homeschool mission statement planning

7/28/2019 Homeschool Mission Statement Planning

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C r e a t i n g aH o m e s c h o o l F a m i l y

Mission Statement

As homeschoolers, you probably have a good sense of purpose and

direction for your family. You may even have a main theme for how

your household operates. The homeschool mission statement goes a

step further and expands upon your familys core values by applying

them to your childrens education.

If you are new to homeschooling, the reasons for homeschooling are

likely fresh in your mind. You can solidify these reasons by putting

your educational plan in writing, to emphasize its importance and

reinforce commitment. This will ensure that your homeschool startsout on a strong foundation.

If you have been homeschooling for a while, you may have noticed

that the busyness of daily life seems to distract you from the things

that matter most. Your family can get back on track by sitting down

together and compiling a homeschool missions statement to guide you

from now on.

Almost every successful institution (businesses, churches,

schools, non-profits) have a mission statement. If you do a poll

of successful individuals you will likely find they have some form

of written vision or mission statement that has been a guide for

their actions, basis for their goals and a foundation for their

decisions. Developing a mission statement for homeschooling

can also be useful.

The homeschool mission statement is a declaration that

proclaims the mission and purpose of your homeschool. It is a

clear and concise explanation of your familys big-picture

homeschool goals. It clarifies the reasons for homeschooling

and describes the desired outcomes. As with any mission

statement, it is like a compass that guides your course, or a

blueprint upon which and organized structure is built.

A written down goal, in some way no one yet understands,tends to attract every ingredient it needs to realize it.

A homeschool missions statement

incorporates values, principles and

philosophies. It should be positive,

uplifting and empowering. While yourhomeschool plan may be crystal clear

and exciting right now, ask any

homeschool parent and you will

discover that the road is not always so

smooth. The mission statement is a

great reminder of the big picture.

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I've heard it a million times since we started this journey back in 2007:

You need a mission statement for your homeschool.

Yeah, whatever. said I. We know what we're doing and we know why

we're doing it. We're fine.

And most the time we are fine. But things change and life changes and

school changes and doubt creeps in and there's a thousand reasons you

might start questioning your decision to teach your kids at home. OR you

might start speeding full blast down a homeschooling path that totally

goes against why you decided to homeschool in the first place.

So yeah. You need a mission statement for your homeschool.

Homeschoolblogexcerpt
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Following are a series of questions to start thinking about why you

homeschool and what your goals are. You can jot down some

initial ideas and go back to it to fill in details as you give it more

thought over the next several days and weeks. You will start to see

themes emerge that will help you articulate your family

homeschool missions statement.

Keep your responses big-picture focused. Some questions may be

repetitive or not relevant to you. Dont worry about answering

them all. They are just starter questions to get you thinking.

Why did we decide to homeschool? (some ideas are on page 5)

What is our philosophy on education?

What are your learning goals for your kids and for you?

What life skills do we want our kids to have? What non-

academic areas are important to us?

What are your spiritual goals?

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http://prosperity4kids.com/2013/02/tapping-into-the-how-in-raising-money-smart-kids/


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What type of environment do you want to create for your

homeschooling?

What do you want to accomplish through homeschooling that

you couldnt (or couldnt do as well) through traditional

schooling?

What is our ultimate purpose in life?

What do we want our family to achieve or accomplish together?

Why does homeschooling provide the better environment for

our family?

What is your definition of success?What is the purpose for the skills you want your children to

learn? How will they use them in life?

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What historical or current people do you admire and what traits

do you admire about them?

How do we want others to describe our family?

What are the guiding principles, values and priorities on which we

want our family to focus?

What abilities do we want our children to develop

Physically?

Academically?

Emotionally?

Socially?

Spiritually?

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5/11

Here are some areas to consider as you think through the

reasons for homeschooling

Spiritual conviction / family values homeschooling

provides a great opportunity to continually reinforce family

values. God commands us to bring our children up in the

discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Family togetherness homeschooling enables families to

spend more time together, which nurtures family

relationships. Children can develop strong bonds with

siblings and parents as they spend lots of quality time

together learning, playing, working and helping each other.

Parental involvement Homeschooling allows parents tolimit the influences of bad temptations, false teachings and

negative peer pressure. Parents can be sure children have a

firm foundation of morals, values, and knowledge before

sending them into the world. Parents, rather than strangers,

get to spend the better part of each day with their children.

Academics homeschooling allows children to learn at their

own pace, at a level appropriate to their developmental

stage. Learning is more efficient since methods can be used

that suit a childs particular learning style, personality andinterests. Research has shown that one-on-one tutoring is

the most successful method of learning.

Personal Safety & Emotional Well-Being Homeschooling

enables you to more closely monitor the overall safety and

well-being of your children.

Socialization - Homeschool children can learn about the real

world by being part of it, without needing artificial settings to

provide exposure. Social interactions of homeschoolers are

more varied among people of all ages, races and situations inlife.

Areas to Consider Reduced Peer Pressure Children are young and innocent for

such a short time, but in a school setting they are often forced to

grow up too fast. Children can learn to value morality and good

taste rather than materialism and fitting in with the crowd.

Freedom from peer pressure encourages self-confidence and

independent thinking.

Less Stress Being nurtured within a close-knit, loving, stable

family environment and not getting thrown out in the world attoo early an age, homeschooled children are able to develop

naturally at their own pace to their fullest intellectual potential

and emotional maturity.

Flexibility homeschooling allows both parents and children to

take advantage of flexible scheduling for work, travel and leisure.

You can create your own timetable and do not have to follow a

traditional school calendar. Days can be arranged around

personal needs and what works best for your family.

Environment School settings are not the optimal learning

environment. They are too institutionalized and crowded, taking

away the childs private life and not giving children any time to

just be themselves. Homeschoolers are nurtured in a relaxed,

positive atmosphere surrounded by family and friends who

naturally love and care about them. Home learning is integrated

into daily living and allows plenty of time for free play and fresh

air, rather than being cooped up most of the day.

Life Skills homeschooled children can obtain valuable practicalknowledge and gain important life skills by participating in their

parents daily lives. Homeschooling provides an opportunity to

get out into the community, encouraging wholesome activities

such as volunteer work and other character-building skills.

Time home education makes additional time available for

personal pursuits, hobbies, and extracurricular enrichment

activities. Homeschoolers tend to lead a less hectic l ifestyle with

long, uninterrupted blocks of time for writing, reading, thinking,

dreaming, playing or working. This encourages concentration,focus, creative thinking and independence.

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What are some of the key words and themes you noticefrom the answers to the previous questions?

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What are some of the key words and themes you noticefrom the answers to the previous questions?
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8/11

Draft mission statement.

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Draft mission statement.

(some samples are on pages 9-10)


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In our homeschool we believe that learning is a lifelong

adventure. We believe in facing each day with minds

open to knowledge and hearts open to love. We believe

in the freedom to wonder, to ask, to explore, to imagine,to create. We believe that every one of us has special

talents, and that the talents of each of us help all of us.

We believe that success means doing our best, being our

best, and feeling proud of our effort.

An unspoiled child who is bright-eyed from

encouragement as well as secure in love and discipline

has a joyous freedom to worship, to wonder, to explore

and to learn. May we be zealous in every way to nurture

this ability in our children, and jealous in every way to

protect them from destructive peers, purposes, and

habits that would dampen their spirit.

Our purpose in homeschooling is to raise children who

are godly and spiritually wise as well as skillful and

knowledgeable in every area that will be useful to them

as they serve and glorify the Lord in their future lives,

families and ministries to others.

We will continually challenge ourselves to maintain

biblical standards, instill Christian character, preservetraditional family values, and strive for academic

excellence so that our children can become the godly

leaders of tomorrow.

To create a learning environment that is engaging and interesting,

inspiring inquisitiveness and a love of learning.

To provide our children with a high-quality and interesting literature based,

classical education that seeks to impart knowledge while also piquing

curiosity, leaving room for delight directed study and developing critical

thinking skills.

To give our children time to explore their interests, develop their creativityand discover their unique giftings and callings from God.

To give us more time with our children to sharpen them as iron sharpens

iron, to encourage them and to support and guide them as they discover

the path God has planned for them.

We homeschool to provide an educational experience that is both fun

and family oriented. While we realize we must master basic skills (which

include but are not limited to "the three Rs") we seek to spend a

considerable amount of time on topics that excite us as individuals. We

value learning at our own pace and in our own way, as well as a flexible

calendar which allows for harvest, hunting, and other activities.
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Love the LORD your God with all your heartand with all your soul and with all your

strength. These commandments that I giveyou today are to be on your hearts. Impress

them on your children. Talk about them when yousit at home and when you walk along the road,when you lie down and when you get up. Tie themas symbols on your hands and bind them onyour foreheads.Write them on the doorframes of

your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9

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homeschool mission statement planning

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