Choosing The Best For Your Family

As you prepare for your next school year I wanted to share a bit of wisdom with you. The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that we have so many options available to us. The downfall of homeschooling is that we have SO many options available to us!

I have 4 grown children, ages 18-29, and we homeschooled the younger 3 for 8 years. From early elementary through graduation for the oldest at home. I always thought it ironic that the media and critics said that homeschoolers were unsocialized and deprived of many kinds of activities.

We had the opposite problem at our house.

There were SO many activities within driving distance of our house. (we live outside metro Atlanta) From co-ops to classes, from fine arts programs to watercolor classes, from homeschool football leagues to homeschool orchestra programs. And homeschool days at the science museum and history museums, theme parks and zoo.

And then of course you had the issue of choosing your curriculum. Well, after you chose your homeschool philosophy, then you could choose your curriculum. Textbook-based, units, literature based, DVD-based. So many options, how do you choose from them all?

Before making the everyday decisions, it helps to make some decisions about your priorities and goals for your family.

5 steps to choosing your priorities in homeschooling

1. Pray- Take your concerns and options to the Lord. Seek wisdom is Scripture. If possible, take time once or twice a year to get away overnight for prayer and seeking God’s direction for your homeschool.
2. Discuss with your husband- If you can, include your husband in your getaway. Regardless, you need to share your concerns, your dreams and goals for your children. Decide together what things should be priority for your homeschool in general and for your children. Ask him to pray along with you to decide what is right for your family.
3. Research, but know when enough is enough- It is easy to get information overload. There are so many curriculum options, so many homeschoolers have sites and are happy to share their opinions and reviews. This is all fine and good, but eventually you have to say enough.
4. Rest in the decisions you make- once you feel peace from God in your priorities and decisions, and you and your husband have come to agreement in the important areas, rest in those decisions. Don’t let what other families are doing steal your peace. Or the enemy, he will do what he can to steal your peace as well. Yes, there are times when you do have to make major changes from your original decisions, but not often.
5. Makes some scheduling guidelines based upon the priorities you set- This will mean you say NO to a lot of things that come your way. It will help you to know what things to say Yes to. It will give you clarity in your scheduling and lesson plans.

How does this look in your every day school life?

When presented with opportunities for classes, field trips, outings, line them up against your priorities that you decided with God and your husband. Do they match up? Then try to schedule them in. If they don’t, then let them pass by.

For instance, an opportunity to go to the zoo with your homeschool group arises. Your priorities that you decided were that you needed to focus on your child’s reading this year and to stick with a better routine so that he has time for reading practice and you have more time for reading to him. In this case it might be best if you skip the zoo.

However, if you decided that you wanted to focus on your child’s love of animals to help him with his reading, then maybe checking out books about the zoo and specific animals in preparation before the zoo and after would be a great addition to your reading program.

Another example- Your homeschool group has an outing to go to Chuck E Cheese. The kids would have a blast but it is basically a whole afternoon away from your school schedule, so probably not a good idea.

On the other hand, your homeschool group has put together an outing to a nursing home to do crafts with and sing songs for the residents. One of your goals is to teach your children to be giving and caring of those who may not receive much love. Even though it is a whole afternoon away from school, this would be a great choice to help you do the right things to achieve your priorities and goals for your family.

We are not Wonder Woman. We cannot do everything or provide everything for our children. Only God can do that. We just have to trust that once we seek His will, that we make the right decisions for our families. Learn to rest in the fact that you are making the right decisions for your family. Stop looking outside of your home for the peace you need and seek it from the Lord, your husband and from within yourself.

Bernice Wood is a mother of 4 young adult kids, plus Nana to 7 grandchildren. After a major lifechange summer 2010, she began blogging to journal her personal struggles and transition. Her website, Living the Balanced Life, is designed to help you define and learn to live by your priorities.