In a past article on the Cons of Homeschooling, I responded to stereotypes that people see as cons of homeschooling and also mentioned some of my own ideas about possible cons of homeschooling. I mentioned problems such as parental capability, responsibility, financial, life circumstance issues, and the attitudes of others.
There is another major con that I would also like to mention. It is lack of consistency. I am not saying that homeschoolers are by nature inconsistent with their children. What I am saying is that each homeschooler is so focused on their own children, that we can be inconsistent with supporting each other.
Sure, we have homeschool networks and co-op groups, but from year to year as needs change and children grow, these groups can break up and change and new groups can crop up, replace others, or disappear just as fast. Homeschooling families need to adopt with these changes and learn to roll with the punches.
Just like every other homeschool “con”, it is up to the individual to make the most of each change and to try to see them as a new opportunity. For example, I just got news that the program I have been using to help homeschool my kids is going through some changes. I have given in depth reviews and mentioned the program many times. It seems our local program has broken off from the Masters Academy franchise and gone off in a different direction. When I first got the news, I did not know what to think or how to feel. However, after researching the new program and website and comparing it to the old, I have to say that I believe the changes are good.
While this might cause a bit of inconsistency for my children and me, our schedule will not change, the instructors will not change, and I doubt the students will change either. In this case, change was necessary in order to adapt to the group of students that the local program serves. It has evolved over the years to conform to the needs of the students it serves and so has grown away from the design of the original program. Now my kids will no longer be homeschooling in conjunction with Masters Academy of Fine Arts that I have mentioned so many times before. Instead, they will be attending classes at Artios Academy.
I guess inconsistency is not so bad after all. It is up to the individual to make it what it is. Just like all of the previous cons I mentioned that could be worked through and turned into positives, inconsistency can be seen simply as change, and change can be good. When I think about it, I think such inconsistency can turn into a form of life preparation. After all, what adults don’t get a wrench thrown into their plans on regular occasion?
Homeschool Resource Review: The Masters Academy of Fine Arts
History Should not be Uneventful
Hybrid Homeschooling