Kristy Cammell Defining goals…
HOW do you know that you’re really, truly doing ENOUGH in your homeschooling?
It’s all in the way that you define your goals.
And they’re not all about academia.
By that, I mean that your child’s education is not defined solely by the academic subjects they cover. While they are certainly an aspect of it, they are not the whole picture.
Your goals are not limited to the completed book, the finished craft, or the ticked box. Your goals are so much broader than that.
Pause and think for a moment.
Each of us want to grow children who develop character that will hold them steady in life. The things they’ll need the most. You know: character traits like diligence, courage, persistence, self-motivation and integrity. It’s called character building.
And this is the bedrock upon which their education is built.
So, I’d like to suggest that defining your goals means thinking about the characteristics that you are building in your children. And actively helping them pursue those.
And that the subjects you teach your children (or nurture and encourage them towards) are as much – or more – about learning how to learn, as they are about the knowledge itself.
I’ll say that again.
It’s about character.
And it’s about learning how to learn.
Every single academic goal can fit within these parameters. Because, when you consider education from a holistic perspective, then learning how to learn is the purpose of any subject. And character building is a side effect of that.
Whether your approach is formalised, you’re unschooling, or you’re somewhere in between, these overarching goals remain.
Everything your child encounters, has some kind of learning attached.
Everything your child does, will build their character in some way.
Even things like dealing with daily life around a mother with chronic pain. Or adjusting to a gamut of cancelled plans and video calls because of a lockdown. Or having no choice but to tag along to appointment after appointment. You name it.
Let’s redefine the way we look at these things.
Perhaps it’s not a disruption to their learning.
Perhaps it’s just learning, redefined.
Because they will still be growing character and learning how to learn, albeit a little more creatively. And hey, maybe that’s a good thing! Think of the skills they’ll be carrying into adulthood one day!
And for now, remember that eventually, they’ll get to where they need to be. That may not be where their peers are. Or even their siblings. But it WILL be where THEY need to be.
The pace each child learns at will be different
Define your goals to reflect that.
The challenges each family face will be different.
Design your goals to allow for that.
Acknowledge, and plan for, the character building. Especially on days where that’s the sum total of their learning (we all know those days, right?) Because it’s still learning, and it still counts.
Now, I can almost hear you asking: but how? HOW might that look? Make yourself a fresh coffee and join me over at the last instalment of this series, for more about the practical side of it all. (By the way, if your brain is feeling tired right now, don’t worry! I’ve made it easy for you to jump to the series summary at the end).
See you there. Stay awesome!
Kristy x
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Looking for more?
Do you need the listening ear of someone who is a homeschooler at heart who also comes with an educational background? Someone who understands the comparison culture yet has a solid grasp of the bigger picture when it comes to the different ages and stages of your child? I’d love to support you as you wrap your head around how to measure what “enough” looks like for you. Head to my Contact section to ask about my fee structure and book your video consultation.
