Texas is way more lenient than most when it comes to a parents right to choose on how, or where they are schooled, including offering parent taught drivers education options in Texas. Being able to keep your child safe, happy, healthy, and educated is of the utmost importance to parents.
However, questions can arise when it becomes time for Texas teens that are home schooled to start driving; The process can seem somewhat overbearing, and even intimidating at times.
This should be a joyous and special occasion, which is why many drivers education providers make it easy on parents, and their teens.
Parent taught drivers education programs allow parents, or guardians, to teach their children to drive themselves. Some courses allow the teen to take the permit exam through their website.
Once the exam has been passed, the process of obtaining the permit is simple. Make sure that you have all of the needed paperwork. Keeping all of your ducks in a row will save you serious aggravation in the long run.
Now, you are able to show your teen that their hard work and dedication have paid off. Go to the DMV, with your teen, pay the permit fee, and then let the next step in the process begin.
Once your teen has been awarded their permit, it is time for the driving portion of the drivers education to begin.
Remember parents, stay calm, take it slow, and allow the experience to be fun. Teens, give your parents a break, they are realizing that their baby is growing up.
Personal Experience
Before even thinking about a program, parents must order a parent taught drivers education packet from the State of Texas. Fees must be paid, and the packet must be obtained before your teen can become enrolled in a parent taught drivers education program. All of this can be easily accomplished with a computer, but it is still an important bit of information to pass along.
My first born daughter recently turned 16, and we felt the time had come to get her drivers license. She is a home schooler, and Aceable made the process simple, and way less stressful than it could have been.
Due to the schooling situation, I felt as if this process was going to be extremely stressful, aggravating, and possibly painful. As if watching your first born growing into a woman was not hard enough.
We simply ordered our parent taught drivers education packet from the state, chose a school with a program that was right for us, and then we implemented our plan until the ultimate goal was reached.
Certain time restrictions are in place for the students, such as they can only do certain things for an hour or two a day, which actually makes this transition easier for the parent.
Teaching a teen to drive can sometimes feel worse than having teeth pulled, but teaching them to drive in smaller time frames, allows them to learn more. They are able to retain the information easier, for each individual lesson.
At first, my expectations of parent taught drivers education courses were that this was going to seem more like a chore, than a learning experience.
However, after choosing Aceable as our course provider, it turned into a learning experience that both my daughter and I enjoyed. The website is easy to navigate.
The curriculum is top-notch, and it challenges your teen, as well as informs them. So, from one Texas parent, to another, Aceable should at least be one of your top three choices for parent taught drivers education.
Here’s the course we used in the state of Texas to complete the training requirements.
Parent Taught Drivers Ed Is Perfect For Traditional Students
Just because one child in the family is home schooled, does not mean that all of the children are. Traditional school children also need to be taught to drive.
Many schools offer drivers education, and private brick and mortar type companies are available too. Of course, can you really be certain that these instructors are able to teach your teen the best techniques for driving safely?
My son is 14, and he attends public school. After having such a pleasurable experience with my daughters drivers education, we will once again call on the services of Aceable to make my son’s dream of driving a reality as well. This will ensure that I am able to teach him proper safe driving techniques.
Texas drivers are known for being aggressive, so teaching Texas teens safe driving techniques is a given. Making sure that their attention stays focused on the road, and their surroundings is easier said than done, but in emphasizing safety, you will know that you have done your due diligence to put a safe driver on Texas roads.
Key Takeaways From Parent Taught Drivers Education
Anyone that is stressing out over the situation, should not. You have raised your teen to be a young, responsible teen, and in most cases it shows. I would be lying if I said that the entire process was all sunshine and rainbows.
There were maybe a few times that I had thought about pulling out my hair, but that was merely by her lack of concentration on the road, not the drivers education program.
Aceable was the right choice for our household, and they may be right for your household as well. Life is full of stress, do not let your parent taught drivers education program add to that stress.
Make the choice that fits not only your needs the best, but make sure you have the needs of your teen in mind as well.
My Top Recommendations For Parent Taught Drivers Education In Texas
Number 1 Choice: DriversEd.com
Here’s another course that has been around for a long time. I like sticking with companies that have been around for a while and this was one of the first online schools created. This school recently upgraded all of its videos and animations to give it more of a 3D look and they did a fantastic job!
Like all the other schools I recommend, they also include resources for parents and they’ve got an A+ rating through the Better Business Bureau. They’ve also gone the extra mile and got TSC Certified as well. Whether you go with iDriveSafely or this one is all about preference and who you think looks better. They are both great options.
Number 2 Choice – Aceable Online Drivers Ed
Aceable is without a doubt one of the absolute best online driver’s ed courses for every state it is approved in. They are gaining approval in new states all the time, so click here to see if Aceable is available in your state. If they are approved for driver’s education in your state, look no further. This is the single best online driver training course that has ever existed online and I’ve pretty much gone through them all.
While many of the courses I listed below will be of higher quality, if you compare the Aceable site to the others, the difference becomes pretty obvious very quickly. That difference in quality carries through into the course.
Click Here To See If Any Aceable Discounts Are Available
Want More Info? Check Out My Full & Detailed Review Of Aceable
Number 3 Choice: Improv Traffic School Drivers Ed Program
Improv Traffic School is my favorite online traffic school and I’m excited they are now offering online drivers ed programs. Like traffic school, online driver’s ed can start to get boring after a while. Learning about driving statistics, how to calculate safe following distances, and learning about traffic signs just isn’t all that engaging.
Luckily, the folks from Improv Traffic School are capitalizing on this. A bunch of stand-up comedians from the Improv Comedy Club decided to educate through humor and it works wonders. The retention rate when people are laughing and having fun is much higher than when the traditional “serious” (aka “boring”) approach is used.
This school isn’t available in all states yet, but if it’s available in your state, I highly recommend them. Just choose your state from the drop-down menu and see if it’s available for you.
Save 5 Bucks On This Course Here
Read my full Improv Traffic School review
Pick #4: iDriveSafely Teen Driver Course
iDriveSafely is one of the schools that has an excellent reputation. It may be because they’ve been in the business for more than twenty years, but I think that it’s more than just that.
A school wouldn’t end up as anyone’s favorite online driver’s ed course just because they existed longer than the others. The quality of education that they can provide, in addition to a memorable learning experience, are the things that matter.
The school’s good standings and positive reviews in forums and review sites, plus the A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, was achieved and maintained because of those two things.
iDriveSafely also ensures that they can provide both student and parent resources because the school recognizes that when a young adult is learning to drive, the combined effort between both teens and parents is a must. They have a separate parent guide that is a useful aid in establishing a teen-parent learning interaction.
They also have a money-back guarantee. Plus, they offer customer support 24/7.
Read my incredibly long and detailed review of iDriveSafely
Pick #5: Teen Driving Course Online
I never really liked this course before because it was getting outdated. I’m happy to say, it just went through a major facelift and it’s much better! I still think iDriveSafely or the Online Teen Drivers Ed courses are much higher quality, but the prices on this one are usually a little lower.
Aside from the quality of the course being a bit lower (it’s not quite as interactive), the company is solid with an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau, more than 10 years experience, are TSC Certified, offers a money-back guarantee, etc.
Save With This 5% Discount Code
Pick #6: Driver Ed To Go Teen Driving Course
Here’s another good option. I don’t think it’s the highest quality of the bunch, but it’s a good one for the budget-minded.
Of course, the company is rated with an A+ through the Better Business Bureau, they’ve been around more than 10 years, and I’ve had them on my website for 2 years now without a single complaint, and they are TSC Certified.
The reason I don’t like them as much is that everything is of lower quality. They’ve got the animations, graphics, and videos, but it’s simply lower quality than the iDriveSafely course. However, they are legit and I know a lot of people like to buy based on price. Use the link below to check for current pricing, but chances are, they are the cheapest online driver’s education course you’ll find.
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Pick #7: Safe2Drive Online Drivers Ed
Your first order of business is to find a stellar driver’s ed course and an A-list driving instructor to provide the best possible training. If you’re up for the task, the best way to ensure your child is in the most capable hands is to make yourself the instructor. That’s right, you can be the instructor, thanks to Safe2Drive’s Texas Parent-Taught Driver Education program.
Safe2Drive is operated by Inventrum, LLC, which was founded in 2003 and provides online defensive driving, traffic safety, and driver’s ed courses in 11 states. Safe2Drive’s Texas Parent-Taught Driver Education (PTDE) course is approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Read Our Full Review Of The Safe2Drive Online Drivers Ed Course
Conclusion
Learning how to drive for first-time drivers is not an easy job.
The responsibility that falls upon their shoulders is just too heavy to manage on their own.
Fortunately, the Parent Taught Driver Education programs in Texas make the learning process more comfortable, as students are allowed to learn under their parent’s or legal guardians’ supervision.
There’s nothing more fun than going through the ordeal of getting your driver’s license while making new memories with people you trust the most.
The schools on our list offer some of the best parent-taught online driver’s ed in Texas.
Hope you found one that will suit your needs!
Good luck!
