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Beginning Homeschooling – Start With the End in Mind

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You have decided homeschooling is for you. You’ve registered with the proper authorities. You’ve collected the learning materials you need. You know what subjects you want to teach your kids and you’ve bought a curriculum to tell you exactly what they should know. Beginning homeschooling is an exciting time, but, before you start it will pay to give some thought to what you are really trying to do by educating your kids at home. Remember, at the end of all your efforts, a young adult is going to “graduate” from your homeschool. How can you best help this young adult prepare to meet the world? Your answer to this question will influence everything you do in your homeschooling adventure.

Think about the kinds of skills and knowledge that will help your child thrive as an adult. Asking permission to use the washroom and being able to name all the state capitals are probably not very high on the list. Even getting an “A” in calculus doesn’t guarantee they will be caring, competent adults, able to make healthy decisions for themselves and their loved ones. Keeping these bigger goals in mind will change the focus of your lessons. Here is an example from Geography; learning the State capitals. Will your adult child need to know all those cities? Not likely. Will the ability to quickly memorize some related facts be useful? Possibly. What about the ability to focus on a task and stick with it until it is done? Definitely. As another example, in math, the ability to manipulate equations is handy, if you want to do more math. However, the ability to clearly lay out a complex problem and systematically work out a solution is invaluable, and that is where the real value of the lesson lies. Keeping the end in mind keeps your focus on the really important lessons to be learned.

In the end, your child’s success as an adult will have very little to do with subjects and curriculum and everything to do with character, social skills, and the ability to think and communicate clearly. Focusing on the important truths and skills frees you from worrying too much about the particular facts your child is learning. Instead of worrying that your child isn’t learning the parts of a flower, you can celebrate the fact that they have the patience to really look at the flower, the curiosity to ask their own questions about the flower, and the commitment to persist until they find the answers. Lessons learned at school help children thrive in school. Lessons learned at home help adults thrive in life.

Gordon Edwards has been homeschooling his 3 children for 19 years. Currently, one daughter is attending University on a scholarship and one will be starting University a year earlier than her “schooled” friends. His son would be in grade 7 but he has never attended a school.

Gordon’s interest is to help others get the most out of their homeschooling experience and to guide those just starting out.


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