Mission Statements

Every home school family should define a mission statement, either for the entire family or for each specific child that is being homeschooled. These mission statements provide guidance and should include one or more goals.

Some contend that effective mission statements include clear deadlines and are regularly reviewed. While this is certainly a good idea, it is also a matter of personal preference. I have one broad mission statement for the entire family with smaller individual goals for each child. It is on those individual goals that I set deadlines.

Answer the basic questions in the mission statement—who, what, when, where, how and why. Who does the mission statement apply to? The whole Smith family, or just Jane? What are you hoping to accomplish? By when? Where will this occur? How are you going to accomplish your goals? Why is accomplishing those goals so important? Why are you homeschooling? These questions don’t have to be answered in this particular order.

Our mission statement looks something like this:

This year, the Thelin family will work together to develop each individual’s knowledge, creativity and unique talents. We will use structured time and materials to learn the fundamentals of reading, writing, and some math at home. We will focus on our interests and explore science, geography and other subjects as opportunities of interest arise. At least once a month, we will visit a place of educational interest in our community, such as the science center, zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, etc. We will also look for educational opportunities in our daily life and in spontaneous family activities, such as going on errands, visiting family members, or going to the beach. We believe that learning is a fundamental part of living and that everyone should learn something new every day.

To break it down, we answered:

Who (The Thelin family)
What (develop each other’s knowledge, creativity and unique talents)
When (This year)
Where (at home and in our community)
How (through structured time and materials, field trips, and family activities)
Why (learning is a fundamental part of living)

Every family will have different focuses. I place great emphasis on developing and encouraging the talents and interests of my children. This is partially because, as a public school student, I was repeatedly told that I could never succeed as a writer. (Oh, how I would love to go back and show those teachers how well I’ve done as a professional writer!) My ego and personal issues aside, however, I never want anyone to discourage my children from pursuing the subjects and talents that genuinely interest them. 

As long as learning is the goal, there is no right or wrong mission statement. However, putting the homeschool mission into writing solidifies it for everyone. Consider framing it in a prominent location where most of the learning takes place.