Why do YOU want to homeschool?

Beth and I have covered why we chose to homeschool in this post. As the years have passed by, our "why" has evolved, and so will yours. Now it's time to help YOU decide why YOU want to homeschool your kids. If you take a little bit of time to ponder a few questions it will help you as you pick your curriculum and teach your kids.

What are some reasons that you are thinking you want to homeschool? There could be a variety of reasons you want to homeschool your kids and here are some examples below. Remember there are no "right" or "wrong" answers.

I want to homeschool because...

• I want my kids to grow up to be disciples of Christ.

• I want my kids to be academically beyond what they can get in public or private school.

• I want to be flexible in my education so that we can travel.

• My child is being bullied and I want it to stop.

• My child is not getting the resources he/she needs for his/her special need.

• I want to spend more time with my kids.

As you can see there are a variety of reasons why someone may choose to homeschool. Again, there isn't a right or wrong answer but there are several questions you may want to consider that will drive your schedule and curriculum choices. You may be tempted to skip this step but I encourage you to take the time and really think about what you want to accomplish on your homeschool journey.

Questions to ponder:

1) How long do I plan on homeschooling? Just elementary school, through High School, etc.

2) What is my ultimate goal when I'm done homeschooling?

3) What skills or knowledge do I want to make sure my kids have when they leave the house?

4) Do I want my kids to attend college? etc...

Download our FREE questions to ponder sheet by subscribing to our email here. That includes these and many more questions.

Once you've answered some of these questions, it may help you develop some general goals that you have for your homeschool.

My goals are fairly simple: Give them at least the education a public school could offer and make them disciples of Christ.

Beth's goals are: Spend as much time as I can with my children while they're in my home, learning all things through a biblical lens.

Now that you have solid "goals" in mind, we can move on to the next step. Create a general Mission Statement for your homeschool. Sit down and do this with your spouse or even include your kids. It's important that you are on the same page. I do 95% of the schooling but my husband is still involved and has become more involved over the years.

Here are some examples:

• To know God and make him known.

• To raise Godly children who filter the world through a biblical lens

• To become academically sound, logical thinkers, and contributing citizens to society.

• To have fun while learning and growing in who God made them to be.

I tend to be on the serious side, but you could also involve your kids and make it fun. Think of it as a family motto! You could even make a sign and post it in your home or schoolroom to remind everyone of why you are homeschooling.

Naming your homeschool is fun too! For awhile we called ours "The School of Hard Knocks" as it was a joke with the grandparents. Now for more formal purposes we call it "Stortz Academy."

Jessica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppIWMSWGDl0