Social Skills

Social skills seems to be a lightening rod issue from everyone.....there's a mis-impression that virtual students somehow lack opportunities to interact with others, especially peers, because they stay home secluded in rooms tasked to labor over hours of school work. NMHNMB VS's aren't secluded unless distracted ~ then to the Steamrollar in the Dungeon they run.

OK maybe quantity of social after hering the lunch conversation between two kids....one trying to tune out the other's persistance topic of sports....{clearly not interested, but making conversation endure}
Nope-not lacking in oppurtunities for quality socialization - 4th or fifth possible choice in first month. We ventured out to socializing with other virtual school families this week and well - it was uneventful. No tantrum to stay longer, no disagreements or territory stakes, no name calling, no wild chaos of too many kids in too small a space for too long a time, no request to leave early because noise was too loud- even sugared up by frozen treats, the 2 years-to-young adult group was simply social - across age bias. Chatty, inquiring, praticing new skill sets-like how to start a conversation with new "friend" not once but TWICE....huge gains for ASPIE. A 5th grader saying yes to board game invite from a 2nd grader - unheard of in B&M school - maybe siblings. Kindergartener's teaching each other a new card game. You'd think that the group was a usual occurance....but everyone was new to us- the 4 school staff who were in attendance included.

If the in-person opportunities are this positive and rewarding, I can't imagine the effort the virtual school staff makes to ensure virtual-social benefits and value for families in true isolation by geography.