Creating a Homeschool Compass (Plus FREE Printable)
You know that sweet sound of silence and the overwhelming peace that comes when the little people you have been caring for all day have gone to bed? It was one of those nights, when I first learned about homeschool compasses.
At the time, my kids were 7, 5, and 2. I was also a newb in this homeschool world (a little over a year under my belt) and just wanted to do a good job at this homeschool mom gig, you know?!
And so, instead of getting the sleep required of me to be a fresh and functional mama the next day, I stayed up late scouring the interwebs for homeschool wisdom and inspo that I desperately needed.
I landed on a specific post from my fave blog at the time, and … my homeschool journey was forever changed.
Seriously. That post was a game-changer and I honestly don’t know what our homeschool now would look like without something called homeschool compasses.
Sooooo, what is a homeschool compass and why should you create one?
WHAT IT IS:
We all know that a regular compass is a navigational device that can help keep us on track to our ultimate destination by giving us direction. With a compass, we can stop at any point along our journey to determine whether or not we are still on course, based on our orientation.
In the same way, a homeschool compass serves as a navigational device for our family’s ultimate vision. It is a tool to help us recalibrate, as needed, the steps we are taking so that we can stay on track with our family’s long-term objectives.
WHY YOU SHOULD CREATE ONE:
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
You may have a vision for your homeschool, but what good is a vision if you don’t create a path for reaching it?
Clearly, it is impossible to map out every single detail of your homeschool journey. I’m not saying to do that.
What I am saying is that it will serve you well to take time every 3-6 months to determine your orientation.
Is what you have been doing in the last several months getting you closer to your vision or moving you further away from it? How about the plans you are making for this next season of learning? Are you putting things on your homeschool plate that aligns with your family’s “true north”?
Creating homeschool compasses along your journey is like checking a regular compass – it gives you opportunities to assess where each of your children are at and whether your entire family is on track or not.
HOW TO CREATE A HOMESCHOOL COMPASS
1. Carve Out One-on-One Time with Each Child
My kids look forward to this special time of intentional connection, especially when my time is normally divided between three kids.
It doesn’t need to be super long, especially if you do compasses more often (we do ours every 3 months, but have done them as often as monthly because of our family’s interest-led/unschooling approach to learning). A good half hour should be enough for a quarterly compass (when we do monthly compasses, they are just quick checks/adjustments that only take less than 15 minutes).
To make it extra special, you can turn this into an outing to a coffee shop or for lunch (that would obviously require more time).
2. Review the Last 3-6 Months with Your Child
This is where I take the previous compass, review what they had on there, and determine if any of those things have served them well.
If this will be your first time and don’t have a previous compass, simply talk with your child. Ask them what they’ve been enjoying and haven’t been enjoying in their recent season of learning, whether that be resources, activities, extra-curriculars, etc.
Sometimes we have found that they were overly ambitious or put too much on their plates, and other times we have found that they were bored and needed to be challenged.
And this year, our family was challenged by some dear friends to come up with words for the year. Therefore, I have also used this time to check in with child to see how they have been doing with living up to those words.
This is also a great opportunity to praise your children for what they’ve done well; to highlight their strengths and contributions.
By reviewing compasses with each child, you not only can see where they are at individually, but can determine how the entire family, as a whole, is living up to the overall vision.
3. Make a Homeschool Compass for Next 3-6 Months with Your Child
Now that you know what has and hasn’t worked, it’s time for the fun stuff! Talk to your kids about what they want the next few months to look like.
Here are some things I have discussed with each of my kids when we get to this part of the process:
- Current interests (besides subjects they want to learn more about, this also includes things they want to do, places they want to go for field trips, etc.)
- What they need from me (more attention? more trust? more direction? more freedom? more of the same?)
- Adjusting or creating new goals (short-term, long-term)
- Where they need to grow or get outside of their comfort zone (usually I am the one who points this out and challenges them)
- Any other changes that need to happen to help them steward their life and story well
We then put everything down on a fresh homeschool compass sheet so we have a “guide” to refer to over the next few months!
A HOMESCHOOL COMPASS IS NOT JUST FOR ACADEMICS
This is a tool to inventory other areas of your child’s life as well, particularly in the areas of goals and getting outside their comfort zones.
Because truly, homeschooling isn’t merely about educating kids at home, away from the walls of regular schools and school systems. Most of you reading this have chosen to homeschool because you are wanting to create an entirely different legacy. You aren’t just teaching your children history or science, but are also using the time and space that homeschooling offers families to train up your children’s character and to disciple them in The Bigger Story.
So don’t limit your compasses only to school subjects. Include life skills and heart-related issues.
A HOMESCHOOL COMPASS IS NOT JUST FOR KIDS
I’m not sure who to credit this saying to, but I personally love it:
“The greatest lessons in life are caught, not taught!”
As a homeschool mom (with your husband, if you are married), you are your children’s primary leader and example for how to navigate this world. And your words do not carry the same weight as your actions. Pretty sobering, if you stop to think about it!
So, I encourage you mamas to also take time check in with YOURSELF and create your own compass. This is your permission to get into a quiet space, light a candle, pour some tea, pray and ponder … and put on paper some things you would personally like to learn and grow in over the next several months.
The beauty of the homeschool life is that we aren’t just teachers and our kids aren’t just students. We are, as a family, learning and growing TOGETHER in the story God is writing with our lives.