Standards for teachers ideally are the same as those of traditional schools. It's not all reading, writing and arithmetic. In gym class over the Web, pupils keep daily logs of their exercises. They learn music theory online, then go to a designated campus for piano or guitar lessons. They can fax, e-mail or bring in art projects completed at home.
Parents even dial in for an online PTA meeting.
He completes the lessons, working with online teachers, who include a special education expert, to keep him focused. He definitely had a bad school experience, to the point teachers were not letting him in the door of the classrooms,'' said Deafenbaugh, a cultural anthropologist who works for the federal government. Douglas, who stays home with his father in Pittsburgh, socializes with other children at after-school sessions, sporting events and church groups, she said. The going has been bumpy for some online schools. Teachers have to keep up student interest with interactive lessons, guard against student cheating and do without body language or verbal cues to tell them whether students understand lectures.