“Where do I start? Which curriculum should I use? What do you use? How do you do it all? Oh and what about schedules and what do I do with my tiny tots?”
These questions tend to be the most frequently asked questions I get by most families just beginning their homeschool journey and while these questions are important to consider, they’re not necessarily the questions we should be asking first. As a new homeschooler or one just curious about the idea, it’s easy to feel so overwhelmed in the very beginning. We can easily jump right into the world of curriculum and quickly get overwhelmed with everything out there that we begin to feel lost and end up making decisions blindly.
No matter where you are on your homeschool journey or how you got there, the first question you should ask yourself is, “What is my why?” “What is my purpose for homeschooling?” “What has led our family to make this decision?” “Why has God called me to it?” Knowing your why will help give you purpose and clarity for your homeschool and will help direct every decision you plan to make as an educator. You can think of your why as your roadmap. It will keep you on course and give you direction.
Once you’ve established what your “why” is, you are beginning to lay the groundwork for your homeschool’s mission and vision. This is the heartbeat of your homeschool. From it flows your family values and what you hope to achieve and planning with the endgame in mind. Consider: What does your family value? What do you want to instill in your child’s heart? When they leave the nest, what kind of person do you hope they become? What do you hope they know?
Knowing your why and establishing your mission and vision, will help shape your personal philosophy. Your initial “why” questions will help pave the way for much deeper “why” questions you will ask yourself when you form your educational philosophy. What is the purpose of education? What do I believe about education? Why do I believe it? Which philosophies do I align with? Your philosophy is what you believe education to be.
Knowing your why, knowing your vision, and knowing what you believe is the most important place to start when you decide to homeschool. Your why gives you purpose, directs your vision, and lays the groundwork for what you believe about education. Taking the time to do the hard work of determining your why will give you a solid foundation for your homeschool. It will also make the decision making process of choosing curriculum, books, learning strategies, etc., much easier in the long run.
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