To be a good parent, you know that you’ve got to be an open one: open to your child’s thoughts and feelings, and open to hearing about who they are and who they want to be. You’ve always encouraged your child to come to you with any problems they may be having. You’re used to being their sounding board about those monumental moments at school: you were excited to hear about a new favorite substitute, or tackling an intimidating science project, or their triumph after a breakthrough in geometry. These were all milestones that you were happy to share with them. Lately, though, the tone of these accounts—-no matter if they’ve involved a personal success or a trepidation—-has shifted in a way that you never would have expected them to.

What’s Wrong?

You feel as though a dark cloud has descended over your child, and no amount of light from you or anyone else will pull them out of it. It suddenly feels like your child is only telling you one story, and you know it all too well; the principal characters may change, the subject matter may change, but the throughline is constant: your child is unhappy in their current environment. The unpredictabilities that await your child at school can be major stressors to them, and the following are just a few:

• Their class sizes have increased enough to reduce the amount of one-on-one time that they used to have with their teachers
• Their friendship group has splintered apart into unhealthy cliques
• An imposing fellow student has rattled their confidence by targeting them for bullying
• Myriad non-educational distractions on campus are pulling their focus away from their studies.

Whatever the reason, the traditional schooling system is now setting them back instead of propelling them forward, and you need to find a nontraditional alternative.

What’s Right?

Figuring out which alternative is right for your child might seem like a daunting task, but take heart: your child broke through that dark cloud long enough to tell you the truth about what they were feeling, and now it’s time to listen to their needs and search together for the solution that best suits your family. Read on for a breakdown of several well-established nontraditional schooling options available to you.

• Private schools: If your child is simply in need of a more focused academic environment than a public school, a private school might be the right option; however, it could be cost-prohibitive to most families. Aside from the cost, if your child’s discomfort at school stems from social anxiety, a public school might not be right either. struggling to be around other students all the Talk to your child about what it really is that’s making schooling difficult.
• Charter schools: A less cost-prohibitive choice, but one that may require a specific set of skills or interests for admission and entry. These schools can be ideal for the artistically or agriculturally inclined students who’d in smaller classrooms promoting individuality and diversity, but might not be right for a student who is still seeking relief from the traditional classroom setting.
• Homeschooling: Parents act as full-time instructors. There are still state-required benchmarks that a student must reach, but the curriculum is still designed by the parent-teacher. If your child is already struggling with a lack of focus and direction, the absence of a regimented structure might detract from it even further.
• Online or Digital schools: The schooling system of the future. Online school free the teacher and the learner from the restrictions of a brick and mortar institution, and offers both structure and flexibility. Digital high schools can also offer both synchronous instruction (students and instructors interacting in real-time), and asynchronous instruction (students learning at their own pace and with their own time schedules). The proper application of both types can enhance both cognitive and personal participation.
• If your child is suffering from crippling social anxiety, for whatever reason, an online schooling experience might be their best option. It combines structure with freedom and interaction with solo learning time. Talk to your child about what’s best for them, and consult the experts at Mountain Heights Academy if our acclaimed digital high school is the right fit.