Why Your Homeschool Must Start With Vision

Whether you are a new homeschooler or a seasoned one I have an important question for you: have you written down your vision?

Every Organization Even Yours!

Every organization usually has three things: a philosophy, vision, and mission statement.  If you check out any school website they probably have at least a mission statement posted. If you are providing your child’s education at home you are responsible for setting a clear path forward but you need to start with a foundation.

Those three things are intricately linked. I want to focus on your vision.  What do you see for your child in the future? What do you most hope for their future selves?

Without vision it is easy to get caught up in the mundane. To get overwhelmed in trying to do it all without any real direction.

So, I say, start by writing your 5 top goals for your child’s future. I know we all want our kids to be happy, successful and healthy but I want you to think more specifically.  What does happiness look like? What aspects in life make for a happy one? Same with success, what does that look like to you?

As I try to think about this for my daughter, I think about things like world travel, an entrepreneurial mindset, satisfying relationships.  Now, that I have three goals in mind my vision is starting to form and I can approach my homeschool by asking myself how do I help my daughter gain the skills, experiences, opportunities or motivation to develop these goals.

I might think about how I believe world travel contributes to a happy life and therefore I am going to plan trips as a family annually, quarterly or monthly depending on my circumstance. I might think about how from an early age lemonade stands, craft fairs, and exposure to all kinds of small businesses can help her build her entrepreneurial skills.  I will also think about the ways in which to promote healthy relationships in her life so that she grows into someone who has good self-coping, communication, emotional regulation, and empathic skills.

Now that I am starting to take my big three goals and break them down a picture is forming of what our homeschool life looks like. I am shaping our daily, weekly and monthly routines based off of this long-term vision.

So remember, starting with vision is key and no matter how small an organization is the leader must have clear vision to steer the ship. I worked under leadership that did not have, or communicate, their vision.  This translated to a lack of passion and trickled down. Your kids need you to be clear, passionate and motivated because that energy is contagious. Grab my journal HERE it gives you the perfect place to formulate your vision.