EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED! For the first time, many have been faced with one of the greatest decisions of their parenting lives. How will they educate their children? Will they continue to send them to school during this time of COVID-19 restrictions, masks, and social distancing? Will they sit them in front of a computer screen for hours of ZOOM virtual classes? Or will they withdraw them completely and HOMESCHOOL and test the waters of real, parent-directed education at home.
On a daily basis now, parents are considering homeschooling for the first time ever and asking the question, “But How?” Yvette Hampton and Aby Rinella answer this important question in this discussion for The Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast.
Here are 10 very specific steps to get you started on the right path, or encourage you along the way if you’re already traveling the homeschool road.
Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.”
Proverbs 1:8: “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
1) PRAY. Do that first. Surrender your homeschool to the Lord. Seek Him in all you do.
2) KNOW YOUR WHY. So that when it gets hard, and it will, you can go back and be reminded.
- What does the Bible have to say about education? – Israel Wayne’s, Christian Education: A Manifesto is a wealth of Biblical instruction on training our children’s hearts and minds.
- The Who, Why, and How of Homeschooling – podcast with Yvette Hampton, Aby Rinella, and Karen DeBeus
- Homegrown Generation (the 2020 Schoolhouse Rocked online conference) – Sign up to watch 7 of the best sessions for free, including “Why Homeschooling Matters – Getting to the Heart of Homeschooling” with Aby Rinella. Or, sign up for the entire conference for only $10!
- Education: Does God Have An Opinion? Book by Israel Wayne
3) KNOW YOUR STATE LAWS – Visit SchoolhouseRocked.com/homeschooling-in-your-state/ to find the homeschooling laws in your state and connect with your state homeschool organization.
4) JOIN HSLDA
5) DE-SCHOOL – Get rid of the “school” mentality – Do not compare, do not try to recreate someone else’s homeschool or traditional school in your home. Answer the call the Lord has given YOUR family. Give time for a family reset.
6) FIND A LOCAL COMMUNITY
7) UNDERSTAND STYLE – your teaching style and your children’s learning styles.
- The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
8) CHOOSE CURRICULUM – Ask friends or family for recommendations
9) ATTEND A HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE – in person, if possible. Learn about your state conference by becoming a member of your state homeschool organization.
- Find your state homeschool organization
- For online, sign up for the 2020 Homegrown Generation Family Expo (only $10)
10) START WITH THE END IN MIND, and at the same time, acknowledge that change is inevitable. Be flexible.
Bonus Step) STAY ENCOURAGED! Listen to The Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast for weekly homeschooling encouragement.