By anonymous parent
(St. Louis)
Visitor Review:
When I first explored the option of homeschooling I came across a list of things that can cause failure in a homeschool setting.
Number 1 on the list was trying to emulate public school settings at home. This is exactly what Connections Academy is.
They target the homeschool population and speak of its greatness. However this system is better suited for those who are unable to physically attend public school.
Please excuse any errors, as I’m typing this out of pure frustration. In the beginning this sounded so ideal, free support, free materials, free lessons, and no planning. Boy was I wrong.
I have a 1st grader currently using this system and although the curriculum is vast and covers everything under the sun, it makes me want to chuck the laptop out the window. The work load is so heavy and yet non-stimulating. She’s bored and in tears, and I’m bored and in tears.
We started the program after moving to St. Louis city. She had just completed 1st quarter in a public school and was doing ok, however we had to move to the city for my husbands job. Whoa. As a certified teacher myself, I thought this would be a breeze. NOT. She wasn’t able to start till the end of November.
Assuming we could just move into 2nd quarter, I was wrong again. They made her start over. Only to get to January and be told she had to finish 1st and 2nd quarter by Feb.1, 2 months short of the original lesson setup. INSANE.
Starting in November I was told she would finish 1st grade in late summer which was fine. Come to find out all students have to be finished by June 8. We had up to 8 subjects to cover a day, which was triple our original lesson plans. Plus 3 teacher changes. This system leaves no room for reteaching, mastery, or field trips. There’s also a lot of busy work.
I want to stop using it TODAY, however her grades will reflect an F for failure to complete and go on her official transcript which is then sent to the public school district in which pays for it. Never again.