5 Things to Do Before Starting to Homeschool

1.  Pray Before You Begin Homeschooling

The first thing that I would suggest anybody do before they start homeschooling is pray. Pray for God to affirm this decision to you in several ways. Write down these confirmations and meditate on them. Then later on when you have a rough day you can return to these affirmations and remind yourself of why you started homeschooling in the first place. Pray for God’s peace if this is something that He wants you to do. Pray for provision, as homeschoolers need to find ways to be thrifty and creative in earning  enough money to keep one parent with the children.  Pray for unity among your children and yourselves. Pray for God to guide you in the form your school will take, and the curriculum you should use. Yes, there is a lot to pray about. But homeschooling is no more difficult than starting and running a business, or a million other things that  people do. You can do this, and do it very well with God’s help.

2. Arm Yourself With the Facts

Before you get excited and start sharing your new adventure with anyone, and I do mean anyone, (ie, your mother, best friend, across the street neighbor,) you should do a little research. Otherwise these loved ones are going to rain on your parade. I know you don’t want to believe this, but it is true. Homeschooling is still unconventional, even though it is much more common than twenty years ago when I started. People still have wrong ideas about homeschooling and you must be prepared to squelch these as soon as they surface to avoid getting discouraged before you even begin.  Read the FAQ section of this website for starters, and google Dr. Brian Ray, homeschooling statistics. That should keep you busy for a while. Practice answering the questions, “What about socialization?” and “How will they go to college?”  (On that last one, tell them that my older son who was homeschooled K-12 received many scholarships and we did not pay a dime for his college education at Oklahoma City University, a wonderful private fine arts school.)  Sorry, but I had to brag just a little bit.

3. Forget the Way Government Schools Teach

It is very important to note here that the government schools are failing. Illiteracy is at an all time high. Look at the dismal ACT scores of government schooled children next to those of  homeschooled students. Don’t start your homeschool and then try to imitate the government school. (They are doing everything they can to make schools more “homey”. Have you seen the little comfy reading corners with pillows, etc? )Please don’t try to make your kids sit at a desk all day and be super-structured. Don’t sit them down in front of a pile of books for eight hours. There are many beautiful fun ways to learn, and at home the sky is the limit.

4. Think About Your Students’ Unique Learning Styles

Spend a little time thinking about the uniqueness of each of your students. This is one of the real beauties of homeschooling. If you have a boy that just loves motors and machines, then get him outside in the shed and let him tear up and try to put back together an old lawn mower. This is a legitimate part of his curriculum. Have a daughter that loves to cook? Start her in home economics (helping you cook and clean) when she is in elementary school.  If you have a son or daughter that is a good reader, then he or she can tolerate more independent book work while you work with the younger ones that are still learning to read. Ask your students what they would LOVE to learn this year. Then figure out how to incorporate that in to their curriculum. Remember, think outside the “government school box.”  Consider all of your resources: public and church libraries, familymembers, friends, community programs, unique family situations, travel opportunities and church work to name a few.

5. Plan the Curriculum

You should establish a framework or guideline for each of your students. You can get a scope and sequence from your state department of education that tells what skills should be learned in each grade. You can find these online also by googling “scope and sequence for elementary education (or whichever level you student is at), and the name of your state. There are also many homeschooling resources like this online. Don’t go hog wild and buy a million dollars worth of curriculum and workbooks. Take a deep breath, pray, and let God guide this part of your homeschooling as well. Write down the goals for the year for each of your students. Then work backwards in filling in how you will help your child reach those goals. What blessed children to have their own personal educational consultant, (their mother or dad), creating an individualized educational plan just for them! You will never be sorry that you invested this time and energy in your children. This is one of the things that will reap eternal rewards.