A fellow family liaison and personal friend recently hosted a book club entitled Planning Your  Year. I can’t resist a good book club or the chance to talk about curriculum, so I joined in. Sweet homeschooling parents shared their unique family structure, needs, aspirations, and experiences each week as we wrestled with new planning topics and homeschooling goals. We each had a unique homeschooling vision. Some moms were drawn to a stricter schedule to bring order to their busy world, while others longed for freedom from that constraint. 

You’d think after five years I would proudly announce that I have arrived at homeschooling perfection. This year, I’m proud to announce that I have instead arrived at acceptance and joy. Some areas are different from how I pictured they would be, yet somehow still very beautiful. I am leaning into a love of teaching and learning alongside my children. This acceptance and reflection have brought me immense excitement for the year ahead. 

It’s hard to believe my family closed year five of homeschooling last month! This book club delivered me from many unnecessary stressors I had been holding onto all these years, specifically trying to do what hasn’t worked for my family. I’ve become more in tune with the unique needs of each of my children and have become more confident in our lifestyle with every passing year. I hope you can complete a short version of the Plan Your Year book club through this article. Let’s reflect on this past year and plan for the coming one. I hope you’ll take the very best of what you’ve learned in the past and accept the permission to leave behind that which no longer serves your family. 

• Curriculum- What worked and what didn’t work with your current curriculum? Is there something you can switch out? Our team knows firsthand that just because you CAN change your curriculum doesn’t mean you should. If it’s working, resist the temptation for the shiny and new. If you have any questions about curriculum or need suggestions, please contact your HST (after August 1st), other parents in the Facebook group, or the family liaisons! We all love to help.

• “Curriculum Slave”

  • Know when to quit-We’ve all been there. You’ve purchased a curriculum, and despite your best efforts, you realize it isn’t working for you or your child. While I wouldn’t suggest immediately quitting, don’t be afraid to try something new!

  • Don’t read the script-Parent manuals that accompany open-and-go curriculums often come with helpful parent scripts and suggested activities and schedules. These can be wonderful, but don’t be afraid to improvise! It’s ok to only complete even numbers in your math book, skip a book you hate in your literature-based curriculum, or leave a few activities undone in your subscription box. As long as you’re being consistent in your lessons, by all means, be free!

• Schedules-You know your schedule best. Rebeka Heath, a fellow family liaison, gave excellent advice in her podcast episode on how to plan your day. Reflect on how your family functions best, what worked, and what hasn’t worked this year. 

• Organization- Do you want a print planner, paper planner, or even no planner? Do you plan by day, week, month, or year? Do you follow the curriculum’s schedule or make it work for you? Do you correct as you go or save a pile to do at the end of the week? 

I hope by the end of this article, you were able to reflect on what worked and what didn’t work from this past school year. We would like to offer this book club again in the fall so stay tuned for more information about how to sign up! Each year (and even each week) is an opportunity to make old things new again. As our families pass through different seasons, may we be empowered to adjust again and again. Here’s to another fantastic year!

Morgan Stout