Homeschooling Needs A Why, Part 2

In a recent meeting, a homeschool mom shared such a great nugget of wisdom:

Once you choose a curriculum, stop looking at others. If it’s not broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed.

Having a Why will keep you from being distracted and will keep you focused on what is your purpose and plan for YOUR family and YOUR students.  You will find that the homeschool world is not unlike the world that surrounds it.  There are many people who think that their Why is the only and best Why.  It is good that they are sold on their Why, but be careful to not let these people sway you from yours.

Sometimes it isn’t even people that distract us, but often it is our own thoughts that lead us astray!  The Comparison Game is enough to lead you down a long, dark hole of self-doubt.  Just because Susie’s son is on the debate team, it doesn’t mean that your son needs to be on it too. Laura’s daughter may love to play violin, and your daughter may not be missing out because you can’t afford the lessons.  You may have your daughter right where she needs to be!

Once you have determined your “Why,” don’t try to change it every other week. Stay focused! This doesn’t mean you will not adjust it with time. But, you should set a time period of six months or a year to re-visit it as needed. Give your decisions time to mature and grow before yanking them out root and all.  It is OK to embrace the process, and don’t feel pressure to have it all together at the beginning.  Just like someone who is taking a long journey…you need to plan for moments to rest, evaluate your progress, and access your needs for the remainder of the journey.

 

When you know your Why, you know your goal. You have something on which to focus, a finish line in sight. This is important because your Why is personal and unique. Your best friend, your family, or your favorite speaker at a homeschool convention probably has a different Why, a different goal, a different finish line…and that is the way it should be! We may share similar overall goals, but the end product, a student, will have diverse and unique outputs.

When you know your Why, you are not troubled when you hear how a family was able to graduate their children by age 12 and get them into college. You can rejoice with that family and maybe perhaps gain some insight to new possibilities, but you do not immediately change your whole focus to getting your children into college by age 10. To break it down further, you are not even moved when your best friend expresses how great the co-op has been for her son. You are focused on the purpose for YOUR family.

When distractions come, having and knowing your Why will help you keep a focal point and stay on one path.

 

 

 

Share with us:

When have you found yourself distracted from your focus?  How did knowing your Why help you?