Virtual Schools can be a great option for first time homeschooling families. They help the homeschool parents to find out what methods suit them best. They allow the homeschool students to adjust to the fact that there are lessons to be done in a specific manner. They even allow the schooling to be cheaper as a major part of it can be sponsored by state funds. However eventually most homeschool teachers will move away from Virtual School as a mainstay of their education. Here are some reasons why this happens.
Flexibility Issues
While it is a whole lot more flexible than regular school, there are still a number of rules that govern studying at a Virtual School. Children in different grades may be taught unit studies by the homeschooling parent on the same unit at different levels. However the Virtual School will have a pre set curriculum and will not consider siblings who need to learn together. So your first grader may be learning about plants while your third grader may be learning about rocks in the same week causing the homeschool parent to work in two different units.
Longer Study Hours
A homeschool parent can wind up a lesson with their homeschool student in a shorter time if the student has picked up the nuances of what has been taught. However when attending the Virtual School the time for the classes is fixed and even if the student has understood the concept the class will continue as planned. On the other hand the homeschool parent could use the time left over from the first lesson to start out on another subject and finish more school work in the same amount of time.
Books and Study Material
A Virtual School will have it’s own recommendations for text books, and reference material which the homeschool student needs to use. This is not always the case with homeschoolers who tend to mix and match study material from different sources when they learn. This can become an issue when the child goes to a higher grade and wants to read from books other than those given by the Virtual School.
