The Potter's School: A Helpful Resource for Home Schooling High Schoolers

Recently, my family came across an excellent resource which we now use as part of our home school curriculum. This coming school year, my older brother and I will begin our third year of using The Potter's School , Christian organization providing on-line high school classes (and some junior high courses) especially for missionary families and home educators.


I think one of the reasons parents become reluctant to home educate high schoolers is because they feel they do not know how to teach them. In courses such as math or language for example, parents may wonder how in the world they can remember concepts they learned in high school decades ago--let alone have the ability to teach and answer questions their children may have. Some parents, for this or many other reasons, choose to send their children into the public school setting during their high school years. But, know that there are resources out there that can aid in successfully home schooling through high school!

How do on-line classes with The Potter's School work? Each class section meets once a week using a program called Gather Place. With Internet connection, the program provides an on-line "class room." The sessions are live, but no web cams are used. When a student enters the class room, his or her name appears on the Participant List on the program's sidebar. A chat box included in the sidebar provides general communication throughout the class which students can use to respond to the teacher and overall class discussion. The instructor can pull up a PowerPoint program or whiteboard on the screen to use while teaching. Gather Place enables the students to see the PowerPoint too--even showing the teacher's cursor movements as well as anything they may point out, draw, or highlight on the screen while lecturing. One requirement is that the student uses a headset complete with a working microphone. The teacher has the ability to mute or un-mute students' microphones to call on them during class. This comes in very handy, especially in language courses, because the teacher can hear his/her pupil speak in order to correct any flaws in pronunciation or grammar.

Done with the nitty-gritty details! Now, let me share with you why my family has enjoyed this resource. As my brother and I have transitioned into high school and more advanced subjects, it has been helpful to have an avenue whereby we can learn under the tutelage of someone who has studied and taught a certain subject for many years. My parents have enrolled us mainly in math, language (Spanish), and advanced composition courses from The Potter's School. Apart from class once a week, we also complete assigned homework throughout the school week. If a question arises, we can always ask our teachers via e-mail and get a prompt response. Another benefit, we receive critique and evaluation from different sources, which aids in constructing a more appealing college transcript and helps my parents find out what our strengths and weaknesses are academically. Through these on-line classes, my brother and I have developed more accountability as we have learned to budget our time in order to conform to strict deadlines when completing assignments--a standard not always conformed to in a home school environment. Overall, this experience has and continues to prepare us to jump into the caliber of college courses with ease--if that is the road the Lord wishes for us to take.