Hard homeschool moments force me to ask myself hard questions. Why am I struggling through a particular subject with a particular child? Why am I teaching literature analysis to my children? Why does my daughter with dyslexia need grammar anyway? Why am I teaching her to read hard things? Why do we do what we do? The reason I ask these questions is, quite frankly, homeschooling is hard. Homeschooling dyslexia, in particular, can be overwhelming. And overwhelming moments make us question everything. Which isn’t a bad thing, I’m learning. Questioning everything brings purpose and certainty and conviction. Answering these questions helps me to battle through the hard homeschool moments and to press on. Answering these questions helps me to define my goals and objectives for both my homeschool and my child.
I’m not talking about a list of learning standards. I’m not talking about a list of topics we are supposed to cover or a list of skills she should have by the end of the year. I’m not talking about a list of books to be read in so many months. What I am talking about are clear objectives for the end of her education. What is my end goal, my final objective? Who do I want my homeschool graduate to be?
If I know my end goal, then I can clearly look at each step in our path and decide if it’s leading us closer to that end goal. If the end goal is college, then I will have certain decisions to make along the way to prepare for that goal. If the end goal is a particular career path, then that goal will shape the next several years. My end goal determines a number of smaller goals and objectives along the way.
For our family, when I started asking the hard questions, I came to one solid conviction: I homeschool to disciple my children, to train them to be followers and learners of Christ. When I realized this goal, it was an emotional epiphany for me, a very tearful “a-hah!” moment. It put all the hard days into perspective. Why do I struggle to help my daughter to read and to read hard things? Because I want her to be capable of reading the Bible and understanding it. Why do I teach her grammar? Not necessarily to help her write well, which may surprise you, but to help her read well. I primarily teach grammar to my children to help them to read, to give them the tools to break down hard passages and difficult texts so that they understand the message. So when they tackle that hard passage in one of Paul’s epistles, they know how to find the main clause and the main message.
Your goals may be vastly different for your family, but knowing your end goal, your final objective, will help you to start making the smaller decisions along the way.
There are tons of learning standards and book lists and curriculum options. That alone creates a lot of homeschool overwhelm. We start to ask, which choice is the right one? Then, when we hit an obstacle—a hard homeschool moment—the tendency is to second-guess our choice; of course, we must have made the wrong one. And yet, taking the time to think through our goals helps so much with all of this guilt and indecision. Your end goal for your family and for each child helps you to see your smaller goals for each subject and even each curriculum purchase.
If I know my goal, then I narrow my choices. Once I make my choice, I evaluate how well that choice is moving me toward my goal. Regardless of the hard homeschool moments, I’m keeping that end goal in mind and aligning everything with it.
My objectives prepare me for the hard days. They strengthen me and give me resolve. I can press on when the going get’s tough, because I know where I’m headed. I know why I’m choosing harder books or trying a new curriculum. I know why I’m assigning some literary analysis. I know why we are learning grammar and diagramming sentences.
I know why. And knowing why is more than half the battle.
