Seven Habits of Highly Effective New School Years

Maureen at Trinity Prep very kindly invited me to participate in this project. And speaking of 7, this September begins our 7th year of homeschooling! Every year brings with it a new vision and promise. And every year I hope to be at least a smidgen more effective. :) Here are a few thoughts and ideas I have for this one ...

1. Reflect, envision and pray. These sound like three separate habits, but really they work together as one. I start by reflecting on last year (what worked, what didn't) which leads me to envision next year (new goals and ideas). I then spend time praying for direction and eventually I end up with the plan for the new year. It's all about starting with the big picture and fine-tuning it down to specifics.

2. Research the resources. I try to start this as early as I can because the more time I have, the better decisions I make. Once I determine what subjects we'll be studying I start looking around for the best possible resources. I send for catalogs, I browse online, I ask for advice and I google. Then I compare my findings, consult with dh and finally commit - by pressing that Submit Order button. And sooner, rather than later, because I still haven't ordered that Saxon and here it is 2 weeks to start-day!

3. Meet and mingle. Every summer I have at least one if not two or three coffee nights with my best homeschooling girlfriends. We talk shop, bounce around ideas and pencil in possible field trips. These get-togethers really get our juices flowing! At this time of year, I also check in with my homeschool support group. A planning meeting is scheduled? Great, I'm there! It's a wonderful way to get the educational energy going!

4. Set up the space. As a family we decide on where the sit-down, hands-on, all-together-now learning will happen. Truly it's all over the house, but it makes sense to designate a few well-ordered areas as "school" (for lack of a better word) areas. For us, it's primarily the dining room, and to that end, we added a second table, a bookcase, and hung up a bulletin board. Getting it all set up and organized the way I'd like before the new year starts is an immediate goal. (And with the upcoming Loveliness Fair I've got my deadline!)

5. Secure the supplies. Bookworm and I walked through an enormous office supply store today and I casually mentioned we should pick up a few things for the new year. But what did we need? What could we use? Time to take stock! Perhaps the happiest moments of my school experience were the annual gathering of new school supplies! Homeschooled children look forward to this moment as well. So we'll make up our lists, check them twice, and buy our supplies in one fell swoop. Ahh, there's nothing like the smell of scotch tape! :)

6. Keep good records. With all we home learning families do all year, it's necessary to find a convenient way to keep track of our experiences and progress. There are so many ways to do it, but what's important is that you do it. It might be a blog, a lesson planner, a scrapbook ... choose your method and plan a time to do it every week (or month or semester). For us it's a bit of this and that. We keep everything in storage bins and I try to maintain a lesson planner for weekly notes. But what I have found most helpful in record keeping has been this blog! :)

7. Mark the milestones. (This kind of relates back to number 5.) Start the new year with a bang! Organize the school supplies (perhaps in a shultuete), polish the desks, get haircuts, buy new shoes, clean out the van, order new book bags, make up co-op t-shirts, and of course, take lots of first day pictures. :)

I know I don't have room for one more, but truly each of these habits can only be effective if they are done with much love and prayer. Thanks, Maureen, for including me, and may God bless you all in your new school year!