Homeschool Goals

Not the soccer kind - the "what do I need to accomplish?" kind.

We -set -goals -in -our -school.
We -set -goals -how -'bout -YOU?

I have 3 sets of goals.

1. Long term goals for each child (Ex : we'll get through all of history 2-3 times before graduation / or Each child will know how to do all chores in the house by age 13.)
2. The ones I set (goals) -- My goals are based on my "perfect homeschool dream" year.
3. The reality I'm willing to live with (actual expectations). -- My expectations are based on the child's abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and the knowledge that life happens, but school has to stay at a certain priority level throughout the year.

I set both for each child & each subject.

Math - Goal : finish MUS Gamma for DD#2 by the end of the year / Expectation : that she'll work diligently at her own pace and understand what she's doing before we move on. So, I want to finish the book...but if she goes through it faster than a year or takes 1.5 years, I'm ok as long as she's doing her best.

History - Goal : To cover the ancients in one year / Expectation : That we'll mostly cover all that this year and work through the summer if we don't make it, so we can start next year on track.

Reading - Goal : That the 1st grader will learn to read this year / Expectation : That he'll do his best, but knowing it may take him 2 years to really "get it."

With our priorities that the needs of the family come before any preconcieved druthers of what school will look like (for example my pregnancy or a sick relative or a family vacation) it's neccessary to ward off feelings of failure for me to have these sets of goals. In my book, I may not get an "A" as a teacher this year, but I kept our priorities, I tried my best and I didn't fail. If for some reason (a pregnancy or a sick relative) keeps us from even attaining our expectations for the year -- I need to reassess my priorities, my goals and my expectations and see what has to be reevaluated for next year so that I'm not failing my child's education.

It's a delicate balance that we all attempt. With God's help, we may not please ourselves (in a "perfect homeschool year"), but we can please God by putting His priorities over our own. These sets of goals help me do that. It also keeps me from beating myself up about all the things I didn't get done because if I fall somewhere between the two sets of goals...we didn't do so bad!