Questions For Those Considering Homeschooling - Step 0

So you're considering homeschooling. We don't all come to this question from the same place. Maybe your kids are young and you have a few years before you need to decide. Maybe you have a child in school but it's not working well or you are wishing for something better. Maybe you have even been homeschooling for years but are looking to re-examine what you are doing.

Although we all come to homeschooling for different reasons, it would be a missed opportunity to not approach this lifestyle without much thought. Just as every family is different, every families homeschool journey will be different. What is best for one family is not what is best for another’s. Many of us have things we do in common while there are other things we do differently. Each family has their own values, priorities and goals. We may be in different seasons of life. Homeschooling is a journey that will shift and change and grow along with your family.

Although this blog focuses on unschooling, these questions are not specific to any method or educational philosophy. Instead, my prayer when I wrote these questions was to provide a resource for those who are considering homeschooling which would help them to examine their beliefs around education, define their priorities, and spark discussions between parents to help them intentionally live out their dream for their family. Its not a quiz to tell you your homeschooling style, or even a planning aid where you will have a plan for each day of the week. They are questions meant to be discussed, to help reframe the idea of 'school' and ask the questions of 'how' through the lens of 'why'. Some 'steps' have several questions; others only a few. Don't get overwhelmed with the number of questions (this is not a test, no one will grade you), but take your time with the questions and sit with the ones that speak to you. I encourage you to move through the steps in order over several days or weeks; don't rush ahead. They are meant to help you start with considering the foundation of homeschooling before you begin to focus on building.

Ready? Let's begin!

So before you jump into making plans for your homeschool, take some time to reflect on your own educational experiences. Take time to look inward at yourself so you can be more aware of where you are coming from, and what expectations and biases you have and may take for granted. The path that has brought you to where you are now is uniquely your own. We'll look at our children, families, and goals in later posts.

Your School experience

1. What was your experience in school personally?

2. What did you like about your own education?

3. What didn’t you like?

4. What learning moments stand out to you? In school? Outside of school?

5. What did you learn in school that you find useful in everyday life?

6. What did you learn in school that you haven’t thought of since?

7. What was your favorite subject in school?

8. Least favorite?

9. What non-educational experiences did you experience that you value?

10. What non-educational experiences did you have that were difficult?

Your current learning

1. How do you learn best? What is your learning style (auditory-listening to verbal information, kinesthetic-hands on with all senses included, visual-graphic depictions, reading/writing-written information and note taking)?

2. When is learning pleasurable for you? When is it painful?

3. In what environment do you learn best?

4. In what environment is it hard for you to learn?

5. How self-motivated / self-disciplined are you?

6. Do you thrive in structure or freedom of schedule?

7. What interests did you pursue outside of school as a child? How did you spend your free time?

8. What are you passionate about?

9. What first ignited that passion?

10. What are your hobbies?

11. How have your hobbies and interests changed over the years? When did these hobbies or interest develop?

12. What hobby or interest of others sounds totally boring to you?

13. How many new things do you currently learn a day?

14. What steps do you take when you want to be sure to retain something you’ve learned?

15. What did you learn outside of school that has been essential in your life?

16. When does learning new information become overwhelming for you?

17. When you want to find out new information, what do you do? What resources do you use? What knowledge helps you utilize those tools?

18. When you reflect back on what you’ve learned, what benchmarks do you use to decide if you’ve learned it well?

19. What motivates you to learn new things?

20. When are you motivated to do hard things?

I hope these questions have given you space to process your own education, and maybe even recognize some differences between how you learn vs how you were taught. These factors are important to be aware of as you begin to consider what meaningful learning looks like and your educational values. In the next step we will look at your child and family as a whole.