A Homeschool Manifesto – Planning your Best Homeschooling Year Yet!
In the last few Best Homeschool Year Yet blog posts, you have looked backwards to previous years to see what lessons you could learn.
Now it is time to look ahead and dream!
Too often when we plan our homeschool year we think only in terms of ‘academics’. We spend a fortune on a new curriculum or a pile of textbooks only to have them languishing at the back of the cupboard before the first half of the year is out. Or we stick rigidly to them no matter how bored or uninspired everyone feels.
What we are forgetting is that life isn’t just about academic achievement.
It is about passion and fun and love and inspiration. And these are the elements that we should lay down in our homeschool first, before we even begin to think about the academics.
Our job as homeschoolers isn’t to turn out academically successful work-candidates – it is to help our children find and develop their passions so they can make a difference to the world.
What would a ‘Best Homeschool Year’ look like to you?
When we start planning our homeschool schedule, we often just jump in and start planning things without looking into our hearts and feeling what we truly desire.
Today I want you to look at things from a new perspective!
Ask yourself this important question.
Now obviously, I am not trying to encourage you to cram their heads full of 6 grades worth of math!
This question really helps you to focus on what is important to you and your family. And will help get your creative juices flowing! What are all the things you would do, say, and be if this was your last year together?
In what ways would you want to help them develop? How would you like to spend time together?
Thinking about this led me to put together a homeschooling manifesto. I keep it where I can see it to help me stay on track.
What attributes would you adopt in your homeschool manifesto?
How would knowing what you really want to share with your children change the way you homeschool?
Leave me a comment. I would LOVE to know! 🙂
Next up : How does it feel?
How do you impress all these characteristics on your children when you are imperfect in implementing them yourself? I know I need to try harder, but besides this what can I do?
Hi Jane. I think firstly identifying which characteristics are important to you takes you along way along the process. Then you could look for, and admire those traits in other people in front of the children. You could say things like “Wasn’t it wonderful to see how organized David was” or “Didn’t Sam’s love of learning shine through when he was telling us about xyz”. And of course, praise the children whenever they act in this way too. I was reading somewhere recently about how it was much better to tell a child “You worked very hard at that, well done” than to say “Aren’t you clever” because it helps them to understand that they can accomplish things if they work hard at them.
If you show them that these characteristics are important to you – and that you try to have them too – then I think they will try to emulate that.
Thanks for a great question! Julie.