The Homeschool Mission Statement: Our Beacon

Have you ever considered creating a mission statement for your homeschool? Maybe the answer is no, and you’re wondering why you would even want to take the time to do this! Or, perhaps the answer is yes, but you have no idea how to get started. Whatever situation you find yourself in, I’ve got you covered!

We often think of mission statements as fancy proclamations put together by professionals, sitting in stuffy offices for companies that make the big bucks. Our lives as homeschool parents look very different! We are often knee-deep in laundry piles, overdue library books, and dirty dishes.

Not exactly the same context as a boardroom, but when we dig a little deeper, we see that, at the core, our homeschools and successful companies have a lot in common. The biggest commonality: Companies have to juggle lots of details, and so do we! (I don’t have to tell you what this means. You know exactly what balls are hurling through the air for you right now.)

This is the where the homeschool mission statement comes in!

Why Would I Want a Homeschool Mission Statement?

Think of a mission statement as a beacon. There are times in the day-to-day, weary-bleary hours of homeschooling that we wonder what we’re doing and where we’re headed. You may have even asked yourself, “What is the point of all of this?”

Your mission statement can be the beacon that guides your way through uncertainty and curriculum choices. It can bring you a sense of peace in the chaos and help you find your footing when everything else around you feels like a swirling mess.

A mission statement is your tether, your beacon, your voice!

How Do I Create a Homeschool Mission Statement?

Another great question! Even if you feel in your heart that a mission statement can be helpful, you may not know how to build one. So where do you start? You begin with questions to uncover your vision!

Below are a few of my favorites to help you get started. I encourage you to read them over and then just start writing. What pops into your mind? Don’t self-edit along the way. Write it all down. The tiny strands that seem irrelevant in the moment may be part of a larger picture that is only clear after all the strands are gathered together on the paper. If it helps, set a timer for 15 minutes. How many ideas can you splash onto the paper before the timer buzzes?  

When you’re satisfied that you’ve dumped your mind and heart onto the page, let it rest. Go for a walk. Make a snack. Let it breathe.

Then come back and revisit your page with fresh eyes. Look for the common threads—the ideas that resonate most deeply and the phrases that make your heart skip. These are the blocks of your mission statement.

Questions for Building a Homeschool Mission Statement

• Why are we here in the first place?

• Why did we choose to homeschool?

• Why do we continue to homeschool?

• What do we do in our homeschool?

• How do we do it?

• Whom do we do it for?

• What value are we bringing to our ourselves, our family, the lives of others, the community?

What Does a Homeschool Mission Statement Look Like?

The mission of my homeschool is simple: to nurture ourselves and each other and encourage lifelong learning.

In this statement, it is clear that we take care of each other and dive headlong into learning. These are the reasons we chose to homeschool. And these are the reasons we continue to homeschool, even in the midst of challenges.

Your homeschool mission statement will likely look entirely different from mine. With each unique family, there is a unique homeschool and a unique mission statement. The unifying thread of all mission statements is they remind us what we stand for, what drives us, and shine the light we need to guide our homeschools.

Are you ready to light your beacon with a mission statement?

About the Author

Angela Awald is a homeschooling mama to 6, certified teacher, writer, and doula. Her days brim full of learning, loving, and laundry (lots and lots of laundry)!! She believes that nurturing children (and ourselves) means helping them to see that all of life is about learning – from our mistakes, from each other, and from great books! Angela blogs at nurturedroots.net where she shares the ways she is nurturing her family and inspiration for nurturing your own.