People often ask if my husband is involved in our homeschooling. They assume that because he is an English teacher in a public high school, he must handle a lot of the teaching of English in our home.
Nope.
But, although I can’t say that he directly handles the conjugation of verbs, making up spelling lists or overseeing composition, I can say that he is directly involved in our homeschool in a way that is unique to Dad.
He is involved as my partner in planning. Again, it’s not a direct involvement, since he trusts me to research, ruminate, ponder and make plans. But he’s there every step of the way, ready to listen to the debates I engage in with myself, ask me pointed questions, help me to sharpen and define my ideas and our goals.
He is involved in the kids’ daily endeavors. He may not directly teach our kids about spelling or verb conjugation (though he’s an expert at modeling perfect grammar), but he’s there every night at the dinner table, asking our daughters what they did, what they learned, what they laughed about and what they will be doing tomorrow. He’s always ready to read their narrations, sympathize with them over their math woes, or be wowed by their artwork. He lets them know that, although he can’t be there during the workday, what they do while he’s gone is important to him.
He is involved when he reads to our girls, and really talks to them, discussing the books they love and the books he loves. Words such as “foreshadowing” and “irony” are part of an everyday chat with Daddy.
He is involved in getting me “in-service” days. Homeschoolers need in-services occasionally, too, and my husband understands the importance of that. As a teacher himself, he knows how necessary it is to have time to think, regroup, reorganize and plan. He encourages me to take the time for these things, whether that means scheduling an “in-service” on a weekday, or taking advantage of a Saturday afternoon, while he heads out with the gang for some Daddy-Daughter time. Either way, his help supports me and keeps me sane.
My husband’s involvement might seem, from a distance, to be distant. But, we here in the thick of the Edmisten Homeschool know that it’s anything but. His interest, interaction, and support help all of us to know that he’s behind us all the way, even if he isn’t the one doing all the conjugating.
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