Day two of my Beginning the Homeschool Journey series is, by far, the most important post of my series. The most common question I get from new homeschool moms is: 'What curriculum should I buy?' The fact is, I cannot just automatically answer that question. No two families are alike, no two children are alike. Just like I can't answer what kind of car you should buy without getting some more information, I can't tell you what curriculum to buy, either.
When you want to buy a house, you have a checklist. You know how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, if you want a town house or a country house. You know if you want an old house or a new house, and the list goes on. With that list in hand, your realtor can now show you some houses in your price range and you can begin narrowing down the search. Homeschool curriculum is very much the same way.
So, I have come up with a list of questions to help you figure out the focus and goals for your homeschool, which will then give you direction for all the rest of your decision making-including buying curriculum.
1. Why did you decide to homeschool?
2. Have your children been in public school? If so, for how long?
3. Are your children at, above, or below grade level?
4. What are your academic goals for the next year for each of your students?
5. What are your social/extra curricular goals for the year?
6. Do your children have goals for the year?
7. What is your spouse's goals for your children this year?
8. What do you want 'school' to look like at your home?
9. Do you like schedules?
10. Do you like planning?
11. What are your state's laws regarding homeschooling?
And that's my entire post for today :). Tomorrow I will take each of these questions in depth, but for today I want you to think about these questions without my input. Take the time to think about them, pray about them, and discuss them with your husband and children. Knowing the answers to these questions will bring you so much peace and confidence as you enter this new world of homeschooling!
I hope this checklist is a help to you! I also hope you will come back tomorrow to read my cheat sheet that will help turn those answers into direction for your family.
God Bless,
Lisa
This post is part of a HUGE blog hop hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Be sure to check out some of the other topics, too!
1 comment:
Those are great questions! Yes, we get overwhelmed and there is no one right answer for everyone. Those are excellent starting points to consider. I look forward to hearing how you delved deeper into them and will send friends new to homeschooling to these posts. I shared it on FB as well!
~Lori
Post a Comment