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“I worry that we aren’t doing enough.”
by Rebecca Kochenderfer
Dear Rebecca,
It’s the end of the school year and once again I worry that we haven’t done enough. It seems that no matter what we do or what we accomplish, I always feel like we could have and should have done more. How do I know if we’ve done enough? How do I know if I’m doing a good job?
Thank you for your help,
Tasha S., Florida
Dear Tasha,
I receive this question probably more than any other. “How do I know if I’m doing enough?” Fortunately, I have a great answer for you. I homeschooled for 20 years and the answer I am about to give you is what got us through all those years and it’s helping my children to succeed now that they are in college.
The answer is: goal setting.
Here’s what goal setting looks like in a homeschool setting.
- Create “finish lines” throughout the year. These “finish lines” help you get clear about what your priorities are and give you a wonderful sense of completion, which leads to increased confidence.For example, decide that your last day of the regular school year is going to be June 17th. Then, come up with a short list of important things that you want to accomplish by that date. You make those things your priority and you complete them by that date. This builds self trust. You are now a person who does what she says she is going to do.
- Celebrate your finish lines. Celebrating your finish lines is the equivalent of stopping to smell the roses. You don’t want your homeschooling life to become one big blur or one big to-do list. You want to set goals and then celebrate your accomplishments.
- Set overall goals at the beginning of each semester. For example, now is the time for you and your children to decide on your Summer, and even your Fall goals. Come up with a few specific goals and write them down. According to studies, those who write down their goals accomplish significantly more than those who do not write down their goals. In fact, people who write down their goals have an 80% higher success rate.
As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of goal setting. It’s made such a big difference in my life and in my children’s lives and I encourage you to give it a try.
Wishing you all the best for your beautiful homeschooling journey,
Rebecca Kochenderfer
Homeschool.com
