Dear Editor:

Like a hungry fox lurking outside a well secured chicken coop; the idea of “online learning” or “virtual schools” as a charter school won’t go away. A company calling itself “Maine Virtual Academy” is again trying to get into the coop.

The “Maine Virtual Academy,” an envelope for a for-profit company, K12, Inc. headquartered in Herndon, Va., is attempting to get in on the taxpayer funded charter school gravy train. Its board of directors is heavy with Wall Street masters-of-the-universe types and light on educators.

But even if there were no profit motive at work here, let’s consider the wisdom online learning for the K-12 crowd. I have taken a number of online “MOOC” type courses and found most of them to be edifying and enjoyable. Like a book, they can be packed with information about a subject that interests you. But like a book, you have to be motivated to pick it up and start reading it. You have to have some sort of discipline and focus to get anything out of it. Computers and the Internet might be an adjunct to education, but it is not a stand alone method of teaching. Learning is hard work.

Now consider how kids learn, how they focus and develop the character needed to learn what is necessary to fend for themselves in our complex society and culture. Character building comes from example and adult mentoring. There is no other way. However, these online learning people dress it up; “virtual academies” can never be a replacement for flesh and blood teachers. Brick and mortar schools and living breathing teachers are the best and only way to assure a proper education for our young scholars.

The Maine Charter School Commission is considering applications for this and other “virtual” charter schools run by for profit companies right now. If you care anything about how our children are taught or how your tax payer dollars are spent, contact them with your comments at mcsc@maine.gov.

Fred Nehring
Boothbay