Why Do I Need a Mission Statement? How do I make One?
It is hard to go against societal norms. This can go for anything: parenting styles, religion, career, homeschooling, and more. Knowing your WHY, vision, and purpose is essential or else you might experience doubt and give up. For this reason, it is a good practice to create a homeschooling mission statement. A homeschooling mission statement is basically a summary of why you decided to homeschool your children. I created our mission statement by listing all of the reasons why we homeschool. It will look different for every family. For us, this included more time for interest-based learning, more time to play, more outside time, the freedom to travel, and raising our children with Islamic values.
Why is a Mission Statement Useful?
- As a homeschooler, you may face a lot of doubt. This sometimes comes from people’s comments. I don’t know how many times the things people have said to me have influenced me to question it all. Knowing my “why” has kept me strong-minded.
- You’ll go through many hard days and phases in your homeschooling journey. You will also go through many new phases. Reminding yourself of your “why” is important during these moments. I write our mission statement in my planner and go back to it every now and then.
- In the age of social media, we are influenced to ” buy it all”. This included curriculum and printables. Your mission statement will help you make the right choices. This also includes extracurricular activities. For example, if you are a family trying to focus on slowing down, you wouldn’t want to fill your child’s schedule with so many activities. You will know your family’s goal is to embrace connection and a slower lifestyle.
Our Mission Statement
” We homeschool our children to focus on the love of learning, to make memories together through travel and field trips, to become global citizens, and to teach them the importance of Islamic values and life skills.“
When creating a mission statement it’s important to ask yourself ” What do I want my children to remember about their homeschooling journey when they become adults?”
