The End of One Year, The Start of Another

This is it, friend. The end of our homeschool year is nearly here. We are officially in our last full week of school, and the way it’s looking we should only need a day or two next week to finish up. And while the kids and I are very much ready for our annual summer vacation, the end of one year means it’s time to start planning for our next year.

Finishing This Year Strong

But first, we need to finish this year. We need to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s and make sure we have done all that needs to be done.

For us, that means completing a few things.

First, we need to keep things legal by accurately hitting our state’s required number of student days – something that we will do in just a couple more days.

Then, we will probably find acceptable places to stop in our curriculum. While we won’t finish up our homeschool resources, I like to end in a way that makes it easy to pick up again in the fall. This year we began transitioning to a mastery-style learning that promotes truly understanding a concept before moving on rather than following the pace the curriculum sets.

And this plan has worked out very well. The kids are more laid back and relaxed and they have retained more over the long term. Plus, this shift has also allowed us a little more flexibility for those days we simply needed to change things up. Like when we had a blizzard this winter that dumped nearly 30 inches of snow. Instead of worrying about bookwork, my kids were outside helping with snow removal for two days. Or when a church family called and needed someone to check on a sick family member, we were able to say people are more important than papers.

In reality, we have completed about 90% of the curriculum, so I am happy with both the quality and quantity of learning. Also, I am pleased that we were able to teach things like helping out, teamwork, and compassion.

Lastly, I will use the end of this year to propel us into the next. I will evaluate how this year progressed, complete our homeschool binder, and begin dreaming about how we can best utilize the next year of learning.

Evaluating Our Current Homeschool Year

All year long, I am looking at what we are doing in our homeschool. I analyze and inspect the lessons our materials offer, critique the reviews that are offered, and examine how well the kids are learning.

At this point in the year, with a nearly homeschool portfolio for each child, it’s easy to look back over the year and assess.

This assessment helps me decide what changes we might need to make before the fall arrives with a brand new year.

Last year, for example, we swapped out our history curriculum because even though I thought it was amazing, the kids did not share my enthusiasm. While they learned, they did not enjoy the process, and history is something I work hard to keep exciting.

I am also always looking at what else is available. I follow many homeschooling blogs and am involved in many Facebook groups to see what works for others. First-hand accounts are something I love to get, and I am even in a couple of groups on Facebook with a whole array of homeschoolers. My main goal is to always make sure I am getting the kids the best materials for them I can, and building these resources has proved invaluable to me.

This is the step we are currently on right now. Looking back at what worked, and what didn’t. Finding my lists of new options to see if we should change. Asking the kids what they did or did not like about things we did, books we used, and lessons we covered. Evaluating this year is a priority before we can move on, and really start planning for next year.

Planning For Our Next Homeschool Year

This is probably my favorite part of the school year. It’s also the most terrifying! This is where I get to sit down and make the decisions that will steer us for the next year. Shopping for new curriculum, and waiting for it to arrive is fun. I’m a planner, so I love digging in and seeing how it’s laid out, seeing what the publisher recommends for a schedule, and making sure I understand how to use it.

But it’s also slightly terrifying, especially if we are using something new. If it’s new, we don’t know how it will work until we use it. I have made some poor choices in the past, but they did teach me about the process. Those choices taught me to do more research, read more homeschool reviews, and utilize the groups I am involved with. They also helped me find the bloggers and other homeschool families that I follow. Building my very own homeschool village of trusted sources has helped ease the fear of trying out something new.

You Can’t Put The Cart Before The Horse

And it’s this, this wise old saying, that keeps me focused. As much as I am ready to be done with this year and move on to the next, I know I need to follow the plan. We need to end this year, finish up the grading, and then start really planning. The kids and I have already started talking about next year – new subjects they may want to add, changes they would like to see – but nothing is set in stone because we are still not quite done. Everything is still hypothetical at best.

But in the next couple of weeks, the real fun begins – planning for next year!

How do you plan for your homeschool year? Comment below!