Mission Possible: Writing Your Homeschool Mission Statement
“Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission.” Zig Ziglar’s well-known quote makes absolute sense to me. Self-help books, motivational books, and the Bible all talk about calling, purpose, or mission. So, as a homeschooler, new or seasoned, if you don’t have a mission statement in homeschooling, it’s time to write one. I know, it sounds super self-helpy, but your mission statement fuels your homeschool life - it not only helps keep you on track, but it is a major power behind what you plan and do in your homeschooling.
FOMO
I have “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) about anything fun, bonding, creative, thought-provoking, and brain-building for my kids. So, let’s just say, I have MAJOR FOMO. There are so many “pretty good ideas” out there - so many different curriculums, enrichment programs, instruments, places, and more. So it can be frustrating for many of us FOMO people, since we want to try all of them. Some of us are super ready to dive in, wherever and whenever we hear a pretty good idea. To me, that’s a great strength - no paralysis by analysis for me…But if left unchecked, that can cause a “Mission Drift.” Mission drift is anything that can cause you to lose focus for achieving your goals and fulfilling your purpose - thus leading to feeling unsatisfied or unfilled in your homeschooling. But, if you have a mission statement, you won’t get enslaved to “pretty good ideas” as easily. Your mission is your guide, your measuring stick for evaluating if the curriculum or experience fits the needs and interests of your unique family.
Writing a Mission Statement
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write your family’s mission statement in homeschooling. When you write it, keep in mind that a mission statement is not a list of goals…It’s an evergreen tree that doesn’t change, and your goals and strategy are the water, sun, and fertilizer that bring it to fruition. It’s something you already know within your heart. It’s just getting it put to words and to paper. We have this activity available in our downloadable workbook.
Sit down with your spouse and/or family: You may want to involve your spouse in the discussion, so that you are on the same page in your mission. You can include the kids as well if they are mature enough, giving them skin in the game. It’s a way to make it a family mission statement for homeschooling.
Picture your ideal homeschool life: Think about what you see and what you feel when you picture your ideal homeschool life. What is most striking to you? Write down 2-3 keywords that best describe what you see in this picture. You may want to include these words in your mission statement.
Discuss the reasons you homeschool: Write down your top 3 reasons why you homeschool. It would be fun to do this as a family too. Ask everyone to write down their top reasons privately, and then share it with each other to see if there are any overlapping reasons between you all. These reasons will be what brings your mission statement to life.
Write your mission statement: Remember, this is more than just goals. You might have a draft version to start off with, but as you live your homeschooling week with this lens, you will be able to refine your mission statement to feel that it fits your unique family.
Celebrate your mission statement: Write your mission statement on your letter board, on a note card to put inside a kitchen cupboard, on your chalkboard, wherever you will see it on a regular basis.
My Family’s Statement
My original mission statement, based upon our key words (bonding and fun) and my 3 reasons “why I homeschool” (parenting and family freedom, personalized education, pursuance of interests), started off as “Our homeschooling life will be a bonding and fun experience, personalized to fit the interests and needs of our family.” I was happy with it, but it really didn’t capture everything we felt called to be and do in homeschooling. So the Spouse and I met again in the kitchen while he was making our kids a snack, and revised it to this:
“Our mission in homeschooling is to live to glorify God with joyous learning experiences and acts of service. We want to help our children to be able to identify their calling in life, through freedom, struggle, bonding, and fun, while preparing them to be able to pursue their calling with excellence.”
It’s a two-part mission statement. We want our children to find their purpose and callings in life. And, when they do, we want them to have the faculties and strength to be able to pursue it in excellence. And, hey, let’s try to make this personalized education fun and deeply bonding in the process.
“Light the Fuse” by Setting Goals
Once you write your mission statement, you can set your goals. Goals can change because of situations as you adapt to your kids’ interests and needs. There are different kinds of goals, but we suggest setting process goals - not performance or outcome goals. You have the most control over process goals. Also, when you set a goal, you should be able to measure when it is achieved, so make sure it includes something quantifiable.
Example 1: I choose to use theme days as a tool for educating my children, because for our family, it creates the fun, bonding experience - but also is personalized because we pick the themes that match our children’s interests and needs. My girls love Frozen 2. So, we had a Frozen themed day full of fables, music, studying the earth, wind, fire, and water elements. This filled my cup too, because I felt that we were living our mission.
Goal: Plan two theme days per month for this school year
Goal: Offer for each child to plan one theme day during this school year
Example 2: We love read-alouds. It’s also an educational tool. It is something special my husband does with our kids too. It’s peaceful, a shared experience and adventure, a book they love, and fun - since he does all the voices as well.
Goal: Read-aloud daily, 4-5 times per week, for at least 30 minutes. It’s measurable and achievable. And it lives the mission.
Example 3: I know that all of my children need more time hearing, saying, and learning new, creative words.
Goal: Spend about 20 minutes, 3 times a week, for one month, completing Mad Libs and Mrs. Wordsmith Word a Day Book to practice parts of speech and learn new fun words. All my kids beg for both of those activities, so I know this personalized learning experience will also add fun to their day.
Use your mission statement to ensure that the goals fit within your mission.
"We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. We already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, callings."
- Abraham H. Maslow (1908 - 1970), American Psychologist
Let’s tap into those capacities, talents, direction, missions, and callings. Let’s take homeschooling beyond checking off lists, following the curriculum to a T, and insisting on following the lead of the government, family, or friends. Let’s instead be our own leader by creating our own mission for our own unique family and answer to that. Measure our homeschooling against that. Design our homeschooling activities and curriculum and lives within our mission. And if we do that, then maybe, just maybe, at the end of it all, we will be able to say, “Mission Accomplished!”
