5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving. Day 1 Mind-set Matters

Deciding to homeschool at the first of the year or to renew your love for homeschooling by starting fresh, both require a positive mind-set.

So today, in 5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving. Day 1 Mind-set Matters, I want to share with you how the power of a positive mind-set is about a battle of the wills.

I know you may want to talk shop, as in shop for curriculum. However, from helping others who have succeeded in making homeschool a lifestyle change, I am convinced that the choice of curriculum in the beginning matters very little.

What does matter is a positive mind-set. It probably is a topic very few new homeschoolers or even seasoned homeschoolers may think about. Months or even years into their journey, a family may find the struggle is harder because at the beginning they didn’t simmer over the change.

Understanding what a mind-set is will help you to avoid drudgery along the way or at least minimize it. One of my favorite dictionaries, The New Oxford American Dictionary defines mindset as: “established set of attitudes held by someone.”

So I am asking you: Are you in a homeschool state of mind? Adopting an established set of attitudes does not happen overnight.

Established means . . .

taken time to research the meaning of homeschooling instead of researching only about state laws, standardized testing and field trip groups.

sitting down with your husband to discuss 3 basic goals for your 1st year, 5th and final years of homeschooling instead of sitting down to start school 3 days after you have taken your child out of school.

talking to your child to discuss their homeschooling fears. Voicing either their apprehension or excitement for a fresh start, it is important your child understands that as the teacher now, you are interested in his growth, personal opinions and fear of losing or making new friends.

looking forward and imagining in your mind’s eye what type of husband or wife and Christian you want your child to be.
leaving behind apprehension and fears that you will mess your child up. Fill that time in your mind with books like The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, For the Children’s Sake:Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaefer Macaulay, Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School, by Rebecca Rupp Educating the WholeHearted Child — Third Editionby Clay and Sally Clarkson and A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola.

Jump into homeschooling with all of your heart and your mind-set will follow. Renew your love for homeschooling by taking a risk and changing something at the start of the year.

Hugs and love ya,