Finding Your “Why” for Homeschooling

When beginning to homeschool, a solid first step is establishing your “why.” But to do that, it is helpful to pause and ponder the question, “Why am I homeschooling?” Some might think “finding your why” is tricky and vague, but it doesn’t have to be. I have found that pausing, asking the right questions, and taking the time to answer them simplifies the process.

If you would like an overview of how to begin homeschooling, read my online Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling. In it, I’ve outlined the first steps to homeschooling successfully.

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Why is Finding Your “Why” So Important?

Finding your “why” is key to establishing goals for your homeschool.

What Happens When You Don’t Know Your “Why”?

Imagine you are thinking about going on a road trip. Maybe it is something you have always wanted to do, and you think now is the time. 

You wouldn’t just jump in the car and start driving, would you? The very first thing you would do is decide WHERE am I going? Knowing where you are going tells you what to bring, what route to take, and even how much sleep you need before you begin. 😉

Without knowing where you are going, you may forget the coat you’ll need or perhaps the sunscreen. Even worse, you may drive around aimlessly, never arrive anywhere pleasant, and drive home sad, discouraged, and disappointed. Not to mention the time and money wasted because you never decided where you were going in the first place.

Not finding and knowing your “why” is kinda like that. 

Finding Your “Why” Reveals Your Destination

First, you want to learn your “why” because it will reveal your destination. When you take the time to find out why you are homeschooling, you set yourself up for success. Because when you have a destination, you know what direction you need to go.

Your Destination Reveals the Direction You Need to Go

Now that you know your direction, you can decide what supplies you want to bring. It may mean whether or not you need that coat on a road trip. In homeschooling, it will help shine a light on what books you need and strategies you will use.

Are you convinced that taking time to discover and establish your why in homeschooling is essential? You may be thinking, okay, that is nice and all, but what now? How do I figure out my “why?!”

Below I’ve outlined a powerful 5 step process to help you do just that. Let’s keep going 🙂

5 Steps to Finding Your “Why.”

Step 1: Ask Questions

One excellent method is by asking questions, not just questions to anyone but specifically asking questions yourself and taking the time to dig deep within and answer them.

Questions like:

• What do I want from homeschooling?
• What will I teach them?
• What do I want my children to know?
• What life lessons do I want for them?
• Do I want them to know God as I understand God?
• Do I want my children to have the freedom to follow passions?

What does my child need?

• Does my child need specialized care?
• Does my child struggle with math, and I want to get specialized help for them?
• Does my child love a subject not offered in traditional schooling?
• What do I want my kids to learn before they leave home?

Step 2: Question Your Answers with “Why?”

Next, question your answers with “Why?” Doesn’t that sound odd? When I was introduced to this idea, I was pleasantly surprised at the result of the exercise.

• So if I ask myself: What do I want for my child in homeschooling?
• And my answer is: I want my child to know how to read.

• Then I ask myself: Why do I want my child to know how to read?
• And my answer is: I want my child to know how to read, so he will have the tools he needs to learn new things.

• Then I ask myself: Why do I want my child to have the tools he needs to learn new things?
• And my answer is: I want my child to have the tools he needs to learn new things so that he can take care of himself and provide for himself when he is an adult.

BOOM!

Now there is an answer that will serve as great motivation in your homeschooling. 🙂 That is a “WHY” that will keep you going strong.

Step 3: Ponder Your Answers

After doing this exercise with your list of questions, ponder your answers. Which ones resonate with you the most? Then do the next thing and look for patterns.

Step 4: Look for Patterns

I don’t know about you, but my dream list of desires for my children’s education seemed endless and overwhelming when I was going through the exercise. Looking for patterns helped me condense some of them. For instance, I realized that all the literacy skills would fit nicely into the example above. I became aware that I strongly desire my homeschooling experience to equip my children with all the skills they need to learn new things. Skills that would enable them to provide for themselves as adults and enjoy life to the fullest.

Step 5: Conclude with an Overarching Theme

After you have looked for patterns, an overarching theme will naturally emerge that mirrors your heart’s desires for your homeschool. This overarching theme is your “WHY”! And it is worth GOLD!

Your overarching theme will give you the destination and direction for your homeschool.

Example of What Finding Your “Why” Results Could Look Like

An example of the final process may look like this:

Overall destination and goals

• To know and love GOD.
• To love family
• To love learning
• To have a solid foundation of faith before launching into the world
• To have all the skills (reading, writing, logic, math), they need to learn anything they desire or need for the rest of their lives.

Yearly (sometimes even daily) direction and goals

• To learn in privacy and safety of home
• To learn to read
• To master multiplication
• To learn self-control

Your why will likely evolve and change as you and your child continue to homeschool, which is the beauty of it. Homeschooling allows the freedom to do just that.

There is no set box for your child to perform in. You will have the opportunity to give them an education that is tailor-made JUST FOR THEM!

It is so exciting! Even as I type these words, my insides are leaping. When I began homeschooling, I had no idea the doors of opportunities it would open for my children. Seeing them flourishing in their interests is just so thrilling and satisfying to behold. Only God could design a plan this perfect 😊

Conclusion

In review, we have contemplated why finding our “why” is so important. We have discussed what could happen due to not knowing it.

We have seen how we save time, money, and energy when locating our “why.” Because it does not only reveal our destination, it also acts as a compass pointing us in the right direction.

Then we learned a process that can help us figure out our why. We have asked questions, we have questioned our answers with why, we have pondered our answers, and we have looked for patterns. Finally, we concluded with an overarching theme and found our elusive why.

I hope I have answered the questions often asked about finding, discovering, and establishing your “why.”

I pray this process will help you as you take your first bold step on your journey to create a homeschool life.

Later, we will come back and tackle what to do with the information we have worked so hard to figure out.

Warm Hugs, ~Tammy

P.S. If you are new here and to homeschooling, I invite you to join my email list. Or if not, but you know someone who is, I’d love it if you would share it with a friend who might be interested in joining my email list. Here’s a link! https://createahomeschoollife.com/7homeschoolingsecrets