Define Your Homeschooling Vision and Goals

Start by taking the time to analyze why your family decided to homeschool in the first place. Those reasons are probably fresh in your mind, so go ahead and write them down. Rank them in order of importance if you want. You are creating a vision – a focus – that will guide you through the decisions that follow.

For example, if you’ve decided to homeschool because the actual physical school situation doesn’t work for your children, but you still want them to be learning the same things as their peers at the same time, your vision might lead you to virtual schools where content is delivered online, and a licensed teacher handles the teaching and grading. Some popular options in North Carolina include North Carolina Virtual Academy, North Carolina Connections Academy, North Carolina Virtual Public School, and North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Online.

Also, private schools are increasingly offering hybrid options where students spend a day or two in the classroom and complete the rest of the work with their parents. Locally, Cathedral Oaks in Clemmons and The Covenant School in Greensboro offer a classical, University-Model hybrid, and Liberty University Online offers a virtual hybrid.

However, if you have strong feelings about what is taught and when, and if you want your child to have a very different school experience, you’ll need to choose a basic curriculum that reflects your goals. The tips below will help you with deciding on your homeschool style and curriculum choices.

Talk to Experienced Homeschool Families

Your next step, if possible, should be talking to actual people who homeschool. So, your husband’s third-cousin’s sister-in-law happens to be your Facebook friend and seems to enjoy homeschooling? Send her a private message. That family at church? Ask if you can chat sometime. The next door neighbors? Knock on their door.

There are many ways to homeschool and curriculums to choose However, don’t start with something that doesn’t sound interesting to you. Think about your goals and values. Take into consideration how your child learns best. Most of all, know that if you start a curriculum and you hate it from the start, you do not have to continue with it! That is the beauty of homeschooling, you can try different and new things until you find what fits your family and child the best.Attend a Homeschooling Conference

You should also consider attending a homeschooling conference. There are several in North Carolina and surrounding states throughout the school year, and they feature speakers as well as a wide variety of vendors. This is a great chance to see curriculum in person, instead of researching online. Of course, a conference can easily become overwhelming because, like mentioned above, there are so many choices. If you’ve done your research with homeschooling families beforehand, you can focus on the curriculum you already think you want to use, instead of trying to look at everything. The greatest thing about a homeschool conference is the feeling of community! You realize how large the homeschool community is, and you are not alone in this journey!

Shadow Homeschooling Families

If you don’t know what you are looking for in a homeschool, or even if you are looking for inspiration, shadowing a homeschool family can be a great way to begin crafting your own vision. Yes, this pretty much involves inviting yourself over to their house. Disregard social norms and do it anyway.

Every family does things differently: some are very, very structured to the point of imitating traditional school, and others have a schedule that ebbs and flows by the day. Some families get up to an alarm and start work by 7; others let their kids sleep as long as they wish, take some time to play, and then buckle down to work. Your homeschool may need to work between naptimes or your work schedule. Flexibility is your friend with homeschooling, embrace it.

The more families you can shadow, the more realistic you’ll be when you make your own plans. Honestly, your initial expectations for homeschooling are probably not very realistic. If the family you’re shadowing is using curriculum that interests you, take this opportunity to try it out with your own kid. Find a printer with a photocopy function; it will be your best friend. You can save yourself a fortune by copying a few pages of someone else’s book and letting your kids try them.

Don’t Overdo It

The more research you do, the more amazing opportunities you’ll find. If you aren’t careful, you’ll wind up with three extra-curricular activities per kid, per day…and no actual time to teach! Especially if your kids are little, give yourself a few months to see how much spare time you have – and how much you are willing to give up – before you register for anything. Just because something is good doesn’t mean it’s good for your family. Choose carefully.

Give Yourself Freedom to Change Your Mind

When you begin to make final decisions, remember that you aren’t marrying the choices you make. If you aren’t happy with your co-op after a year, you can always try a new one. The same goes for curriculum choices. In fact, you might find that what works for one of your children doesn’t work at all for another. One of the tremendous benefits of homeschooling is that you can constantly make adjustments based on your child’s needs. Take a breath and make the best decision you can with the knowledge that you can always change your mind.