Preparing to Homeschool Young Children on the Field: An Excerpt

On our blog this week we have an excerpt from our new ebook, “Preparing to Homeschool Young Children on the Field.” You can find out more about how to get this ebook here.

This book was written in response to needs expressed by education consultants who have families heading to the field and homeschooling for the first time. Included are significant contributions from veteran overseas homeschoolers as well as experienced education consultants. Here’s an excerpt from chapter 2, “Preparation.” 

In what ways are both spouses involved with homeschooling?

Many people assume that Mom will be responsible for homeschooling – the planning, implementation, and evaluation. But there are some reasons that this may not be the best plan for your family.

First, many organizations mandate that both spouses be involved in local ministry to some degree. Mom can’t be expected to participate in ministry, even on a part-time basis, and also be responsible for every facet of homeschooling.

Second, homeschooling is not always smooth sailing. I don’t want you to be daunted by homeschooling – you can do this. If a couple has decided together who is responsible for each aspect of homeschooling, it can alleviate resentment and conflict down the road.

Here are the tasks that need to be accomplished:

1. Big picture planning: family mission statement, looking closely at each child as an individual, aligning homeschooling schedules with the family calendar (trips, home assignments, visits from family) and your daily schedule.
2. Choosing curriculum: examining the available options, taking into account the learning styles and preferences of your children AND Mom and Dad
3. Lesson planning: this may occur monthly, weekly, and/or daily, depending on your own organization style
4. Implementation: teaching your children and daily evaluating how they’re doing and whether or not they’re ready to move on
5. Big picture evaluation: evaluating how things are going big-picture-wise, schedule-wise, and curriculum-wise. Is everyone (including the parents) doing OK?

As you read through this list, I hope you can see what a lonely job this would be for one spouse to do completely on her/his own. Homeschooling is a family decision, and both parents need to be involved to some degree. If Dad has significantly more ministry responsibilities, he may be a part of the big picture planning and the big picture evaluation while Mom is part of every aspect. If Dad has a flexible schedule, he may decide to do science once or twice a week with the kids and allow Mom some needed downtime or ministry time. There are countless ways that you as a couple may divide up the tasks related to homeschooling.

How have you and your spouse decided to divide or tackle together each of the five aspects of homeschooling listed above?

© 2012-2023 PACE
All rights reserved