Seven Things to Know Before You Begin Homeschooling
I wrote this post last week, after speaking at Cindy Rushton’s Talk-a-Latte on What I Wish I Had Known. Unfortunately, due to the migration of our server, the post disappeared when I hit ’save,’ and I didn’t have time to recreate it. Let’s try this one again!
1- Know where you are going before you gain momentum. (Once you’ve gained momentum, it’s hard to change direction!)
In Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, he points out that you must begin with the end in mind in order to be sure you’re on the right track. Plan your homeschooling path by envisioning where you want your family to be in 5, 10, 20 years, then work backward to decide on the steps you need to take to reach that goal.
Just as a map helps you reach a travel destination, a clear vision of the family life you desire (you can describe your goals in a family mission statement) can make time and money management choices much easier. Our family mission statement included the goal of creating “a loving, serene, creative environment that encourages personal and spiritual growth as part of a warm, nurturing family.” That helped us to be thankful, rather than unhappy, when circumstances and finances combined to give us more time at home than we anticipated. Read more
High School Scheduling- Some Non-Traditional Options
When was the last time you thought about the best way to schedule your school days? Six subjects, one hour each per day, five days a week– ho hum. Maybe it’s time to ask some questions about scheduling!
Why are high school subjects scheduled like this?
- Does it work well?
- What does it accomplish?
- Is an hour enough time for a student to grow interested in a subject, hear a lesson, and do the associated work?
- Does this format work equally well for all subjects?
- Is this the best format for your student’s learning style?
- If this is the best way for students to study a subject, why are college classes not scheduled this way? Read more
Every Monday is a New Beginning
I love Monday– it’s my favorite day of the week!
From the pinnacle of Monday morning, there stretches before me a string of four perfect days at home. From now until Friday, I’m able to focus on home and to be with my family, doing the ordinary tasks of home life– setting the house in order, working on home and garden projects, making meals to nourish my loved ones, writing to communicate with others. This is my life, and I love it.
It’s not an accident that I enjoy four unblemished days each week. It began years ago when our children were small and I discovered that life went more smoothly when we organized our time. The most important things in our lives happened at home, so we made it a point to designate only one day of the week for errands. This left four uncluttered days for living, one day of the weekend for fellowship, and one day of the weekend for projects or family pursuits. Read more
Purposeful Planning- A Review
Summer’s winding down, and we’re already preparing to head back into the school year (it’s almost too hot to think of!). Even though the boys are finished with homeschooling, there’s still plenty of schoolwork happening with all three of them in college.I enjoy looking ahead to the new year, considering priorities, and creating a fresh schedule to help us all juggle rides to school, computer time, and everything else that goes into our busy lives. This is the time of year when I like to re-read some of my personal planning favorites– Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, Marilyn Rockett’s Homeschooling at the Speed of Life, David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and others.
This year, I came across Purposeful Planning, a very different sort of planning guide– one written especially for families. Author Phyllis Sather shares the story of how she and her husband began taking short planning weekends together. As the years passed, they included their children, and the planning weekends have become a significant family tradition. Read more
