www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
The first and most important step is to
thoughtfully and prayerfully establish the
goals for your home school. In this case,
I’m talking about taking a long-range
look. What do you want your children to
be like when they are 18 and ready to go
out into the world? What are your hopes
for their character development and at-
titudes? What skills would you like for
them to have developed? What areas of
knowledge do you hope they will have
been exposed to during their childhood
and teen years?
Personally, I have always divided my
goals into six areas, which are roughly
listed in order of importance: values, attitudes, habits, skills, talents/interests,
and knowledge. The values they are
developing are of utmost importance.
If someone reaches the age of 18 with
all the knowledge and skills they need
to live in the world, but are lacking in
character, I would feel like a failure! On
the other hand, if I knew I was sending
someone out into the world with great
character and values firmly established,
but had somehow “missed” something
else important, I wouldn’t count that as
a failure at all.
During the elementary years, I emphasize the first three: values, attitudes and
habits. For example, while helping them
The
Ordinary
Homeschooler
Mary Hood, Ph.D.
Planning,
Organizing &
Recordkeeping
in a Relaxed
Homeschool
Relaxed should not be a
synonym for chaotic!
