get a head start on their degree. However, options are more limited when a child is in elementary school and middle school, or junior high. That’s where online learning can come in.

Online learning is specially catered to the needs of the individual student. Using online courses, your child with a 9th-grade reading level will never be stuck with 6th-grade reading material. Online learning can be perfect for gifted children because they’re given reign to explore topics that interest them, while being guided by authoritative sources and focused teachers.

Browse our catalog, or give us a call to see if online learning is right for your child.