3 Things You MUST Do Before Your New Homeschool Year!
Whether you are a brand new homeschooler, or a 10-year veteran homeschooler, there are three things you should do before the start of your homeschool year to get you off to the best start!
I am headed into my ELEVENTH year homeschooling this fall! Eleven years! There’s always such a big mix of feelings as the school year approaches - motivation, excitement, anxiety, trepidation, maybe a little fear, even - but I have developed a system of three actions to get my head and my heart in the right place! I believe these three things will serve to help you start your homeschool year off right, too!
#1 Read the book Teaching from Rest
I have read this book at the beginning of every school year for many years now, and even in the middle of the year if I feel like I need a heart reset. It’s full of great truths and reminders about how truly holistic homeschool is. It’s not just about individual subjects or test scores - it’s about your WHOLE child, and their childhood, and their love of learning, and setting realistic expectations. I can’t recommend it enough!
#2 Reread your family vision and homeschool mission statements.
This is so important, because it’s so important to make sure that the plans you have for your homeschool year are in alignment with the vision you have for your family. As an example, if you wrote that you want to slow down, but you’ve got your kids enrolled in a half a dozen classes and co-ops and activities, well, that’s not really in alignment, is it? Having a vision and a mission statement helps you course-correct when your ship gets off course! If you’re wondering how to write a family vision and a homeschool mission statement, that is covered extensively in my homeschooling course, Master the Art of Home Education.
#3 “I Get to Choose”
This is the phrase I repeat to myself every year, every month, every week, every day. I get to choose. I get to choose if I am teaching from a place of fear and anxiety, or a place of rest and trust. I get to choose whether or not I’m going to compare myself to other moms, my kids to other kids, our life to other’s lives. This is about taking OWNERSHIP of your life, and your outlook. You don’t always get to choose your circumstances, but you do get to choose how you respond and react. And you get to choose this beautiful path of home education for your family!