As a stay-at-home mom, I tend to do 90% of the homeschooling. My husband works shift work, so when he is home depends on his current schedule. His days off also vary, but he usually works on the weekends. That being said, he has a role in our homeschooling. As I have said before, homeschooling is not a set time of day, but instead is integrated into our life during many moments.
I actually asked my husband the other week what he thought his role in homeschooling was. His answer was that he made the money for me to buy supplies. While that is true, he has a very important function in our family as homeschoolers. I often observe him doing things that he may not even be aware that he is doing with our children, usually when I am busy doing something else.
My husband is knowledgeable in many areas that I am not, so we are able to guide our children in different areas as they come up. For example, my husband is an excellent mathematician. He is able to do math in his head about which I can only dream! Our son has showed a lot of interest in numbers lately, and I have caught my husband doing some counting work with our son without him even realizing he is doing it! We have different approaches to teaching and guiding, so our children learn in various ways. The other week, he did some kitchen work with our son - making jello, making pancakes, etc. Those are simple ways that he is involved which also integrate a key component of our homeschooling: practical life.
To be honest, my husband's biggest role in homeschooling right now is that he takes the baby for her nap every day after lunch. He works midnights, so he sleeps during the day. Our daughter naps for about 2.5 hours in the afternoon right now. By taking the baby for her nap, my son and I get crucial one-on-one time which is not only paramount to his education, but also to our bond. Sometimes we stay home during this time, but we often venture out of the house for a little bit. We can go to the library and explore, run some errands (yup, errands count as part of homeschooling! - socialization, math, language, etc.), go to the park, etc. We can obviously do this with the baby as well (and we do, a lot!), but having that one-on-one time is important for each child to have.
My husband serves a great role in our homeschooling of which he is not even aware. I am grateful of his support on this journey. He does not know much about Montessori - and what he knows is what I have told him. I do not expect him to sit down and read her books or learn about the teaching method. That is MY job. Having his support is the most important, but he teaches them without him even knowing! Isn't that cool? You can guide a child without even realizing it. And that, to me, is one of the quintessential concepts of homeschooling.
