How to Use Homeschooler Accountability to Help You Thrive

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Need a better way to stay on track with your homeschool goals? How about getting homeschool support and understanding?

Check out why accountability can help you thrive as a homeschooler. Also, find out about a rockin' homeschool community where you can join other homeschoolers in being accountable for their homeschool goals.

What is Homeschooler Accountability?

By definition, accountability means: "the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable". Accountability is used in many fields to help both professionals and laymen set, work towards, and achieve realistic goals.

Homeschooler accountability simply means that a homeschooler who is seeking to have a successful homeschool experience sets specific goals and partners with another homeschooler or group to check-in, self-evaluate, and mutually encourage and support.

Basically, you find another homeschooler (or group) and work together towards goals specific to your homeschool.

This type of accountability for homeschoolers can be accomplished in a variety of ways.

Face-to-Face: If you are lucky enough to have another homeschooler who understands where you are in your homeschool journey, this opportunity is priceless! Casual meet-ups to chat about all things homeschool are fantastic ways to develop homeschooler accountability.
Phone, Video, & Live Social Broadcast Chat: Another great way to connect with other homeschoolers and stay accountable! Personally, I love Facebook Live and have found some of my best friends through it.
Online: Through social media like Facebook and Instagram, connecting with other homeschoolers has become a fantastic way to connect with and find your tribe. I have also been having a ton of fun over in Rock Your Homeschool! Facebook group.

Why You Need Homeschooler Accountability

There is always something to work on in homeschooling, like starting on time, completing all lessons in a day, and keeping up with paperwork. The difficulty, however, comes with following through and achieving those homeschool goals.

I can not tell you how many times I have told myself that I am going to maintain paperwork and record keeping with our homeschool portfolio. Every single summer, I vow to keep a pristine binder and file folder system for homeschool papers and projects completed throughout the upcoming year. And every single year I end up flaking out by mid-October.

Here is where homeschooler accountability comes in! When you tell or write your homeschool goals down and share with another, you are much more likely to accomplish those goals. When you have another homeschooler to hold you accountable and lift you up with encouragement, you are more motivated to complete those tasks.

If you fall off the wagon of homeschool management, your accountability partner or group can boost you back up.

Your homeschooler accountability partner can review your goals and help you make sure they are realistic. (I may think that filing every single paper every single day is a fantastic goal but my accountability partner would help me see that I'm being unrealistic.)

Checking in with your accountability partner with preset dates guides you in consistently looking at where you are with your homeschool goals.

Your homeschooler accountability partner can give encouragement when you feel like you are failing and celebrate with you when you have success. They can share tips and ideas to help you stay on track. With the right homeschooler accountability partner, you will feel comfortable to share your ups and downs in homeschooling.

FREE Homeschooler Accountability Worksheet PLUS Homeschool Community!

To help with homeschooler accountability, I created this FREE worksheet! Use it to record a maximum of 3 homeschool goals (setting too many goals can be overwhelming) and record your progress.

Tips for effective use of your Homeschooler Accountability Worksheet:

Set specific goals. Quantify when possible. (For example, write "I will file homeschool paperwork 2x/week on Wednesday and Friday." instead of "I will file paperwork each week.")
Use positive and definitive word choices. Write something like "I will..." instead of "I should..." or "I must..."
Record your "Why". It can be helpful to write why this area of improvement is important to you. Use this information to customize your actionable steps.
List at least 3 actionable step to reach each goal. Be specific as possible.
Write about how you will know this goal is achieved. What will you need to experience to feel goal is accomplished? Again, be specific!
If necessary, only work on one goal at a time. I left space for 3 in case you have smaller goals or feel confident that more than one is doable. If you have a major goal, however, I encourage you to focus on only one. Use additional space to record ideas and progress.
Find an accountability partner/group. Ideally, you will find an accountability partner who "gets" you. At the very least, you will have someone who is positive and encouraging. Your accountability partner can be your spouse, friend, or family member. If you would like to connect with other homeschoolers to find a supportive group and partner, check out Rock Your Homeschool!

Rock Your Homeschool! Facebook group has an accountability thread for homeschoolers, as well as opportunity to find a personal accountability partner. In addition to daily support and homeschool challenges. Our group is just a super-duper way to boost your homeschool in a fun community!

To access your FREE Homeschooler Accountability sheet, subscribe to Rock Your Homeschool! You will receive weekly email updates and subscriber freebies! (Click on image below to subscribe & download!)