Online learning is truly the wave of the future, as it promises to bring choices to homeschoolers worldwide without leaving your house. If you have been researching online homeschooling options, no doubt you’ve read about quite a few programs including ours, Open Tent Academy (OTA). OTA truly sees our approach as unique, since we believe that online homeschooling should engage learners, ensure their mastery of subject areas covered, and provide them with challenges that build confidence. We also believe strongly that online learning should offer the perfect mix of engagement and excitement. Our instructors prepare their lessons to make sure your children have fun while gaining knowledge. And, most importantly, our courses are open to ALL children no matter their faith, gender or race. We know that there are many choices in homeschooling options – and that there are a growing number of online options available; we want you to pick us!

What sets Open Tent Academy apart is that we offer LIVE online courses where kids and instructors meet in small groups in a virtual classroom. Our platform allows us to record live sessions, as they take place, to provide learners an opportunity to participate – even if they miss the regular class session, or to review at their own pace if they want a second look. In our courses, kids can ask questions, take part in discussions, present work they complete, and are challenged by the instructor as well as their classmates. Learning online is an engaging, exciting, and personal experience, because of live interaction and broad choice of content subjects. By participating in Open Tent Academy courses, we know your homeschoolers will access unique content areas taught by dedicated instructors.

Open Tent Academy has learners and instructors located worldwide. Last year, we had learners and instructors in Australia, China, Japan, Germany, France, England, Italy, Israel, Mexico, Canada, as well as across the United States. Most learners attend class at home using a computer; however, we have had learners join our classes from a car using a smartphone or even from libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops – as well as from other remote locations, as they wait for siblings to finish a live class they are taking elsewhere. We have also had learners tune into sessions while on vacation. Their family takes a 90-minute break, allowing their learner to tune in while at Disney World, visiting another country, and even on a cruise! This shows how available virtual classroom technology has advanced, and with those advances the increased opportunities for flexibility that online learning offers.

Children, including those who are by nature shy individuals, along with those who have learning differences as well as ADHD, thrive in our online environment – as they have numerous modalities enabling their participation in class. In OTA’s classrooms, our instructors use video clips, audio presentations, wipe off boards, PowerPoint, documents, group notes boards, as well as Chat Logs to teach ALL learners! Our goal is to engage active learners in the way that works best for them!

Next, our instructors are carefully chosen, interviewed, taught lessons for our staff and produce syllabi long before we invite them to join OTA. At Open Tent Academy, we are PICKY about who teaches your children – AND we expect that they will provide you with a QUALITY learning experience. Most of our instructors have advanced degrees in education, as well as experience with homeschoolers. All have virtual teaching experience. Most importantly, we all work together to provide a well-rounded set of courses that will fit your 2nd – 12th graders needs!

Finally, we feel that there are five reasons why we stand out as your online educator:

1. Affordability – OTA offers courses at an affordable price. In addition. we offer payment plans as well as partial scholarships for those who need. Finally, we do offer MILITARY discounts and MULTI-CLASS discounts. If you need anything, please ask us. We are here to make this work for you!
2. Quality – OTA offers 100+ QUALITY courses in traditional subjects as well as unique content areas. We read each and every syllabus and book/textbook a instructor wants to use before posting the class. We have EXPECTATIONS. courses are 10 weeks long, 20 weeks long and 30 weeks long. If you would like to see a course offered at OTA, all you need to do is ask us and we will try to make that happen!
3. Community – We are your homeschooling family. We are there for you. We want to know your children as well as our own, so we know how to teach them best! And – yes, when we travel – anywhere in the world – we try to make sure to visit our local learners. We want our families to know our faces, voices and personalities as much as we want to know their faces, voices and personalities.
4. Size – We are SMALL and plan on staying that way. We do not want to be a marketplace where you can’t reach anyone when you are having issues. We are a husband – wife team, who homeschooled our children as well as taught people as young as five and as old as seventy-five. We are REAL people you can reach when you email or call us. We answer the phone with “Hello” and help you with whatever the “issue” is – technology, learner homework or if you want to give kudos to a staff member! We are there for you!
5. Global Reach – Families and instructors are from different locations, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, who all have the same vested interest in education. This teaches young children to interact with the world in the same way that many of them will be doing business, medicine, law etc. in the future – GLOBALLY.

Remember: Open Tent Academy is here to help you homeschool better!

Eva Goldstein-Meola, is not only co-founder of Open Tent Academy, but an instructor as well as a former homeschooling mother. She has lived in New Jersey, Florida, Western Massachusetts, Northern Virginia and now resides just outside of Jerusalem. Eva holds a Master’s Degree as a Consulting Teacher of Reading and Writing, IEW certification and a Bachelor’s Degree as an Elementary Teacher. She has also been involved in education since 1986 as a Private Tutor, Teacher, Reading Specialist, Homeschooling Mother, Homeschooling Teacher and Business Owner of an Online Education Consortium. In addition to teaching, Eva enjoys cooking, baking, playing Settlers of Catan, traveling with her husband Jonathan, Broadway Musicals and reading. Eva teaches a variety of literature and IEW writing courses for Open Tent Academy.

Some other articles by Eva:

No… I Don’t Get It All Done

A Novel Idea – Teaching With Literature

The Best Time of the Year

Please… Treat Us Like Family

Top Reasons to LOVE Online Learning

Top Ten Reasons for Learning a Foreign Language

You Know, the “S” Word…

For the Love of Literature

Morning Routines: A Necessary Evil

It’s Never Too Early To Think About Summer Programs

Ten Ways To Improve Your Child’s Reading Skills