Barry Goldwater Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Care to share SPECIFICS that the Homeschool Dads are doing right, or doing wrong, to support or actively participate in your homeschooling efforts? I'd love some stories, anectotes, or ideas. Also, please share what you are looking for from your Husbands, if you care to...Thanks in Advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I will share! My dh teaches our girls music (he plays by ear and has an understanding that is far, far beyond me). He has a "7:00 with Daddy" time and some days its music, others its math (which is what his degree is in), other times it is art. He also plans read alouds throughout the year. He is reading them "Watership Down" at the moment because it was one of his favorites. Last night they were begging for more of the story. I could not have found a better dh to accompany me on this journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 his trusting me to have enough sense and concern over our children's education to basically let me have carte blanche over the whole thing. Recently, we've decided to keep our son home for high school, too - and that ripped me apart trying to decide what to do. I honestly think he thinks I worry enough about every little detail that he doesn't have to. He is available to discuss anything and is very supportive. He does all the "manly" things with the boys, teaches shooting, building, money management, scout instructor, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I've heard it said that the best qualification to be a homeschool dad is to make awesome bookshelves. I think it's true. Once my husband asked me, "So, is it your goal to cover ALL the drywall in the house with bookshelves?" My answer: "Yep, pretty much." In all seriousness, though, my husband makes a mean bookshelf and has not complained about having to make so many--it is a great blessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 The thing I appreciate most is that, generally, he manages to strike a good balance so that he takes charge often enough so that I don't feel I'm doing it alone, but at the same time he trusts me and is happy for me to make many of the decisions about how I'm going to do things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I honestly think he thinks I worry enough about every little detail that he doesn't have to. :lol: My hubby says the same! He knows he can relax because there is no way someone who (in his opinion) over thinks so much can about it can do a bad job. I think the best thing my hubby does is lets me buy stuff that he thinks is unnecessary :D Me: So, I'm thinking about buying this maths curriculum... Him: Huh? You already have a maths curriculum. Me: Uh, yeah, I do. Him: And weren't you telling me about some free ones online. Me: Uh, yeah, I did. Him: So what do you want this other one for? Me: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Does that answer your question? Him: Uh, I was trying to listen, really, but I kind of zoned out five minutes ago because I really don't know enough about maths curriculums for any of this to make any sense, and to be frank, I like it that way. But you've obviously thought about it so if you think it's going to help, you'd better get it. Smoke him a kipper, what a guy :) He is also happy to do read alouds, ask questions about what everyone is doing, and tells everyone how great and smart they are :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh is much more involved in the upper grades. He chooses the science and math curriculum with ds13's help because he is a science/math guy. He salvages the science experiments that don't work and makes them work by using 10x the acid or rocket fuel or whatever is called for in the directions! He does the dissections. (I have to run all over China town looking for the animal body parts). He talks philosophy with ds. He wants to teach ds Greek. But I do most of the humanities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh isn't involved with the kids school. I try to keep him in the loop, but he has said he doesn't care what I do, so I stopped trying to get his opinion. He has total faith in me, but sometimes it would be nice to have some support too. Dh has very little education, so I know he wouldn't be comfortable even offering opinions on anything academic. DD11 is applying to a private school this year. You have to be accepted to this school so it isn't a given that she will get in. When I called dh to ask how he felt about her applying (I was getting ready to give them a non-refunded $100 application fee) he asked me why I called him about it. :confused: I thought he may want to offer some input, but I guess not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 his trusting me to have enough sense and concern over our children's education to basically let me have carte blanche over the whole thing. This. Although he is very helpful at the highschool levels, and works with J on his science and maths. I've heard it said that the best qualification to be a homeschool dad is to make awesome bookshelves. I think it's true. Once my husband asked me, "So, is it your goal to cover ALL the drywall in the house with bookshelves?" My answer: "Yep, pretty much." In all seriousness, though, my husband makes a mean bookshelf and has not complained about having to make so many--it is a great blessing. Now ain't that the truth!! DH is currently designing me a whole wall of bookshelves. The other thing is having my back on discipline matters relating to homeschool, he backs me up 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh is an awesome assistant.;) He will read, quiz, teach--whatever I need him to do. He encourages me daily and makes sure I have time to plan and all the resources I need. He spends lots of time with our son and is always supportive of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh is famous for scouring Netflix for educational material (or quasi-educational material, lol), and sitting down to watch with the kids when he's able. Which is really good, because I stink with the Netflix search tool! He also keeps his eyes peeeled for applicable video games, computer programs, and what not. Yes, he's kind of a tech-geek. Aside from that, he's *really* good at asking "How much do you need?" and then doing his best to make it work. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iquilt Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Our homeschool dad, my dh, is an awesome supporter of everything we do. He is in front of a lot of people for his job and he tells everyone about our family, how we homeschool and how great it is. Also he doesn't mind buying what we need (and want) nor does he mind when I spend money for curricula. He is not a builder and doesn't build bookcases but helps me carry them in so that I can put them together and fill them with more books. He reads to anyone who asks him, he joins in games of knights after hearing a Jim Weiss CD (love Jim Weiss!) about King Arthur, etc. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CarolineUK Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 The most important role my dh plays for me is to take every opportunity to tell his mother how wonderfully well homeschool is going, and what an amazing education the boys are receiving, which neatly keeps her off my back! Like an earlier poster's dh he's also the one to supervise music practice, as I have no experience whatsoever in this. Dh has a very busy job which often keeps him out two or three evenings a week as well, otherwise I know he'd love to play a greater role in the boys education - I think he secretly envies the time we all spend learning together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My husband owns his own business and will sometimes take our daughter to work with him, which she loves, and as she gets a bit older (she's 9 now) what a great opportunity that could be, for learning. He takes them to those Lowe's Build & Grow workshops sometimes and does other small projects around the house that he involves them in. He, of course, supports everything financially. All the cool outings and field trips we do, all the time I spend at home and not working, all the supplies and things I use, all of it is because he supports us financially and enables us to do these things. If at any point I want his help with something, he's willing to help out. So when I wanted a big plastic tote cut down some for a landscape model, he cut it for us. When we were doing certain hands on science projects, he was willing to help out. When my daughter made a covered wagon out of a shoebox for social studies, he helped her out with it, and so on. He ran a fun hands on science experiment 'class' for our homeschool group and led the kids in all the various experiments. Those are the ones I can think of for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 (edited) My husband helps out quite a bit. He implements a routine, that I find helpful, so that I can be a spazz and not feel guilty. He wakes the kids up at 7:30, makes them breakfast, they usually go on a bike ride or play spaceship (right now it is indoor golf), he has them make their beds. At 9:00, he does their "reading lesson"~ this is where each boy reads out loud from a book to him, if they have trouble with certain words they are circled for eventual study. At the end of the book, he writes a test about the book's content that they have to try to answer by themselves, then they get to use the book to find the answers. 2X a week, they do a writing assignment for him. Then I get to do whatever I want for the rest of the day. He will also do a second reading lesson or copywork in the evening. He tends to be a bit over critical of me, that I am not doing enough... but it is just because I am not as regimented as he is. He would like me to be on a "schedule", but that is almost impossible. I can do a framework... 10-12, 1-3 whatever happens in between... :) but NOT a schedule. He gives the boys grades for their work, I do not. If there is something specific I ask him to do, he will usually do it. He is self employed and usually home, so this is why this is all possible. I think if he were working 9-5 away from the house, it would be a bit different. He also does some cooking, and much of the cleaning. I however, fix things when they break, and other household projects. Edited June 28, 2010 by radiobrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michmom Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My husband works full time as a pilot so when he works he is completely gone and I work part-time out of the house. When he is home he teaches all of the math and science so the boys know that when Dad is home it is lots of math and science and Mom works. The schedule works great for us. Since I have had the boys full-time when my husband is gone, he knows that I also need some time for myself so he also takes over with whatever I need when he comes home. I think the best thing is that there are very few defined male/female roles in our house of who should clean, do laundry, etc. Whoever has time to do things when they need doing does them. The only real exceptions are yardwork (him) and cooking (me). After 21 years of marriage, he also never fails to tell me every day how gorgeous I am (at least he thinks so which is all that counts) and how much he loves me. What more can a girl ask for?:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My husband rearranged his work schedule so that he is home with the kids every Tuesday. He teaches our daughter on that day and also takes both kids on fun outings. Every weekend we sit down and go over the tentative plans that I've made for the week. He relies on me to do the research, but decisions that need to be made are made through joint discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturalMomma Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My dh is a big help to me. He is the assistant math teacher here, since he is very good with numbers off of the top of his head. He also, helps out with giving the children some physical education. I think one thing I would love to see is homeschool dad's getting together for outing with the children. I don't see it much in my area, but this would allow us mothers some lesson planning time or just a little free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 When the kidlets were younger, dh always made time in the evenings for the kids to bring their daily work to him. He'd ooo in and aaahh if it was done well, give words of encouragement if they'd had a bad day, and occasionally tutor them. He liked to have them sit on his lap and demonstrate their reading skills. Now that the boys are older he helps me out whenever we've had a rough go and I am ready to strangle a child. This usually means that ds13 is about to be relegated to a life of indentured servitude to me because of his bad attitude about math. As soon as I give Dh "the look", he takes the boy off my hands and does his math with him even if it's been a long day at work. He is also very involved in our science projects and as much as I love the hands-on stuff, sometimes it is very nice to hand him the experiments and go quilt in peace and quiet for a while. When it was time to teach trig/pre-calc to dd and ds 10 was having a real struggle in English and Writing which was occupying a lot of my time, dh took over dd's math and they had daddy/daughter math in the evenings. He let's me yack his ear off about curriculums even though he knows that I'll figure it out and make all of the choices. He does not keep me on a strict school budget. I have quite a bit of latitude in that department for which I am eternally grateful. Oh, and he has given me permission to NOT see or speak with his pompous sister when she visits mil next month. I get to be conveniently too busy to make it to MIL's house during that week. His sister will announce that I slighted her and dh will tell her where to stick that comment! This makes me even more madly in love with him. She is a foaming at the mouth anti-homeschooling nut case whose own grown children are absolute messes but she still thinks we all out to take parenting advice from her. I think the most important thing for the spouse of a homeschooling devoted parent is to realize how vital it is to give that parent a break and take the kids away - even if it is just to another room of the house for a while. The parents on this board are the kinds of homeschoolers who aren't just "bringing regular school" home....They are really trying to go the extra miles to give their kids an awesome, inspiring, education and that makes the days intensive. Add to it the regular parental duties and spousal expectations, and it can make for one worn out, nervous parent. It's very easy to lose yourself in the kids and forget who you are as a person and what makes you tick. Plus, I know for a fact that my children occasionally need breaks from me. So, a vigilent spouse is just such a blessing. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 But you've obviously thought about it so if you think it's going to help, you'd better get it. Rosie My dh says this too and I love him for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My husband cooks 66% of our meals and helps with after meal clean up as well. If one of the kids is being crabby or having a meltdown during "school", I send them to daddy, because daddy knows just what to say or do to make them feel better. His patience is amazing. My husband is also great at tutoring our kids in Math or listening to them read if they need the extra help or if they just prefer to be with him. I am thankful that he is home with us, because even though there is less order to our day, we are able to spend a lot more quality time as a family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh's primary school responsibility is to let me "think at him." Usually I can come to some point of clarity as I'm trying to explain things & he asks a few questions. He also is in charge of nightly read-alouds, and of course providing the $ to make my plans happen. And sometimes he even comes home early (I say as he arrives 45 minutes than I expected)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeperof3 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My husband's favorite phrase is" You're the teacher, if you think it will help the boys then buy it." Followed by " You researched it and think it will help, right? We can still pay the mortgage after you buy this right? Then, BUY IT ALREADY. I make money so that you can spend it." :banghead:That's great and all, no set budget etc but occasionally I'd like some REAL input.:lol: My dh does do science projects/experiments and helps with math several times a week. He also loves to take our boys on field trips. He's currently planning to take the kids caving and wants me to teach a short geology unit before they go. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My hubby gives me time to plan. He minds the kids for about 2-4 days in the summer and every Sunday evening throughout the year. He takes them out of the house for swimming, trips to the library, etc. so that I can have that time to focus without distraction. I really appreciate it! I also appreciate that he is financially behind it all. He realizes that books are an investment and has never said boo about a $2,000 order from Rainbow Resources or Lampstand Press. He knows I agonize over every purchase (usually) and trusts that I'm making the right choices. He reads to the kids at night and takes his leadership role seriously. He prays for me and our children, and that is truly the biggest support he can give. He also understands that some days are hard and if it's a soup and sandwich night, well, that's alright. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh and I both work part-time and stay home part-time. I'm home a lot more than him and right now do pretty much all the schooling but the plan is for him to do more as the kids are older. He does a lot of the things others mentioned so I won't repeat them all. I think the main thing I appreciate is when he is willing to listen. As much as he loves the kids and is interested in their schooling I know he's just not as interested or excited about all the details of this Latin curriculum vs. that Latin curriculum. But he's always willing to listen, ask questions, have a conversation and help me work through my own thoughts. That's invaluable to me. Homeschooling can be lonely at times I find and it's so nice to have that person to share in it with. I think the other thing I really appreciate is that he truly views our marriage and parenting as a partnership. There are things that I take care of more and things he takes care of more but pretty much we both do what needs to be done when we see it. So he does just as much laundry and cooking and grocery shopping and vacuuming as I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolash Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 He believes in my teaching ability and supports the education decisions I make. He doesn't question any expenses I have when it comes to curriculum and extras. He publically supports homeschooling and his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My dh is great about school. He understands that it takes my full-time effort to plan, research, and teach. He doesn't expect household perfection (which didn't happen before homeschooling either ;)). He cooks and cleans, we're very much a team on household care. For schooling, I'm the academic one. He's a carpenter by trade, a computer nut by hobby. So he's teaching ds both of those skills. He's taken ds to work before and it is our goal that ds know carpentry by the time he graduates, not as a job, but as a life skill...and to make his future wife happy. :D He also encourages me and trusts me with schooling. It took a year before he would admit that and admit he was a little leery in the beginning. We discuss schooling a lot, but he leaves the details up to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 My dh is such a great help! He never questions my curriculum choices or expenditures. He sits and patiently listens to me drone on and on about this one or that one and why we need it. He is always available to help out with labs too. He is very supportive and appreciates the work we put into homeschooling. He also helps with the housework and does all the laundry! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 At first my dh wasn't active in our homeschool lifestyle. He just trusted me enough. Now he voices his opinions and concerns and even will dig around for curriculums with me as long as I come to him with a list about each one. He teaches the kids whatever subjects they want when he's not working or 1 day during the weekend. Our kids love his involvement and I do too! Since he's become a big say so in our classroom it's been a very welcoming homeschooling lifestyle. I prefer it this way! I like to have him chime in on somethings and not always have to be the teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dh writes really big checks.:tongue_smilie: He is a great guy, but school is not his thing. I'm just happy that he spends free time playing with the kids. Outside play, wrestling, board games, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Officer Daddyman helps in a lot of ways! I even blogged about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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