by Renée Gotcher

Do you struggle to avoid the comparison trap? Are you second-guessing your curriculum and activity choices, contemplating what you should change as you learn about newer options promising “better” outcomes? Are you starting to wonder how you will stay the course this homeschool year without burning out?

As my family approached the end of our first year of homeschooling 14 years ago, my husband and I realized that we needed to reassess our “why” for homeschooling — revisiting our homeschool vision and mission — if we were going to find clarity about the decisions we were making moving forward.

Because we are followers of Christ, our end-in-mind goal was to reach our children’s hearts — or as Scripture puts it, to store up God’s Word in our own hearts, then teach His Word diligently to our children by the way we live throughout the day, every day (Deut. 6:6-7). 

For us, homeschooling was never about “doing school” at home, but discipling our three daughters as we educated them. A wise homeschooling mentor who spoke at our local homeschool encouragement group years ago put it this way: “It’s not what you do, but why you do it.”

 

Keeping the End in Mind

Your “why” is the agreement between you and God about how to reach the hearts of your children. When you keep this agreement in focus, you’ll be less tempted to stray off your path because of comparison, someone else’s favorite curriculum, more diverse programs, or the latest homeschooling fad.

Along with Deuteronomy 6:6-7, these verses became the core of our homeschooling mission:

• Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV).
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).
• For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Mark 8:36 NKJV)
• All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV).

 

Defining Your Homeschool Mission

Once you have laid the foundation for your homeschooling with the end in mind, the next step is to define your mission in terms that will help you make decisions about “all the things” that come with homeschooling. 

Every homeschooling family’s mission will be unique to them, but that is the beauty of it all. Homeschooling should reflect the heart of your family—how you uniquely operate. Whatever you feel God leading you to focus on in your homeschooling, trust that God has equipped you for your family’s particular journey. 

Questions to pray about and discuss with your spouse:

• What is the most important reason that we’ve decided to homeschool?
• What other benefits of homeschooling are significant to us?
• Are we on the same page about why we are homeschooling? What still needs to be clarified?
• What are our non-negotiables for how we will homeschool? What areas are flexible?
• What criteria should we use to evaluate our efforts and results?
• How will we approach schooling with the different ages and learning styles of our children?
• How can we work together? How will we manage the workload of homeschooling around our other responsibilities?
• What are we willing to live without to accommodate homeschooling?
• Are there any reasons why we might stop homeschooling?

As you answer these questions together, your homeschool mission will become clear. Then put your mission statement on paper and share it with your children. They should also have a clear understanding of the “why” and “how” of your homeschool. 

Once your mission statement is established, you can use it to guide your decisions, such as curriculum choices, teaching methods, scheduling, co-ops, and extracurricular activities. And when “life happens,”  your mission statement can help you remember your “why” and keep you focused on what really matters as you adjust and re-prioritize where necessary. 

 

Reflecting on Your Homeschool Mission

Defining our family’s homeschool mission helped us navigate many stormy seasons that followed during those 14 years. It also helped guide us when we struggled to stay afloat financially. We made curriculum changes that fit our mission and our family’s learning/teaching styles. We cut back on enrichment activities to focus on those that supported our mission. After a few years of making small adjustments based on our end-in-mind goal, I had peace that no matter what life might throw at us along the way, God was directing our journey and would work all things for our good and His glory.

As we approach the end of this year, take some time to reflect on your vision and mission for homeschooling. Ask the Lord to solidify your focus as you make plans for the new year. Dive into Scripture and take note of key verses that stand out as directives for your homeschooling mission. Let go of your to-do list and ask God for wisdom to direct any changes you are considering. Trust Him to guide you, equip you, and sustain you to reach that finish line!

Have you put your homeschool mission in writing? If not, now’s an ideal time to seek the Lord for direction and clarity for the new year. If so, did you stay on track with your mission this past semester, or are there adjustments you need to make? Share your homeschool mission and how you use it to guide you in the comments below!

 

About the Author: Renée Gotcher

Renée Gotcher is CHEC’s Communications Coordinator and a freelance writer, editor, and recently “retired” homeschooling mother of three daughters. Renée and her husband of 30 years, Kenny, are next-generation homeschoolers who were homeschooled in the late 1980s and began homeschooling in 2010. Soon after, Renée launched a homeschooling blog, NextGenHomeschool.com, and actively supported the local homeschool community through various leadership roles for 14 years. She recently contributed to Proverbs 31 Ministries’ “Encouragement for Today Devotions” series and writes monthly devotionals for the Daybreak Devotions series on Crossmap.com and her personal blog, The Pace of Grace.