The “Homeschool Planning” rush has begun.
Have you noticed it?
It feels like only a matter of days between the time we close our books for summer break before the flood of homeschool planning posts and latest curriculum reviews begin filling our social media. This year will be my 6th year homeschooling, and every year I’ve learned some invaluable lessons. In the spirit of full disclosure, most of those lessons have been learned, and relearned, every. year.
I want to share these lessons with any of you who may just be starting out and feeling overwhelmed, and for those of you who homeschool but wrestle with changing curriculum every year. (or, at least, really wanting to)
Here’s to hoping I’ll heed these lessons so I don’t have to learn the hard way, again.
1. There is no one-size-fits-all
I know this sounds glaringly obvious and painfully cliché in homeschool circles, but it’s true. It’s such a simple truth that we tend glance right past it as we continue to hunt down the “right-size-for-us” educational philosophy/curriculum. What we should be telling moms is: “Pick a curriculum that fits your needs, budget and priorities and tweak everything else!” You aren’t going to find something that you love everything about, so don’t look for it. Most of all, don’t feel overwhelmed when you can’t seem to find a “perfect fit”. Find something that fits those top 3 things (needs, budget, priorities) and get started, we all end up making changes as we go! This brings me to the second point (which should, arguably, be the first)
2. Start with your priorities
Do not pass go, do not collect $200, until you have written out (or at least typed into your notes on your phone) your priorities! What are the reasons WHY you feel called to homeschool? What are your family’s beliefs, convictions, and goals surrounding faith, life, and education? What are some particular needs and goals for each child? What are strengths and interests you’d like to nurture?What are weaknesses that could use some strengthening? Bottom line, your “why” for homeschooling, alone, will help you filter through a lot of the options that are out there. The additional questions and answers I mentioned will serve even more clarity when considering the nitty gritty of how you go about lesson planning and even how you structure your school days.
3. Your job is not to “fill” all the gaps.
Education and learning are supposed to be lifelong endeavors that bring joy and excitement. The process of learning should not be viewed as a “box to check” or a “finish line to cross”. We never stop learning, and cultivating teachable spirits is a priceless blessing in terms of spiritual and educational growth. A huge struggle, especially for parents who are just considering homeschooling, is finding a curriculum that won’t leave any “gaps”. Spoiler alert: even with expertly curated curriculum there will be lots of gaps. What we should be looking for instead Is something that will do a great job of teaching foundational principles; and then we, as unique families, can fill out the learning with trips, experiences, activities and extracurriculars suitable. Gaps are not a curse but an opportunity for discovery and delight down the road as our children begin to take ownership of their education. I think about a personal scenario- I was a huge bookworm as a child but I read your run-of-the-mill young adult fantasy/fiction. I didn’t discover good literature until high late high school and I read the Hobbit for the very first time as a young mother of 3. I don’t think I’ve ever so cherished and savored a story as I did that one; cozied up with a cup of tea while my husband was traveling for work and my 3 littles snoozed in our room. Gaps are not a curse, but an opportunity for delight and discovery of lessons and experiences later.
4. Do not reinvent the wheel
This is a huge one for me. Inevitably, every year thus far, the shiny new curriculum reviews or homeschool posts roll in and I find myself wanting to try everything! I get so excited at the prospect of new books. Rather than reflecting on what we liked and didn’t like to see if I could tweak the resources we already had, if I didn’t love something, I wanted to find something new. I don’t need to express what a headache this was, but thankfully I only made this mistake once. (Though, I’ve switched curriculum 3 times I really only consider one time to be a mistake because it was very much an matter of me trying to reinvent the wheel.) If you’re already homeschooling, take an audit of your current curriculum and schedule. Consider what you like and what you’d like to change, and see if you can make some suitable tweaks or find supplements to the resources you already have.
5. Just do it
Homeschooling is a lot like parenting in that you will never feel completely ready, and experience comes with practice. Pick out your core curricula, jump in and take notes! Experience is always the best teacher. You’ll quickly find out what you love and what you’d love to change; take notes and be flexible! A lot of parents will take notes throughout a term (6 to 12 week period) and then use those to consider any changes in the next term. This is a great way to avoid giving everyone whiplash from making abrupt changes too often. Taking notes over a longer period, before making changes, is a great idea because it allows time for everyone to settle in an adapt. Something that seems like a huge problem 2 weeks in, may resolve with some time and consistency. Longer periods of time allow us to spot patterns we might have missed early on as well. When the term ends we can gather our notes, reflect and recalibrate. This is the very best way to develop a unique home education that suits your children and home.
At the end of the year rinse and repeat.
Regardless of where you’re at in your homeschooling journey, don’t lose sight of the fact that God has sovereignly placed these children under your care. You have something unique and valuable to bring to their lives. Not a single one of us has this completely figured out; we’re all learning and growing together. The most important thing at the end of the day are the unseen gifts homeschooling holds as we nurture our relationships, make cherished memories, grow in discipline, grace and knowledge. We have a unique opportunity, rather than teaching information to be regurgitated for tests and forgotten, we can cultivate the spirit of life-long learners in an atmosphere of education!
In His Grace,
Abbey
Comments