Ask the Experts: What are Your 2022 Goals for Your Homeschool?

Teaching Independence:
Denice Price – Philippines

Paul and I have a simple road map for our parenting style. Teach your kids to grow from dependent to independent to dependable.

What are these stages?

When the kids are babies and toddlers, they are dependent on you and your hubby for everything. You feed them, you bathe them, you dress them.

Then as they grow, you start teaching them how to brush their teeth and take a bath by themselves. Then a few more years and they get to choose their clothes. These years are the independent stage.

Then as they grow older, you have to teach them the value of buying for others out of their own hard-earned money. Or when they’re at that period where they are responsible not just for themselves but also for others. These years are the dependable stage.

There’s no specific time frame for these stages. It is different for every child.

This year, we have two elementary and two high school homeschooling students. This year’s goal is greater independence.

Seton has helped us on our road map because of their magnificent lesson plans and books! Seton materials are so wonderfully made that self-learning is easy. The instructions are clear and straightforward for both parent and student.

Here’s to a healthier, safer year ahead for everyone!

Preparing Them to Stand Strong:
Kristin Brown, Virginia

By the time you read this, my youngest will have made his first confession and will be rapidly on his way to receiving his First Holy Communion in the spring.

My first and foremost goal in 2022 is to prepare him for the life-changing reality of the True Presence in the Eucharist. Other than that, I hope to finish 10th, 9th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd grades strong, for my children to learn well, spend the summer thoughtfully, and begin their next year’s journey refreshed and eager to learn. I hope to continue homeschooling all my children, to continue my volunteer work, and finally get around to reading the hundred-some books on my  “To Be Read” list.

I want to protect them from the world’s evils while preparing them to stand strong. I want to foster a home that can be a refuge from the troubles of the world and a place where my children can learn, love, and be loved. I want my children to continue to develop habits of self-organization, virtue, and, most of all, holiness.

Author’s note: So you know we are a very “normal” family, I also asked my children what my goals should be:

15-year- old said, “To survive homeschooling us all.”

14-year-old: “To let your children do whatever they want.”

7-year-old had my favorite answer: “To give us so much sugar we can stay awake for 17 days straight.”

In God’s Care:
Susan Brock, Virginia

Every day has its joys and sorrows, and I have learned to put my trust and hope for our school year in the care of God’s Providence and not so much on specific goals of my own making.

Since this is our 21st year of being enrolled with Seton Home Study, our goals are very much the same year after year: to educate our children for life and eternity.

Three of our children have already graduated from Seton, and in 2022, our fourth child will graduate. He is making a final sprint towards the finish line and is determined to finish his year ahead of schedule—mid-winter or early spring. Having only four to homeschool in the upcoming school year will be bittersweet but filled with hope for my children’s futures as I see them take what they have learned and apply it to their own lives.

Being in the Present Moment:
Tara Brelinsky, North Carolina

After more than 20 years of homeschooling, I’d have to say that my goals going into a new year aren’t radically different from previous ones.

Experience has taught me that consistency and flexibility are essential ingredients in homeschooling. Well, they are critical ingredients for peace and success in life, generally. So, my goals in 2022 are to continue honing those skills which aid my family in remaining consistent in their educational endeavors and flexible in their day-to-day living.

Present moment living is the best way to develop those skills. In 2022, I plan to continue being in the present with my children: at the school table, the dinner table, the chapel, etc. Rather than worry away the time with a litany of what-ifs and someday-dreams, I will invest my time and energy in each day’s lessons, chores, and experiences. If the last two years have taught us anything, it should be that our static plans are quickly upended, but that’s okay when we focus on what matters most: our eternal goals.

In 2022, I plan to enjoy every day as though it is a unique and unrepeatable gift. My goal is to continue doing those things involved in working for my family, let go of those things that aren’t, and entrust it all to the One Who works all things for the good of those who love Him.