Online Schools K-12

This is a very old post. I'm still awaiting a response if anyone has information or experiences they'd like to share

When I checked, online schools were not recognized by the Ministry of Education. If you are having difficulties finding a suitable school for your children, PM me, I have found other options.

Why should not she wrire it here?

Just didn't want to bore with details.

Its always interesting for other members to know, you'll never know when you need it.
Beside that, it will be more interesting then topics about "meeting new people" and expecting that they waiting in line to meet them instead to do the work.

Before I came to Jordan I hardly knew about home schooling and I have the interest to know why someone choose to home school their children. Most Americans who I know, they do.

It is very common in America for parents in my community to home school. I'm from a small Christian Community with many educated parents (teachers themselves). They must have a mentality of protecting their offspring from the real world or maybe think they will educate better. Whatever the philosophy, I'm not sure I agree. My children go to public school in the USA and do really well with it.
The problems I will face if I relocate in Amman is the expensive fees associated with private schools and the language situation for my daughter. She does not speak Arabic. From my understanding it is the law that religion/history are a part of the curriculum in all schools and it is taught in Arabic. Even if Arabic instruction is given, it's not likely she'd do well enough to get passing grades in religion/history. That's fine if a child is 5 years old starting school, but doesn't work well with a pre teen never exposed to a second language.

I guess I'm just exploring options. Her education is top priority. I fully understand it will come with a hefty price if we relocate to Amman. I was just curious about online schools.

Hello everybody,

As an educator with a career spanning over 27 years I am surprised at the number of people who simply assume that homeschooling is possible, or even legal, wherever they may go.

There are a number of countries where homeschooling is expressly prohibited in both penal and civil law. In other countries while the subject may not be addressed in law there are requirements imposed which make it technically illegal or simply impossible.

Many expats believe that the local laws either do not apply to them, or in the very least would not be used against them simply by virtue of the fact that they are expats; NOT TRUE! Unless you are one of those very fortunate few individuals who enjoy Diplomatic Immunity, regardless of your citizenship you are subject to all the laws of your host country and violating any of them can have serious consequences. Before even considering homeschooling your children in a foreign country you should always check the local laws regarding homeschooling. You may contact the local Ministry of Education, your School District or consult a local lawyer experienced in family law and get this information.

Here is a very helpful list of countries that have banned homeschooling:

http://www.examiner.com/article/which-c … eschooling

While Jordan does not appear on this list, traditionally many of those countries where homeschooling is either banned or just impossible, are for the most part countries that themselves either have abysmal public education (like here in Brazil where it is banned by both penal and civil law and the education system is horrible), or nations that wish to control the thoughts, public expression and actions of their citizens. You do not want to run afoul of such governments anywhere, trust me!

So, how do you avoid problems? Well if you don't wish to go to the trouble of finding out from local sources the legality of homeschooling then you must assume that it is NOT legal. There is no law on earth that can prevent you from homeschooling IN ADDITION to enrolling your children in the public education system and you should do so, regardless of any personal thoughts you may have. You are free to homeschool your children in ADDITION to their regular classes anywhere, you may not however homeschool INSTEAD of them.

You may wish to use the Jordan Ministry of Education website "Contact Us" link to find out if homeschooling is legal or recognized, and if so what special requirements there may be.

http://www.moe.gov.jo/en/

Cheers,
James            Expat-blog Experts Team

i agree with James 100%

Primadonna, just to clarify, in the USA, online schools are becoming more popular for many reasons, but it is easy to confuse with homeschooling. Both have a curriculum that must be followed and students are tested by the state/government standards. Both allow Students to participate in extracurricular activities in their school district as we'll.
Homeschooling is old school, lol... where all responsibility is placed on the parent to teach the curriculum. They are given guidelines by the state and then the student gets tested at a designated testing center.
Online schools are becoming more popular, and take most knowledge/responsibility/teaching from the parent. The student follows an online curriculum and some tests are administered via the net.
I think some people abuse the online schooling offered through the public school system. It is becoming popular with troubled students, lazy parents, and pregnant teens. Students are also given free computers and needed materials through the state/government online systems.

James, thank you for sharing information that could be useful to any expat. Research is key in aspect of life and I'd never advise anyone to break the law. I was asking a question and never ASSUMED it was legal to homeschool anywhere.

Hi elaine123,

I agree with you wholeheartedly, information and knowledge is  always the best weapon in our arsenal.

Also the distinction between homeschooling and online schooling is still a very gray area, one that the law in almost every nation on earth has not yet caught up with. For the time being, at least, most nations treat both as being one and the same.

I'm a firm believer of the "more is better" school of thought. There is absolutely nothing wrong with homeschooling / online schooling your children in ADDITION to traditional (in the classroom) schooling anywhere. In fact, it is far better than just classroom education alone, in most cases. That said, one must always be fully aware of the legal ground upon which they stand.

Sorry, I was NOT referring to you when I noted that many expats assumed that homeschooling was legal everywhere. I was making a general statement only.

Cheers,
James        Expat-blog Experts Team

In Europe home schooling is not allowed unless there are special reasons since certain groups are known for home schooling which is not tolerated as people are being isolated from the rest this way. Here I started from the fifth grade and it was very difficult. Fortunately my teacher was very understanding and patient (and beautiful  ), otherwise I would not speak any English today for example... If you live here it is only recommendable that you let them learn the local language. It is awful not to understand others or not able to read a sign. It's difficult to get along. Today I speak several languages from fluent to very good, and even if I don't make use of them in business, its easier to communicate or search the web. I know some people who lived in different countries when they were young but never learned the language. Now that they are older, they regret it!

James, you seem like a reliable educated source that could prove very beneficial to many.
Do you know amman education law? I've found statements saying that it is a requirement for students to be taught religion/history in Arabic. I found this on some private schools websites, but I'm not getting any hits when searching the Ministry of Education website.
Also, I've found a few schools that do not offer any religious studies. Is this legal? Does the Ministry acknowledge these education establishments? The American Community school is one of them. Can parents get into legal trouble when making the choice to educate children at these facilities?

You are so right! Anyone living in a foreign country should attempt to learn the language. It should be a requirement everywhere.
It just becomes a problem when older students are uprooted and taken to a different country that requires them to be taught one subject in a language that they don't yet understand. They will FAIL for sure in that one particular subject, before they have the time to learn the language. This could be detrimental in more ways than one.

elaine123 wrote:

The problems I will face if I relocate in Amman is the expensive fees associated with private schools and the language situation for my daughter. She does not speak Arabic. From my understanding it is the law that religion/history are a part of the curriculum in all schools and it is taught in Arabic. Even if Arabic instruction is given, it's not likely she'd do well enough to get passing grades in religion/history. That's fine if a child is 5 years old starting school, but doesn't work well with a pre teen never exposed to a second language.

I guess I'm just exploring options. Her education is top priority. I fully understand it will come with a hefty price if we relocate to Amman. I was just curious about online schools.

It is true that private schools are expensive but there are also private school which are less expensive. And you have also governmental schools which are free of charge..

If you have plans to live in Jordan I suggest that your child learn Arabic in the states to avoid big problems when she is here. Of course she will have a difficult time in the beginning (but who doesn't?) but trust me, children are able to learn a new language very fast and within a few months she probably can speak better than anyone else.

May I ask why you are so focused on the religion and history part?

Primadonna, I think it is a Jordanian requirement that all students be taught these subjects in Arabic. If a child does not know or understand the language, they will fail that subject.

If you look at the MOE website under "Educational  System" and read the "General Objectives" they make it quite clear that both the Arabic language and the Islamic faith make up part of their objectives. It therefore stands to reasons these are part of the required curriculum of all schools, public or private (unless otherwise agreed to by the parties).

Cheers,
James        Expat-blog Experts Team

Thank you James

I guess the smartest and most lawful thing to do is contact the MOE and ask if they have an agreement with a specific school. A signed document from MOE and the school stating they are in agreement is GOLD.

elaine123 wrote:

Primadonna, I think it is a Jordanian requirement that all students be taught these subjects in Arabic. If a child does not know or understand the language, they will fail that subject.

That's why you should start learning now,  I can't say it enough.  My children had to learn arabic at school and it took several months.
If it turns out she's weak, you can always hire a tutor.  It's very common here.

You are right, without language skills it is impossible. I think you should focus on learning the language instead of trying to avoid any subject. Only with practice you will gain control over the language. Ask yourself what for you want to go to school here, what for the degree, all the efforts, what are your future plans! Where there's a will, there is a way, they say 

JO/EU yes your right again but some kids aren't that lucky and are thrown into it. In my opinion this is not fair, but maybe a necessary evil. The psychological impact could be devastating.
My child will take courses over the summer. Exposure is minimal, but most important. Don't get me wrong.  I'm not avoiding anything. I'm a caring compassionate mother who would rather not add to the stresses of a child being uprooted and taken to a different place.
If you judge this as avoidance then so be it.

Elaine,
I don't judge anything or anyone, it is simply a discussion. It's about what's best for you the way you describe your situation. Ofcourse its not easy, but you are confronted with the schooling system of another country. Since you can't change it, try to make the best of it. After all we never stop learning and will always be confronted with new challenges, is it here or anywhere.  See it as an opportunity others don't have. You can say the cup is half empty, with more optimism it will become half full. Focus on the language, what use it can be in the future,  too many fields where the language can be Gold...