It’s just about the middle of summer right now and you might be taking a break from homeschooling. However, summer is also the time to prepare for the upcoming homeschool year.
Preparing for your school year in advance contributes greatly to the success of your homeschool especially for a Homeschool CEO who’s also running a business. Don’t know where to start? Here are a few steps to follow.
Step 1: Review the last school year.
Ideally, you should conduct an evaluation at the end of each homeschool year. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to do it.
Evaluating is beneficial to you because it helps you gain a better perspective on what worked and what didn’t, which then helps you decide if you need to change or improve on anything in the upcoming year. Some of the things you need to evaluate include your child’s schoolwork, your curriculum, your schedule, and workload among others.
For instance, were your learning goals met? Did you like the curriculum you used? How were you able to balance homeschooling and running a business? Click here to read more about what you need to evaluate at the end of the school year.
Step 2: Set your goals.
Defining goals for your child and your homeschool as a whole will set the tone for your year. This gives you something to work towards and helps you identify the steps you need to take to achieve them.
Start with reviewing your State laws on homeschooling to make sure you’re complying with them. Then set learning goals for each child. Also think about what you aim to accomplish by the end of the year as a homeschool family.
As a Homeschool CEO, you also need to think about your business goals because the time you need to run your business might affect your time for homeschooling too.
Step 3: Choose your curriculum and resources.
Now that you have clarity about what you wish to accomplish for the year, it’s time to choose the curriculum and resources that will help you achieve them. If you think that what you used last year will still work, then go ahead and continue using them. If not, take the time to research alternatives.
Don’t forget to scout for the best places to buy your materials and when to buy them so that you can get the best deal. Make sure they arrive weeks before you intend to start the school year to give you time to prepare.
Step 4: Start planning out the year.
Grab a planner and start planning the year. It doesn’t matter whether you use a traditional or a digital planner. What’s important is to develop a planning system that works for you so that it will be easy to keep following it throughout the year.
You can start by mapping out an overview for the year. Then break that down into a quarterly or monthly plan, then a weekly plan for at least the first couple of weeks. Doing this will help you determine if there are adjustments that need to be made either in your business or in your family life in order to make everything work out.
Step 5: Get organized.
Now that you have a general plan in place, it’s time to organize what you have. Start by decluttering your homeschool area first though. Go through all the materials that you have. Let go of those that you no longer use or need to make room for new stuff.
Have a plan for how to organize your space and do it in such a way that makes sense for you and your family. For more tips on organizing your homeschool resources, click here.
It’s always a good idea to come prepared no matter what you’re trying to do. However, it is absolutely essential especially for Homeschool CEOs like you because it helps both your business and homeschool run smoothly.
