Homeschool: Involving husband?

[stayathomemommy]

Quick question since its almost naptime i need to make this quick.

i am in the process of picking and buying curriculum for next year, i am very excited and dont know quite how to involve my husband in the process. He has always been very supportive but only does school with the kids when he happens to be home and i am pulling my hair out trying unsuccessfully to explain a new concept to the kids. As a mother/teacher you are in the middle of it everyday and you know what it is you want to teach and what curriculum will be helpful. Dads i’m sure feel like they are an outsider with a wallet paying for the stuff but not having any say in what it is. And sometimes it feels like all the weight is on my sholders to pick the right curriculum and teach it. i know there is a good balance…any tips?

 

[dashso40]

Does your husband want to help or is he comfortable with you making the curriculum decisions?..I don’t homeschool but I am usually the one helping with homework and projects, and my husband is comfortable just helping out now and then.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Quick question since its almost naptime i need to make this quick.

i am in the process of picking and buying curriculum for next year, i am very excited and dont know quite how to involve my husband in the process. **He has always been very supportive but only does school with the kids when he happens to be home and i am pulling my hair out trying unsuccessfully to explain a new concept to the kids. **As a mother/teacher you are in the middle of it everyday and you know what it is you want to teach and what curriculum will be helpful. Dads i’m sure feel like they are an outsider with a wallet paying for the stuff but not having any say in what it is. And sometimes it feels like all the weight is on my sholders to pick the right curriculum and teach it. i know there is a good balance…any tips?

Dash already asked, but how involved does your husband want to be?

If you are doing the majority of the teaching, it makes sense that you have the largest say in what materials you use. If you often find yourself pulling out your hair and you’re children are not understanding the concept, it’s time to review your choice of material. Not every book, style, and approach works for every parent or every child.

Your husband is probably a great person to discuss your various curriculum options with as he knows both you and your children well. BUT if he’s not into selecting curriculum but he’s supportive of your homeschooling, be satisfied. If you’re questioning what to use or debating between a few curriculum choices, ask your husband for his opinion.

If he’s interested but not that interested in helping select curriculum, you could narrow down your choices first, do the background research so you can succinctly explain the pros and cons of what you’re most interested in using, then ask him to help you decide what to use.

If there is any subject that your husband loves and wants to teach, ask him about that too. Some homeschool dads get more involved in homeschooling older kids while leaving most of the primary/grammar school education to the mom. Yet every family is different and you can decide what works best for your family.

 

[Nanny_PK]

Dash already asked, but how involved does your husband want to be?

If you are doing the majority of the teaching, it makes sense that you have the largest say in what materials you use. If you often find yourself pulling out your hair and you’re children are not understanding the concept, it’s time to review your choice of material. Not every book, style, and approach works for every parent or every child.

Your husband is probably a great person to discuss your various curriculum options with as he knows both you and your children well. BUT if he’s not into selecting curriculum but he’s supportive of your homeschooling, be satisfied. If you’re questioning what to use or debating between a few curriculum choices, ask your husband for his opinion.

If he’s interested but not that interested in helping select curriculum, you could narrow down your choices first, do the background research so you can succinctly explain the pros and cons of what you’re most interested in using, then ask him to help you decide what to use.

If there is any subject that your husband loves and wants to teach, ask him about that too. Some homeschool dads get more involved in homeschooling older kids while leaving most of the primary/grammar school education to the mom. Yet every family is different and you can decide what works best for your family.

I think you’ve gotten some very good advice. The only thing I would add – this being from a single person with no kids – is respect his (name removed by moderator)ut if you ask for it. If you’ve laid out the pros and cons and asked him opinion, listen to it. You may decide not to go with it, but do not get into a debate with him over his opinion. I’m not saying you would. Just a thought.

 

[monicatholic]

Dads i’m sure feel like they are an outsider with a wallet paying for the stuff but not having any say in what it is. And sometimes it feels like all the weight is on my shoulders to pick the right curriculum and teach it. i know there is a good balance

we’ve been homeschooling for 19 years and hope to continue next year. the good balance for us is simply a different perspective of the same situation you described, SAHMommy. does my husband’s paycheck fund the endeavor? sure. do i do most of the homeschooling? yes.

my husband trusts me to spend the money wisely, purchasing materials that i can use and my kids can benefit from. there’s our balance. the financial weight is on him, the weight of execution is on me.

both of us shoulder these responsibilities daily.

my husband does, though, choose the family memberships for the year because he’s the one who does most of the outings with the kids.

 

[jwatza]

we have been homeschooling for 11 years. I order the curriculum, my husband trusts my decisions–he is way to busy with work to help out. He supports us in homeschooling and helps out where he can. Some years he will help teach a class with other dads, sometimes he helps the older kids understand science concepts or computer stuff. He reads to the younger kids in the evenings…but I am the one who has taken the time to research curriculum and know what fits with the family. I am open to his feedback if he has concerns about this or that.

 

[leonie]

I’ve asked for (name removed by moderator)ut from my dh in the past. He always says that he trusts me with this decisions. If I’ve pressed him, he’ll give an answer, but I’ve found that it is usually a shot in the dark. He’s not working with the kids on a daily basis, so he doesn’t know what works for me or for them. If he was teaching the subject, that would be a different story.

Last fall, though, he did help me when I was really floundering with our high school decisions. There’s so many choices! I knew I want to use a correspondence program instead of doing my own. He sat down with me and looked at the prices and the services of several programs. At the time, I didn’t want to use Seton because so many of my friends seem to struggle to complete the program in one school year. I was paralyzed with indecision.

He said, let’s go with Seton. And, he said do all their subjects, don’t try to substitute. It was a great decision! Seton has been a real blessing. In fact, I’m going to enroll my two tenth graders and my seventh grader next year.

 

[Lerin]

We are only second year homeschoolers, but my husband and I have talked extensively about what his role should be.

Starting out, I wanted to ask him about every purchase and go over pros/cons of different curriculums. However, he is working in the IT field… I earned an Early Childhood Education degree. He goes to work from 8-6 everyday, and I am at home with the children full-time. He told me that he is always here to be my “sounding board” but ultimately… these decisions fall on me, since I am the one who knows the children’s learning needs best.

That being said, the best thing we have done is work out a yearly budget for schooling materials, and for “extra” activities such as sports and homeschooling supplemental classes offered nearby. I feel that he is my partner in this, but this is my realm.

One thing that has been fun… my husband DOES take interest in their completed work. My oldest tells him what she leanred that day, and reads to him from her daily journal when he gets home. He reads to her, and takes her on “field trips” like when he visits the post office or donates blood, for example. He is involved in their overall education, but leaves the details to me.

Best wishes on your homeschooling journey! We are still working on figuring out everything as well, being so new at it. Different approaches work for different families. I hope you can each be comfortable in your roles in the education of your children. God bless!