I don’t want to replicate public school, but how do I measure success in my homeschool?
Do you sometimes wonder if you are doing this whole homeschooling thing “correctly”?
What if I miss something?
Can I really teach my own child?
Yup, I can certainly relate. But have no fear, all home educators doubt, have skeptics, threaten the big yellow bus, and question their abilities at some point. But here’s the thing, chances are if you are asking these questions, you are probably doing it right!
First, be encouraged by the statistics so far. Perhaps you already have explored all of these questions before jumping into homeschooling but if not, rest assured that the success stories of homeschooled children abound.
EducationandBehavior.com found many studies showing homeschool students tend to do similar or better socially and academically than traditional school students, and “obtain exceptionally high scores on standardized academic achievement tests.”
Learning “Gaps”
A common concern of homeschooling is that “gaps” will occur in their education compared to those in public school. Because homeschool is so customizable and personal, there is even more opportunity to catch any “gaps” before they become a problem.
Some ways to look for such “gaps” in learning are annual testing, IXL, or the book series ” What your <insert grade level> needs to know.” These tools have given me the reassurance I needed early on, as well as the confidence boost to know that “yes, I can teach my kids!”
I would encourage your to look beyond the test scores and Common Core requirements. Is your goal to check off the checklists, or inspire a love of learning? Do you want to fill your child’s brain like a bucket, or encourage their curiosity and natural thirst for knowledge?There is no master “magic” list out there of what exactly a child should know at each grade or age.
As homeschoolers, we should know this best: children are all different and will learn different things at different paces.
But is this learning measurable?
Shifting Perspectives of What Success in Homeschool Looks Like
In order to really measure learning at home, we have to gain an understanding of WHAT needs to be measured and WHY. Public or private schools are riddled with requirements, certifications, expectations, standards, rubrics, and assessments that make up the educational system. Because they are dealing with large numbers of children, there needs to be a way to justify, verify, and confirm quality education is happening, especially when tax dollars or tuition payments are at stake.
But if your goal is to NOT replicate the public system, then measuring success in homeschool is going to look different as well.
4 Questions to consider when evaluating your homeschool success:
1. Do I have a mission statement for my homeschool?
This is the very first thing you need to do when you start any big endeavor such as home educating. Your mission statement is like your measuring stick. It is the starting point for making goals each year, and your set goals should be attainable and measurable. Everything in your homeschool should point back to and support your mission statement.
Having a mission statement will help keep you on track, be able to set some measurable and achievable goals, and focus on what really matters. Knowing your “why” is especially key to moving forward when you reach bumps along the way. Your homeschool mission statement is also a great way to help guide big decisions and weed out anything that is unnecessary or not working.
But don’t worry if you do not have a mission statement yet, this does not mean your homeschool is not succeeding, but you will be able to better measure your progress if you have a way to measure it. So if you have not done this already, take some time to really evaluate and ponder what your goals are for your homeschool, making sure they all support your homeschool “why.”
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2. How are most of our hours spent?
Take some time to watch, write down, and evaluate how your children spend their time throughout the day. Now like most homeschoolers, your days may be very different from one to the next, so perhaps a whole week would be better. But take note of how you are spending your time and where you want to adjust or tweak if things are not lining up with your goals and priorities.
Homeschooling is not just textbooks and seat work. So much learning happens in the everyday life moments. For us, it is not book/school work that consumes the majority of our waking hours, but character training. Not only that, but character development takes priority over “school work” because this lines up with our mission statement and goals for home educating our children.
Spur-of-the-moment lessons are a regular occurrence in our homeschool because not all of the best-learned lessons can be planned. How many choose home education so that they can teach their children practical life lessons and skills? These life lessons are opportunistic in timing, and therefore don’t necessarily get planned or written down, but most certainly count toward your child’s growth and education!
3. Are my kids actively pursuing their own interests?
Do your kids enjoy books, creating, or exploring new ideas that interest them? Are you making such opportunities available to them, or are you just following a curriculum and checking off the check marks because that makes you FEEL successful? It is easy to get caught up in checking off all of the subjects required or getting to a certain level in reading or math. But are these really the measurement of success? They in themselves are not bad goals or worthless achievements, but if not careful, we can worry too much about the tasks and “doing” and lose our children along the way. Their love of learning, natural curiosity, and passions and interests can quickly get stifled and squashed if not careful.
Pay attention! Are your kids coming to you and asking to do things that they enjoy, for certain supplies to create, or are they regularly spouting off new things they read about or heard about that they found fascinating? Do they love to share their work, creations, knowledge with you? This “showing off” is actually them showing you that they are in fact learning! If this is not happening, what can you do to spark some of their interests and reignite their desires to try and explore things?
Practical ideas:
- Buy some new quality art supplies, perhaps a new medium to try (look for tutorials on YouTube or the library)
- Dig out or buy a microscope or telescope to look at the “unseen” world
- Start a Unit Study in an area of interest
- Sign them up for a free class on Varsity Tutors or Khan Academy
- Check out some library books to read together or just have on hand for them to pickup
- Watch a nature show or other interest related video
- Learn something new together (knitting, knot tying, survival skills)
- Visit a museum (online or in person) to see what peaks their interest
- Include them in household projects such as repairs, landscaping, painting, gardening (or grow a plant together from seed)
- Do some kitchen science experiments together
- Give them some cardboard boxes and tools to create and experiment with seeing how many different ways they can use the box with their imagination
- Learn stop motion studio
4. Am I being selective?
Sometimes we let guilt seep in and get the best of us and become our motivator instead of our “Why”. We want to give our kids the best and prove to others we can succeed, but end up trying to do too much too fast and cause frustration and burnout from all parties involved if we set unreasonable expectations, or if our motivation is misaligned with our goals and priorities. It also ties into the question of, do the things your buy or activities you do support your goal or mission statement?
Are you selective with activities you sign your kids up for, do you buy curriculum after curriculum thinking you will have more success with the more you have or do, do you feel like you have to buy a ton of books and spend lots of money on supplies? [Check out 4 Critical Steps to Avoid Buying the Wrong Curriculum]
Be selective! Choose the best of the best to focus on and purchase. Buy second-hand when able, sell when it’s not a good fit, sign them up for ONE activity at a time so you don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. Don’t feel guilty because you can’t do it all, or because you don’t want to waste $, or because something worked really well for someone else and not you. Here are the best resources we have found to homeschool for FREE.
Did you skip any steps in the planning process?
It’s OK if you did, and here are some ideas to help fill in any gaps and keep your homeschool running smoothly.
10 Simple Steps to Get You Started with Homeschooling
- Know Your Why
- State Requirements
- Be a Student of Your Student
- Know Thyself
- Methods and Resources
- Research and Buy Materials
- Make a Plan
- Start Slowly
- Re-Evaluate Regularly and Record-Keeping
- Find a Support System
