Why Having Vision Is Good For Your Homeschool

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

Recently, I attended a conference where the speaker discussed the importance of vision. She cleverly related an example from her past where she described a childhood experience of not being able to see the chalkboard (yes, a chalkboard for those of you who are "old school") and because her vision was impaired, she couldn't see where she was going. In the group discussion that followed, we were asked to write down our vision for homeschooling, and while I had done this years before, I didn't have this perspective in mind. It was only when I wrote out what I truly wanted for my children that I began to understand the importance vision.

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no VISION." ~Helen Keller

While I've spent so much of my time wanting my children to be happy and strong academically, what I really want for both my children is for them learn to be kind, to know that they are loved and to discover who God is in relationship with them. Does this mean I stop educating my children? Absolutely not! Like a captain and his ship, I need to adjust our heading and make course adjustments.

When we change our vision, we change our direction. It's at that point that everything else follows. Have you ever wondered if you should use a particular curriculum? What if the content didn't align with your homeschooling goals? Would you discard it? I imagine that you would. That's because you want the best for your family. You have a vision for what you want to accomplish.

You see, vision brings clarity, focus, the ability to see where you're heading, the understanding of how to get from one place to another. And, when we see better, we then know where we're going. When we have vision, we no longer grope around in the dark, we don't feel helpless.

But what if you feel lost? What if you haven't laid hold of a vision for your homeschooling? When you first start out homeschooling, you probably never fully charted your course, never likely taught 1st grade or 3rd grade, let alone high school (unless you were a teacher in your prior life). In addressing our need for vision Mary Gunther of the Institute for Cultural Communicators (ICC) comments, "We expect ourselves to know what to do when we haven't even done it ourselves." We hold ourselves accountable for what we don't know. But in having a vision, her encouragement rings loudly in our ears, "We may not have a map, but we will have a compass direction."

The purpose in having a vision is that we are able to keep the end in sight. Vision gives purpose and direction. It doesn't mean that everything is mapped out for us, but that we know our general direction. When we go off course, vision allows us to reset our heading. In rough seas, we find our course. It helps us remember where we were headed in the first place. Vision leads to the future. It drives our ship.

We must make ready and prepare our ships to sail. We must get a clear vision and write down our headings. Ask yourself, what is it that I want for my children? Now, write down your answer (yes, right here, right now).

Set your heading, chart your course. In other words, plan your trip. Think about it, when you plan for a trip, do you get turn-by-turn directions? Do you check your phone to avoid accidents, roadwork or heavy traffic? Of course, you're trying to find the best route.

Before each voyage, captains would create a manifest, obtain accurate charts, plan what they wore, plan what to eat, and define the roles and responsibilities of the ship's crew and passengers. The manifest's comprehensive details was made for use by others, upfront planning prevented misfortune and travelers knew what was expected of them. The same applies when homeschooling your children. Vision requires details.

How are we going to get there? Once you have written own your vision, jot down some ideas on how you are going to accomplish that task. Will it involve more time in the Word? Or, maybe you want your child to go to college. In that case, you may decide to spend time preparing them for the SAT. In every situation, your specifics should be measurable. By breaking down large tasks into smaller steps, the voyage seems manageable.

Now I understand why we need vision. Through vision we gain the clarity needed for our voyage, we are able to course correct, we have direction, and when we get lost we can get back on track.

Where are you heading?