How to Create a Homeschool Vision Statement

Holy cow. I received Pam Barnhill's (Homeschool Solutions) Put Your Homeschool Year on Auto-Pilot 10-module course to review and so far just the first step has changed everything for me! The first step is about creating a vision for your homeschool so everything else can progress from there.

The second step is about creating goals for each child and then after that you come up with the subjects and resources you'll need to meet the goals and stay in line with your vision statement. I'm really excited to progress through this course!

Your vision statement might look ENTIRELY different from mine. It might focus more on getting your kids to Harvard and use words like "rigorous education" and that's great for your family! For my family, I like to focus more on a lifelong love of learning so they are always WANTING to learn and also I want them to serve others, be good workers, and have a lot of fun with this life they have been gifted.

Your vision statement might focus more on sports and it might not focus on religion at all. All families are different!

Here's what I came up with for our vision statement after 12 years of homeschooling:

In our homeschool, we refuse to be dictated by man-made timelines and society’s standards of “normal” (bedtime, travel as a family, job as learning, etc.) and have a lot of fun experiencing the world and the people and places in it, including field trips, dates, book clubs, and party school.

In our homeschool, we strive to consistently practice basic skills like math and language arts until we master them, learning at our own pace and finding out about things we are interested in along the way.

In our homeschool, we strive to practice our religion (serving each other and others, volunteering, TOB), equip our kids for whatever God may call them to, and learn life skills (self-sufficiency, good work ethic, chores, cooking, finances, relationships with siblings, extended family and others).

In our homeschool, we strive to foster a love of books and conversations, sharing good stories and discussions, trying to cultivate a lifelong love of learning.

In our homeschool, we strive to love each other well and point each other to God, enjoying our time together as a family and offering a welcoming haven in our home.

What would your homeschool vision statement look like?