how to plan homeschool: what I want my kids to know

As I am in the midst of homeschool planning, I am considering what I want my kids to know, really know.

So how to plan homeschool? Not the lofty, high-minded stuff I planned when I first began homeschooling thirteen years ago (like memorizing every constellation, familiarizing ourselves with university-level calculus, practicing with SAT essay practice tests.)

Now that I have a daughter entering her second-year university and my second daughter finishing her final year of high school, I am seeing what’s important from the other side.



my husband and I want to teach our kids certain things

The most important thing I can do for them isn’t…

a. doing anything for them. It’s usually stepping aside, letting them figure stuff out for themselves. That figuring out stuff can look messy sometimes. But sometimes I am in awe of how capable they are.

b. forcing their character to align with my expectations. Though, darn it, I’ve tried/I try, yet the most effective way to learn character is to remember that most of what I can teach in this is “caught, not taught”, so live the thing in front of them.



How to plan homeschool? What I want my kids to know is more than academics, but sometimes it's specific academics.

What do I most want my kids to know? My goal is to mirror truth and grace toward them.

Which means I’m…

a. gonna have to tell them the truth when the rest of the world might not be kindly assertive. Though some of what I share might not be heard and absorbed for a few years yet.

b. gonna give them grace aka love them no matter what, even if… Even when how they engage or what they do or how they choose to live life wouldn’t be on my terms.

What do I want them to know at their core?

  1. to be independent in the world
  2. to coexist in the world
  3. to find something they enjoy doing
  4. to find something that brings them purpose
  5. to find a way to make an income doing the things they enjoy
  6. to bring value to those they love and their community

Of course, I’m going to pepper our upcoming academic year with a few books and curriculum too.




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