Update August 2023: I wrote this blog post two years ago and am so encouraged to read through it and remind my soul of the vision that is still burning in my soul for my family and beyond! Enjoy!

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” —Winston Churchill

Do you sometimes feel unclear about what you are doing, or do you struggle with decision-making?

I do.

And then, I return to my roots and reevaluate everything.

Creating a clear vision will help us dance into this next season, so we can set boundaries and commit with discernment and joy.

One of the books I read this summer was The Joy of Missing Out by Christina Crook.

While the premise is: finding balance in a wired world, it reminded me that every area of our life benefits from scrupulous intention.

Today’s blog post is addressed to my homeschool mama friends, but vision casting is essential for all of us as we head into a new season!

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homeschooling, decision making, start with why

WHY Do I Homeschool?

homeschooling, decision making, start with why

Last August I shared a post called Why Do I Homeschool?

I'm circling back as another school year launches, and while my why hasn’t changed, my how has been refreshed for this new season—no nursing babies, no diapers, no nappers (ahh), and virtually every grade of elementary represented!

I’m (mostly) excited about these changes and I share a picture of our new daily rhythm and chat about our new direction at the end of this post.

Home educating is a year-long, life-long process.

I am certain our children did not stop learning this summer, no matter how we approached the structured side of their education.

But even though our children don’t stop learning and we are always teaching, it is wise to take intentional times to check-in, realign, make decisions, reflect, and most importantly, hear from the Lord!

Proverbs 29:18 warns us:

If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

I made this handy one-page printable to assist us in visualizing our next homeschool season!

Homeschool Vision Page

It will just take a few minutes to fill out. Use this for your whole family or take each child aside and create one with them.

Here are some thoughts to guide you through each section of the printable:

WHY are we homeschooling?

Your reasons for homeschooling are likely a bit different from mine!

Here are some things to consider:

What is it about home educating that drew you in and that you currently enjoy?
Why/how did you discern this was right for one or more of your children?
Has anything changed in your family circumstances since your initial decision?
What has God revealed to you through His word or mentors, etc., about home education?
How does home education align with your family values and goals?

Experiences/goals/hopes for this season:

This section is about dreaming of what you would like to experience together as a family (or with an individual child this year).

Here are some of my ideas:

Personal encounters with God for each child
‘Uh-huh’ moments in learning
Laughing together
Learning new sports together
Taking field trips related to each unit study
Reading good books together
Confidence in reading and writing
Generosity with our time and resources
Loving our neighbours in practical ways

Did you notice how many times I used the word together…?

Our Family Values: (create a word map or picture collage)

Brainstorm the things your family values! You could make a word map, draw pictures, or think of another way to visualize your values. Here are some of our values:

Loving God and others
Enjoying the outdoors
Reading good books
Connecting with our neighbours
Being frugal and generous
Praying in all circumstances

Inspiration (verse, motto, quote, mission statement):

As you consider what words, quotes or verses will motivate you when the going gets tough it would be valuable to take some quiet time to pray, journal, read scripture and ask the Lord to lead you to His words of inspiration and maybe even a family mission statement!

Here are some ideas for my family:

Matthew 5:14-16: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11a: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
For the tough days:
“This too shall pass.”
“I am building a cathedral.”

I mentioned at the start that I would share the changes we are making from last year's HOW Do I Homeschool? blog post.

HOW we will homeschool in 2021-2022:

After 7 years with a familiar curriculum, we will experiment with the unit study approach and use Gather 'Round Homeschool resources for everything but math!

I have been following this company's evolution over the last three years and was intrigued but hesitant to switch since I had researched and settled on my previous curriculum after hours of deliberation and surrender to the fact there is no one perfect curriculum or path.

But change is OK!

We are in a special season where I have every grade in elementary represented in some way—along with a preschooler and kindergartener.

This curriculum is designed to integrate all the subjects, except math, in a family learning style with notebooks for various ages. I won’t go into all the details, as you can find a lot about it online, but I am committed to trying this out for this next year and may share some reflections as we go!

For fun, here is a picture of our daily flow with approximate time markers to remind us where we should be!

My whole morning routine starts before this (around 6 AM), and prepares my body and soul to journey through these daily rhythms.