It’s a new year and time to dream big and envision what’s ahead! Are you struggling with setting goals for the New Year? I love breaking out my new Bullet Journal and setting up the yearly and monthly calendar pages and thinking through hopes and dreams.
BUT, I break down a bit on the goal setting! For most years, I already have a rough schedule, with work related trips penciled in, along with house and business projects. Therefore, adding “goals” can feel daunting. I begin to feel like I’m already hemming myself in with stuff to get done and the year hasn’t even started yet! Plus, if your year goes like mine often does, it’s important to leave flex room for the unexpected blessings and challenges which inevitably take place.
That being said, I also recognize the power of writing things down. So, I have this tension between not wanting to get too specific, but also wanting to live fully in the coming year. What’s a girl to do? If you, like me, have followed the 4 Present Rule, this should look familiar
The 4 Present Rule:
Something they Want
Something they Need
Something to Wear
Something to Read
It’s such a fun and simple way to organize gift giving!
Why not organize the New Year in a similar fashion? This new way of looking at the New Year will help you clarify where you’ll be intentional about, providing clarity as you invest your time, money and resources!
Organize the New Year
Word of the YEAR! _________________________
Something I Want
Something I Need
Something I’ll Share
Where I’ll Succeed
This simple exercise can help us sort through what’s important and where we want to focus our time, money and energy. It can clarify our calling and vision, which is always helpful as both can be easy to lose sight of in the midst of daily responsibilities.
Planning using a “Word of the Year” can be so clarifying. What’s our focus? One year my word was “PRAY”. I purchased a 1 x 4 foot piece of art that says, “Pray Big” (I get that it’s two words, not one, but work with me here). I wrote down scripture verses about prayer, which I kept in my Bullet Journal, and kept a prayer jar. My word of the year offered focus, clarity and a constant adjustment as I headed True North.
Clarify & Simplify
We all have wants and desires.
Being clear about what I want allows less important wants to diminish, and allows me to brainstorm about how to get what we ultimately want. What do I need to sacrifice, invest in, double down on to really, truly attain what I want?
We all have needs.
Identifying my needs allows me to put time and energy into an area that I might have neglected or pushed off. As a result, I can identify those areas that are simply wants, not needs, and then re-categorize and focus our priorities.
We all have something to share.
We all have wisdom, strength and resources that will benefit others. Identifying where I’ll share keeps me from that easy path of good intentions and takes me down the road of generous giver.
We all have areas in which, if we allow ourselves to dream, we hope to succeed!
Identifying where I’ll succeed this year allows me to believe in my own success, plan and work for it, and ultimately benefit from it.
Write the Vision
Habakkuk 2:2 says, Write the vision, make it plain. The simple act of writing can bring our hopes and dreams to fruition! As you can see, writing down our hopes for the future is simple, but powerful! I challenge each of you to take some time as we head into the New Year to write down your big, God-sized Dreams!
Resources for a Successful New Year
Not sure what direction to head with homeschooling? Our Academic Advising is just what you are looking for! Our experienced Advisors save you time and money and take your student farther, faster! Homeschooling success is in YOUR future!
True North Homeschool Academy specializes in education. To us that includes equipping and encouraging parents as they learn with their children. We support families not just students.
Check out the free printables and links below and find out more about our True North Navigators. It’s a membership group for parents with fellowship, mentoring, an online book club, and monthly learning sessions that focus on encouraging and equipping you to be the best Christian home educator you can!
Homeschooling Basics- Putting it all Together! Sounds so simple, but how do you put it all together to create a cohesive homeschooling year when you have curriculum, kid’s abilities, goals, family size, and extra-curricula to consider?
Set your Goals – Long and Short Term
One of the biggest homeschooling basics is to set your goals! I’ve talked to hundreds of parents as I’ve done Academic Advising with students from around the world with all sorts of goals and abilities. It is often apparent to the parents what direction their students will take by or around Junior High. Most parents can sense if their kids are going on to Vo-Tech, College, Military or Ivy League, if not specifically, at least generally.
Most parents also realize around Jr. High (if not before) if their kiddo has a learning disability, processing disorder or other issues or limitations.
If your kids have a specific skill set, like setting swimming records in your state and going for an NCAA scholarship, or dream of going to the Air Force Academy, you’ll want to be even more intentional and goal-directed than not, in order to make those dreams come true.
Have a good sense of a solid academics
The “Core 4” consists of Math, English, History, and Science. Of course, these all look slightly different depending on ages/ stages, abilities and long term goals, but it’s a good place to start with covering the basics.
Determine Extra-Curriculars
“Extra-curriculars” include, but are not limited to, foreign language, computer, art, music, theater, dance, sports, health, speech, animal care, life skills, soft skills, Scouts, all manner of interests, and specific areas of interest within the core classes.
What field trips and travel do you plan to accomplish and how will you do this- with a co-op, camping, trading spaces with other homeschooling families? There is so much rich learning that happens when takes amazing field trips and travels, it should definitely be included in your overall homeschooling plan, if at all possible.
You can’t do it all, but you can do a lot of it.
One of the biggest homeschooling basics there is! You don’t have to sacrifice education for character training or juxtapose one set of priorities over another. Getting through difficult subject matter can be a part of character development and a good curriculum can support your child’s growth in ways that extend beyond academics. You don’t have to sacrifice or juxtapose one set of priorities over another. You do have to be intentional or something is bound to get lost in the shuffle.
How to manage it all?
Homeschooling is best goal-driven rather than curriculum-driven.
Start with the end in mind. Write the vision, make it plain, and feel free to make it outrageous and personal and epic and all yours.
Homeschooling Basics- Putting it all Together! Goals/Course/Curriculum used
Set your goals first
Name the course
Determine the curriculum you’ll use to accomplish your goals.
Student Morgan Grade 1 School Year 2019-20
GOALS
COURSE
CURRICULUM
Morgan reading by end of the year
English I
Alpha Phonics, Explode the Code
Developing creativity and fine motor skills
Art
Kumon Workbooks, MP’s Art Cards
Understanding Numbers
Math
Right Start Math
Discover the world around us
Science
Magic School Bus Books, Usborne, Nature Walks
Understanding broad overview of Bible and familiar stories
Bible
The Golden Children’s Bible, Arch Books
Develop Memory Work Skills and memorize various subject areas
Classical studies
Invictus or Claritas Memory Work, IEW’ Poetry
Begin to understand the sweeping course of History
History
SOTW, Timeline, History Cards
Language literacy and development of foreign language skills
Spanish
Spanish for Children
Student Reagan Grade 9 School Year 2019-20
GOALS
COURSE
CURRICULUM
Reading novels, plays, short stories, poetry, Writing persuasive and Compare and Contrast Essay
English I
EIW, LTW
Developing Creativity
Art
Music, Art, Theater
Algebra I
Math
Life of Fred Algebra I
Biology
Science
Guest Hollow
Understand the scope of Church History
Bible
Memoria Press Church History
Develop Memory Work Skills and memorize various subject areas
Classical studies
History and Lit Timeline,
Develop an understanding of how historical events interacted and contributed.
History
HOTW, Timeline, History Cards
Develop fluency in Foreign Language
Latin I
First & Second Form Latin
Homeschooling Basics- Putting it all Together! Do It
No plan is worth a thing without your willingness to implement it. Chart your course, headed True North, and then engage with passion and perseverance.
