“We’re the creators of our own experience – remembering this, and living our lives from this perspective empowers us.” ~Mike Robbins
As homeschoolers, we regularly focus on WHAT we are teaching and HOW we are teaching it. Life is so busy, full, and chaotic, that we often don’t take the time to consider WHY we homeschool. Our WHY is most important: Do I want to just teach my children, or do I want them to be curious, insightful human beings? Do I want my kids to be successful, or do I want them to choose a life path that is compelling and brings them joy?
If you haven’t seen Michael Jr: Know Your Why, it is worth watching. It demonstrates that when we know our WHY, our HOW becomes more powerful.
In homeschooling my own kids, I’ve continually had to remind myself of my WHY. Like everyone, I was influenced by my own experience of learning, which for me was traditional school. When I followed some of those precepts (“You must complete the worksheet!”) and was miserable along with my kids, I had to remember what I really care about: making learning joyful! When I assumed they would follow the traditional path (“You must go to college!”), I needed to remind myself that I truly want my kids to discover and follow their own path.
When we are grounded in our own WHY, we can choose WHAT we do and HOW we do it more carefully so our actions support our deepest purpose in homeschooling. This makes our homeschooling journey more clear, more thoughtful, and more joyful.
Bring your purpose to your learning journey by asking yourself these questions:
Describe the WHAT of homeschooling for your family. What do you do and how do you do it? Curricula? Unschooling? School at home? Real-life experiences? Self-design? Travel learning? Describe the WHY of homeschooling for your family. What is your true purpose? What are your deepest reasons for doing it? What do you hope for your child(ren) in their learning journey?
If you think about your WHY as you do your WHAT, does it change your attitude? Would it change your experience and your child’s learning?
Does your WHAT (the way you homeschool) achieve your WHY? If you truly listen to the WHY, would you change you how you homeschool?
Wishing you Joyful Learning!