BJU Press Blog

homeschool goals

Your Commitment to Homeschooling

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making a commitment to homeschooling
The start of a new homeschool year is a lot like New Year’s Day. As you’re setting your goals for the upcoming homeschool year, do you want them to be like those New Year’s resolutions that only last for a week or two? Of course not! Most of those New Year’s resolutions we make are goals we know we probably should set, but have very little reason to follow through on—like exercising regularly or eating right. We can’t commit to those goals because we don’t always believe in why we’re doing them. In contrast, your homeschool goals ought to be rooted in your commitment to homeschooling. If you can explain why you’re homeschooling, then sticking to the goals you set this year will become much easier.

Call a Family Meeting

Sit the whole family down to document the reasons you’ve decided to homeschool. If your children are old enough to contribute, then they should have the opportunity to share their opinions and add their own reasons. Make a list of reasons that will spell out your commitment to homeschooling. You might find several reasons for not participating in the school system, but negatives are hard to act on. If your reason is based on a negative, try to state it in a positive form. For example, if you feel that the school environment is a bad influence on your children, then your reason for homeschooling is to give them good role models or to help them become spiritually mature.

Look over your list. Mark out overlapping reasons. Maybe cross out a few that aren’t as important as the others. Condense it to five or fewer reasons that you really believe in.

Put Your Commitment on Display

In order to keep your commitment to homeschooling in front of your eyes, put the list of reasons on display where you’ll see them a lot. You can put them under a magnet on your refrigerator. Maybe you can print them out on nice paper in a curly font and have them matted and framed to hang in that one bare spot on the wall in your living room. Or, more fun, you can turn them into an art project for each child to hang in his or her room.

Set Your Goals

Once you’ve laid out your commitment to homeschooling clearly, the goals will be easier to choose and easier to focus on. Goals that flow naturally from your reasons for homeschooling will make the most sense to work toward.

Homeschooling takes a lot of hard work and planning. Even though you know you’re not going to quit or give up on it, you can easily be tempted to cut corners or not give each day your best. Your commitment to homeschooling keeps you on track as you’re weathering hard days as well as when you’re enjoying times of smooth sailing.

Go for the Goal

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setting goals for your homeschool
Setting goals in life can help us grow as students, parents, and disciples of Christ. Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 3:13–14, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Instead of dwelling on past victories or failures, we should be striving to reach the goal before us—ultimately, Christlikeness in every area of our lives. If we don’t set goals to work toward, we will stagnate in our spiritual, mental and emotional growth. As someone once wisely said, “Aim at nothing, and you’ll hit it every time.”

Academic Goals

Setting educational goals is a good place to start. Take some time to discuss with your spouse and children what you all want to accomplish throughout the school year. Perhaps one of your children struggles with a certain subject, so his or her aim is to improve and get better grades in it this year. Maybe a teenager would like to take some extra credit courses in preparation for college. One of your goals may be to make it all the way through a subject you don’t usually finish. After talking through your goals, write them down and display them in a place where everyone can see them. That way you’ll constantly be reminded and motivated to reach those goals.

Spiritual Goals

Next, consider setting some spiritual goals for the year as well. Memorizing a passage of Scripture as a family is a great one. Maybe you’ve been challenged as a family to be bolder witnesses for Christ; set a goal for each family member to share the gospel with at least one unsaved person. Perhaps you want to gain noticeable victory over a certain sin in your life. Again, after discussing these different goals, write them down and post them somewhere in your house. Then pray over them as a family, asking the Lord to help you reach these milestones by the end of the year.

Mission Accomplished

When you do reach one of your goals, write down the date it was completed so everyone in your family can rejoice together. Accomplishing a goal will encourage, excite, and motivate you and your family to achieve even more together; it will also establish a good pattern for your children to continue throughout the rest of their lives. Another benefit is that this process can bring you all closer to each other and to the Lord. Through careful planning, prayer, and determination, your family can experience the satisfaction of reaching your academic and spiritual goals this new school year.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.