Internet schooling provides alternatives to public classes

& lt;a href=mailto:viviano@vindy.com & gt;By JoANNE VIVIANO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Corey Chattman spent his extra time volunteering and taking classes in sign language.
Rachael Rezabek worked extra hours to save up for college.
And both were able to sleep in every morning.
Chattman, of Warren, and Rezabek, of Bazetta, are two members of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow Class of 2003.
The students finished their high school diploma credits from home -- corresponding on-line with teachers and other classmates.
"It's been really fulfilling," Chattman said. "If you use it right, it helps you be more rounded. It makes you grow up."
ECOT, based in Columbus, is the largest charter school in Ohio and the largest Internet school in America. The 150 students who graduated this spring represent various races, religions and backgrounds and come from inner city, suburban and rural areas. Many met each other and their teachers and administrators for the first time at the graduation ceremony held in the Statehouse in Columbus.ECOT was founded in fall 2000 as Ohio's first on-line charter school. The Class of 2000 had 21 graduate, and 57 graduated in 2002.
The school currently has 4,800 students in grades kindergarten through 12. As a charter school, ECOT receives $4,800 in state funding for each student. Because it is supported by the state, it must comply with all state academic standards. Like many state charter schools, ECOT lags on state proficiency test scores. In 2001-02, it met just one of 21 state standards; it was not rated on graduation rate.
Chattman's story
But, in Chattman's eyes, the school is a success. If he has children someday, he said, they'll go to ECOT.
The cover of the ECOT graduation programs is a drawing of various faces from different races and backgrounds. Chattman, who makes portraits, drew the artwork to show "how ECOT is for everybody." He also won the ECOT 2003 Art Award.
He decided on ECOT two years ago when his parents separated after 20 years of marriage. He said family issues made it difficult for him to concentrate in his classes at Warren G. Harding High School and his grades started slipping. Teachers couldn't focus on him because their attention was divided in large classes.
At home, he said, he was more able to focus on goals and he received one-on-one attention from teachers through the Internet and over the telephone.
"And I don't have to wake up at 6:00 in the morning. I'm not tired," he said.
"... I got to make my own schedule. That was really important when it came to helping my mom out."
Rezabek's story
When she decided on ECOT, Rezabek was entering her senior year at Lakeview High School in Cortland, but only needed two classes to graduate.
"I didn't want to spend all day at high school when I could spend my time doing other things," she said. Her parents and friends were a bit leery.
"A lot of people I've talked to about it think I'm just trying to get the easy way out or I'm not smart enough to be in a normal classroom. But, really, I just wanted the independence. ... I also wanted to start saving up for college."
Rezabek had been hoping to join the military -- which would fund her college degree -- but was unable to because of past health problems. When that fell through, Rezabek knew she'd have to foot the bill herself. Rezabek plans to attend Ohio State University where she'll major in English composition and rhetoric.
She was working at a Tops grocery store when she started at ECOT; now she works full time at a Sheetz service station. During school she worked up to 41 hours per week in addition to her school work. A late-night person, she said it was easier to do her work at the end of the day at home than in a school -- where she wanted to sleep through first period.
"I was tired," she said, "but I was so self-motivated. I wanted to not only prove to my parents I could do this but I wanted to prove to myself that I could take a heavy workload. I wanted to prepare myself for being an adult in the regular world, as well as college."
At ECOT, she needed two classes to graduate but took four, because she thought two others sounded interesting.
Rezabek said ECOT wouldn't be for everyone, only those who can leave behind the social aspect of school and who are highly self-motivated.
Chattman said the same.
"You have to be self-motivated or have a self-motivating parent," he explained. Younger students, especially, would need at-home guidance, he said.
A drawback, Rezabek said, was the "little pang of jealousy" she felt on prom night and that she felt a little blue at friends' graduation-time parties. Still, she'd make the same decision again.
Chattman said he still sees his friends nearly every day.
"I had a lot of fun in high school but I don't miss it because I was getting pulled by peer pressure," he added.
How it works
ECOT sends students a computer and curriculum and pays for the phone line to connect to the Internet. An ECOT "Intranet" system means students can access only educational sites.
Chattman said he could complete school work at any hour. And, he was able to step up his pace. He took 10 classes his senior year, enabling him to graduate early.
Other ECOT graduates had their own stories. Some faced setbacks in their high school careers due to serious illness -- Chattman said one girl had cancer and missed too many days to graduate with her traditional high school class.
Some must deal with family and child-rearing duties, ECOT officials said. Others have handicaps.
Students have entered ECOT for various reasons, according to school officials. Some are not successful in traditional schools, others fear crime. Some need to care for family, some need to work full time. Bill Lager, founder of ECOT, discusses some of these students in his book, "The Kids That ECOT Taught." A copy was given to each graduate.
Chattman said ECOT helped him mature, gain independence and get to know himself better. A Jehovah's Witness, he used spare time to teach deaf people about the Bible. And he discovered he wants to be a sign-language interpreter for deaf children.
"Being at home in my own atmosphere is more peaceful," he said. "You're ready to learn ... and to grow up."