Home Schooling -- Ready, Set, Go!
by Tina Miller
July 21, 2006
(AgapePress) - - You have decided to home school. You have searched out God's will for your family, and are sure of the reasons He has given you for taking this step. You have some goals for training the heart as well as the mind that you would like to see accomplished this year. Great! Now there is a seemingly overwhelming task ahead of you: how do you begin to carry out, on a practical level, all that is in your heart?Let's start with what you do not need to do. You do not need to read every book out there on the issue; your children will be of graduating age before you could complete them all! You do not need to imitate institutional schools -- public or private; yours is a home school, one that is unique to your family. You have the wonderful opportunity to implement an individual approach to accomplishing your goals, and the resources available to you are almost limitless.
Begin by learning about the different educational approaches: classical, principle, unit studies, whole or living books, traditional textbook, etc. One of the best resources I know for receiving a good overview of each of these is the Elijah Company. Of course, you may not even settle into just one approach; you may want to "mix and match" -- for example, you may like whole book unit studies or you may supplement any approach with traditional math textbooks! This is part of the beauty of home education. Within your state's legal guidelines, you are free to follow the Lord's will for your family.
Once you have a good idea of the teaching/learning method that will work best for you, read a good resource book that gives an overview of home schooling (this article is helpful, but a good book fills in the details). Alongside this, begin looking at curriculum that fits into your chosen style. Cathy Duffey's Christian Home School Curriculum Guide series is a useful resource. Talk to other home schoolers to discover their favorite catalogs and resources. I recommend that you limit your early inquiries to families who use the approach you have selected because the education market is so vast, that even the experienced home schooler can become overwhelmed looking at all that is offered. (I know!)
Finding Resources
Researching and ordering resources is fun! Who doesn't enjoy shopping when it is for something important to you and your children? Receiving your purchases is like getting Christmas presents! Of course, it can cost more than Christmas if you're not careful! Determine your budget before you start, and stick with it. Don't be afraid to ask a friend if you can borrow something. We have both loaned and borrowed many times over the years. There are also plenty of used books and curriculum available through the Internet and library and home-school support group sales.
Speaking of the library -- use it! Did you know that you can even find curriculum in many libraries? Right now, I'm using SAT preparation courses for my high school students that I checked out from the local library. I read Cathy Duffey's Curriculum Guide for recommendations, chose the courses I wanted, found them on the Internet library catalog, and -- ta-dah! -- saved close to $100! But I also avail myself of the library for many of the books that we use in a broad spectrum of subjects.
Take plenty of time researching and becoming familiar with your materials, even if it means a delay in the start of your school year. You will catch up! And don't be too frustrated if you struggle. Remember that you are learning, that you will always be learning. Your children will grow, your family will grow, technology will grow, and life will change. Follow this advice I've taken from the Davises of the Elijah Company: "... don't think that you have to have everything figured out before you begin. You can adapt as you go. So loosen up and accept the fact that some of what you try will be a total waste of time, energy and money. This is all a part of learning what works for you and for your children. Consider [the time and money spent as] payment of your tuition in Home Educating U."
Making Plans
It's time to let the "rubber hit the road," so to speak. Make lesson plans. It goes without saying that planning is a necessity. There are plenty of different lesson plan sheets through various home school and teacher aids suppliers, but you can also customize using your computer or just a large calendar page. Whatever you use, plan with a balance of structure and flexibility. Some kind of structure will be essential, but realize that you will probably not accomplish all that you set out to do. As you schedule for each day, prioritize -- what could be put off until the next day or left out entirely if needed? (Tina's helpful hint: Use a different colored pencil for each child when making lesson plans. This saves space and makes looking over an individual child's work much simpler.)
The more children I have schooled, the more scheduled we have become. When I only had a kindergartener, the time of day when we worked was not important, but with three high schoolers, a junior high student, and two younger boys, our day must start early enough to get in everyone's work, allowing for whatever time is needed for my teaching involvement, and to get this done before we have to leave for ballet, soccer, or art lessons.
I usually begin the year with a rough schedule for the days of the week (we don't cover every subject every day) and the time of day that each child needs to be working on each subject. There will be a "younger kids'' schedule and an "older kids'" schedule. But these schedules will often change more than once during the course of a school year as we flex to accommodate new activities, to catch up in areas where we may have fallen behind, or just to get the chores done in a more timely manner. Of course, as I have been emphasizing from the start, this is your home; you will not use my schedule, and maybe no set "schedule" at all, but perhaps only a daily or weekly list of what you want to cover with your children.
Establishing Priorities
There are some essentials that must be included in every day. Number-one priority is time in the Word of God and prayer on the part of each parent. Your heart must be ready for the demands of the day, and this is the fuel for your soul. There must be a focus on the Word for your school as well, and prayer, prayer, prayer. Pray all day with each difficulty you encounter as well as expressing thankfulness for all the joys you experience and praise for the amazing things you learn.
Delegate as many household duties as possible to your children. A home-schooling family lives in the house all day every day, producing more dust and mess than other families. Keeping your domicile clean becomes more difficult, but there are more helpers available. Home economics class is a day-to-day fact of life. These responsibilities also are natural character builders. Evaluate all that needs to be done, how often each task needs to be accomplished, and who is able to manage the work involved, then develop your own system of rotation. Always remember this maxim: be flexible! Re-evaluate every six months or so as children mature and household needs grow and change.
The flexibility principle applies to every area of home schooling. Organization, schedules, and plans to meet important goals are a necessity, but they are not objects of worship. Don't fall into ruts; keep life interesting! When it seems that your child cannot tolerate one more day of multiplication facts drill, play a game instead. Take a field trip to make your history lesson come alive. Observe some of the "minor" days on the calendar, e.g. Constitution Day. (Do you know when that is?) Take some time off from the routine curriculum to do a mini-unit study on a subject especially interesting to your kids. How about simply skipping the initial subject of the day to cuddle in bed with a book that is "just for fun"?
Finally, as you journey the home-school pilgrimage, remember that academics is not the center of a Christian life. We study and learn to better understand our Creator in Whose image we are made. Our focus is Christ Himself -- loving, pleasing, glorifying the One Who loved us enough to die for us while we were yet sinners. All of our day -- from the time we waken, to washing the dirty dishes, to studying great art and literature, science and math, to teaching our children to share and consider one another ahead of themselves -- should revolve around this purpose. In so doing, we find great joy and eternal reward.
Part 1: Home Schooling -- Does Your Family Have What It Takes?
Tina Miller and David, her husband of 21 years, live in Cincinnati, Ohio, with their six children who range in age from 5 to 18. In addition to being a wife, mother and teacher who enjoys scrapbooking and reading, Tina spends her time as a chauffeur, fashion consultant, event planner and back scratcher.
