What Are Your Goals With Home Education? It is imperative that all home educators take time to establish goals for their home school and each child within the family. Indeed, if you don’t know the direction in which you are heading, you may not end up where you would hope. To begin writing an overarching mission statement and specific goals for each child it is important to ask some necessary questions. Fr. Arnold Weber, OSB, in his book Homilies for the Active Christian stated, “We need to start by asking the right questions. Some get the right answers to the wrong questions and then wonder why they are missing out on a meaningful life.”

5 Steps to Successful Home Schooling devotes an entire chapter to this topic. It outlines important questions to ask, gives examples of mission statements related to Catholic home education, and provides an outline of how to select curriculum options, classes, and activities based upon the mission statement you write for your family. This book also provides necessary questions and guidelines for those who begin to home school quickly (mid-year, mid- semester, even mid-week). This is an excellent resource for new home educators and home schooling veterans.

Some example questions to ask yourself before starting out on your home schooling journey include:

1. Why are we home educating our
   children?
2. What is our family’s definition of
   success as it relates to home education?
3. How important is our faith, and
   what role do we want it to play in our home schooling?
4. What academic and social skills do
   we want our child to acquire before they graduate?
5. What class, club, co-op, and activity
   options are available to home schoolers in our area?
6. Against what criteria will we make
   decisions related to curriculum, clubs, classes, and activities?

These are just a few of the questions you should be asking before beginning the home education process. Your mission statement will provide answers to some of these questions. It will also act as the guide in answering these and other questions that surface during your home education journey. To write your mission statement, follow these steps:

1. Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in discerning God’s will for your home school.

2. Discuss the mission statement with your spouse – and depending on their ages, your children.

3. Consider the above listed questions, and those found in the second chapter of 5 Steps to Successful Home Schooling. Write down your answers to these questions.

4. Review mission statements of other home schoolers. Ask home schooling friends to share their mission statements with you (if they have them), or look over the examples listed in the second chapter of 5 Steps to Successful Home Schooling.

5. Write your mission statement.

Once you have completed your mission statement, you can begin writing goals for each child within the family and then preparing the home education plan.