Michael Dieffenbach returned to school recently to listen to teachers explain what would be expected during the term. It was his last first day of high school. Senior year. Top of the heap.

But it didn’t feel like that when Dieffenbach opened his laptop, stretched out on his twin bed, and logged into his AP government class. Lucky, the family dog, sprawled on the floor beneath his feet.

Since eighth grade, Dieffenbach has attended Wisconsin Virtual Learning, a public charter school of the Northern Ozaukee School District and one of the dozens of virtual schools in the state that educates students each year without desks, lunch periods, yellow buses or extra-curricular sports.

His small bedroom has been his classroom for years. His laptop the portal to some students he’s never seen, some teachers he’s never met.

“I suppose you could use it as an excuse to become a hermit,” said Dieffenbach, 17, who was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans as he waited for the other classmates to arrive to the AP government webinar. “But if you make just a little effort, it’s pretty easy to get involved in your community and stuff outside of school.”

Online environment

People often question how students could go to school in an entirely online environment, devoid of regular face-to-face contact with teachers. What about social interaction with friends? Is it rigorous? What about prom and senior skip day? How do kids do once they graduate and go to college?

That shouldn’t be a concern for Dieffenbach. The College Board recently informed him that he scored a perfect 36 on his ACT last year, something accomplished by less than one-tenth of one per cent of all test takers. Dieffenbach got a 34 the first time. He thought he could do better.

This year, he’s taking a host of advanced placement classes: AP calculus, AP macro and micro economics, AP physics, AP Spanish and AP government. Wisconsin Virtual Learning contracted with a national provider of online courses for some of those because there’s not enough demand in the high school.

Instead of physical education class, Dieffenbach goes for a jog, lifts weights, does chores or walks Lucky. He’s also training for a marathon, but the cost to do one is pretty high, so he thinks he might just run it on his own, around the neighbourhood.

“I looked up a training schedule online,” he said.

School lunch is whenever he wants it, which is sometimes not at all.

After-school activities are replaced with a full itinerary of church and youth group meetings: National Honor Society, juggling, rock climbing, geocaching and Boy Scouts. Dieffenbach became an Eagle Scout at age 14 and has so many merit badges that they completely fill more than one sash. His dad says they total 85.

Dieffenbach’s parents do a lot of the talking. They had their only son later in life, and they’re proud of him.

For the rest of the article, go to Learning, the modern way – Students trade classrooms for laptops