How To Write Your Homeschool Mission Statement
Writing a homeschool mission statement is one of the most important parts of planning your homeschool. Your mission statement will share why you are homeschooling and and what you hope to accomplish. A homeschool mission statement helps you stay focused on why you started homeschooling and what’s most important to you and your family. It will help you make important decisions about curriculum and teaching philosophies each year.
Your homeschool mission statement is also a great resource to have on hand when you experience burn out or frustration. By reviewing your mission statement or having it framed and in a prominent location, it’s easy to stay focused and motivated to keep moving toward your family’s goals.
A mission statement also keeps you in your own line and serves as a reminder that your homeschool journey is just that – YOURS – and shouldn’t look exactly like anyone else’s.
Writing your homeschool mission statement should be an activity that should involve the entire family. It’s important for the kids to understand the reasoning behind the decisions around their education and understand why certain values are important to your family. I also believe they should have a voice in how their education is structured.
Discuss Questions About Homeschooling
Begin your mission statement by answering some questions about homeschooling and your family. Your “why” is the reason you began homeschooling. This differs from family to family but it’s important to make it the main focus of your mission statement.
Then think about the different things you want to accomplish by homeschooling. Are there certain characteristics or values you want to instill in your children? Do you want to homeschool so you can put emphasis on religion or a certain way of life?
Create a Word Cloud
Write down all the words that come to mind when you think about homeschooling and your family. This doesn’t have to make any sense. It’s just good to get those words and phrases out and on paper. For example, some of our family’s word cloud includes:
- travel
- explore
- art
- hands on
- animals
- spontaneous
Your word cloud will be completely different from someone else’s word cloud. It should represent your family, your values, your way of life.
Write Your Mission Statement
Write your mission statement by forming 1-3 sentences that tell why you are homeschooling, what is most important to you and how you plan to achieve it. It should be short, concise and personal to your family.
Once you have your homeschool mission statement, consider creating a homeschool vision board that expands on your mission statement and shows how you’ll live by your mission statement.
If you’re ready to create your homeschool mission statement, you can download my free printable guide to help you. It’s available to OLSH blog subscribers – along with our entire printable and resource library!
