September has arrived, and you know what that means. It’s time to pick up the pencils, dust off the books and the kitchen table, and start school once again! Around this time of year, homeschool families tend to do a lot of planning. Right now you’re probably thinking about what subjects you want your children to finish by next summer, what books to read, what curriculum to use, what field trips to take, and so on.
Planning is a good thing. Proverbs 29:18a says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” If we didn’t set goals, then we wouldn’t get anywhere. For those of you who have high school-age children getting ready for college, goals are just as important, if not moreso. If you are thinking about distance learning for your own student this year, it would be wise to plan out some achievable goals.
There’s a simple formula I once learned for setting realistic goals. It’s called the SMART method. The basic idea is that you make your goals…
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Keep each of those aspects in mind as you plan out what sort of things you want your child to attain this year.
For example, you may want your student to start earning some college credits on their own while they’re still in high school so they will get a jump start on college before they graduate. If so, think about how much extra time they have to set aside for college-level homework. Think about how many credit hours are realistic with the schedule you have for your family this year. Remember, if they take a class or two at a community college, you might be doing a lot of driving back and forth all semester.
If you want your highschooler to take some credit-by-examination tests, think about how much time they’ll need to study before taking each one. Is the subject one they know a lot about, or do they need some more practice and study time? What kind of textbooks would be most beneficial to their learning style?
With these things in mind, map out on paper where you want your child to be by the end of the school year. People who actually write down their goals are much more likely to achieve them than those who don’t. It might also be a good idea to talk to your child about what goals they want to achieve themselves. Maybe there is a certain subject or area of interest they want to dive into that they haven’t told you yet.
With all that in mind, have fun planning out this next school year!
Amanda Suryan is a homeschool graduate and former distance learning student. She has an amazing mini-course about accelerated distance learning called, "Five Reasons Why You Should Consider Becoming a Distance Learner!" To claim your FREE copy, visit: http://www.DistanceLearnerSite.com
