How involved is your spouse in homeschooling? My dh is fully supportive of homeschooling, but he leaves it all up to me. If I ask his opinion on something he will usually tell me he doesn't know and leaves it to me to decide. He trusts that I will choose the best. It also probably relates to the fact that I have a background in education and he doesn't. He doesn't have any desire to do any school with my boys, but will if I ask him to do something. He does ask about their school day and tries to "rah-rah" school up to them. He is very much a hands-on dad, but not with schooling.
my dh is not even that involved. his main contribution is to ask, did you do school today? and how much will it cost? I would like him to do more (especially math) but I knew even when they were babies that he was not exactly a "hands on"dad. I can count on one hand how many diapers he changed. He is hugely supportive of hs (he's the one who insisted on it in the first place) he just doesn't want to participate.
When "we" were homeschooling ds, dh was a stay-at-home-dad but also had a small upholstery shop. I'd do the lesson plans (which was largely a matter of putting down page numbers because we used mostly Lifepacs with Saxon math), and he was supposed to "oversee" ds's work. The idea was to do school in the morning, then ds go to the shop with dh. But what more often happened was that dh would go to the shop and leave ds to do his work at home alone. I didn't like it, but I HAD to be out earning a living! I'd do some lessons with ds when I got home, on weekends and vacations and holidays, but otherwise what he did he did himself. There were times I couldn't even pay him real money to do his lifepacs! and definitely not math! But somehow he considered himself done and took his GED and passed it on the first try (which is something not everybody around here does), even the math. In more recent years, ds has told me he wishes he'd paid better attention to the lessons I'd set out for him... and he and dil have arranged for dgs age 4 to stay with us, because he believes public school is no place for him. Nowadays, DH is with me most days helping me to school Other People's Kids - he teaches the Bible and math and some of the science and history, and I do all the reading and English and some of the science and history, and all of the planning and choosing and testing and whatnot. So in practical terms, he's more involved in the education of OPKs than he was is his own son's... go figger.
My husband trusts most stuff to me--- I think because I taught professionally. However, he goes to the book fair with me every year, and he gives his opinions on subjects when I ask for it [usually math-related]. He'll go to some of our homeschool group stuff, and he's teaching a Saturday once-a-month Lego class we're doing with the group now. He'll also sometimes grab extracurricular stuff at the book fair that he wants them to do.
Ds has always been a hands-on dad. I used to work part-time around his work schedule. The tasks of school and infant/child-care fell on whomever was home at the time. PTL for my hubby! He is awesome! He doesn't consider himself intelligent (he was a typical rowdy boy in school), so he appreciates me being at home now that we are doing high school level work, but as long as he understands the work--or the teacher's manual--he is eager to do the school work with the kids.
We spent an equal amount of time helping our children. In particular, I'd help with math and the sciences. When we needed to drive a child somewhere (e.g., for weekly Spanish classes, homeschool chorale, or homeschool baseball), my wife would usually do that because of my work schedule. On some occasions, I'd take a child to work with me, and they'd do their schoolwork in my office. So, I think we divided the work quite equally between us. Only when my travel schedule at work became extensive (I was usually in one or two other countries every week) did my wife carry the majority of the load.
The Hubs is fully supportive, and does help our son out alot when he is around. He asks about school as well. If there is a minor decision to be made he usually likes ot leave it up to me as well. I am graduating for my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education in October so he trusts me that I know best on most issues. :/
Fully supportive, minimally involved. He works 10-12 hours outside the home so I can't really expect him to do that much. His contribution is taking ds to classes or events on the weekends -when he can- to give me a break. I sometimes wish he would do a little more but it's just the dynamic we have settled into.
My husband is fully supportive of homeschooling. He leaves every decision up to me and just trusts that I am going to do what I feel is best. I don't even bother to ask him his opinion on anything because he wouldn't have a clue between one curriculum or another. Just becasue he doesn't do the homeschooling does not mean he isn't hands on. He is very hands on - he taught both girls how to fish and once we move I'm sure they will be fishing all the time in our pond. He taught Samantha gun safety and how to shoot and takes her hunting and to the range. He said this year Grace will be old enough to go hunting too. He taught both girls how to ride bikes without training wheels, to make a campfire, to set up a tent and to read a compass. He helps Grace with her bath, he cooks and does basically anything at all that we ask. He just doesn't do the traditional math, reading, writing, etc.
Hands on with parenting but not with schooling. He doesn't ask for my help when he is off at work each day, so I don;t ask for his with teaching the kids. I probably could and I doubt that he would mind doing it, but this is the way it has worked out. He does other things with the kids when he is home.
DH is fully supportive of homeschooling, he helps pick out the curriculum each year, and when he's off on a school day (at least once a week) he helps with lessons as well. We use those days as "helper" days where I will work closely with a child who is having trouble with an area and he will do lessons with the other child, these are also the days we do more involved projects because there are more helping hands in the house. I generally do all the lesson planning, though when they get older and the math gets harder DH will probably take of the teaching there.
My husband leaves the curriculum choices up to me and is usually too busy during the week to help much, but he does what he can. He will do science projects with the kids at night if I have it all ready. He is also excited to go on field trips over the weekends whenever he has them off.
Hubby is very supportive, and will sometimes help me pick curriculum when I am stuck between two... usually just by asking me which one would fit us better or what ever. He loves to see what the kids are doing, never asks how much I spend and never complains when he finds out..lol. He regularly teaches things to the kids.. tons of life skills (esp bargin shopping at the store.. he LOVES to hunt for deals and loves to help the kids understand why this is a better deal over that), "shop class" (he and ODS just built me the cutest little "out house" for my gardening tools out of old barn wood!, he teaches all the kids to build all kinds of things, bird houses, shelves, etc.), "auto mechanics" (Garrett can do a full tune up on a vehicle, has changed brake lines, brakes, the fuel pump on my truck which involved taking the bed off, and Reagan is getting into the mix of helping now too. Ry could care less, but before she will ever be allowed to drive she will have to prove to daddy that she knows a vehicle inside and out and can do most maintence on it), and when I'm burned out or having a hard time or no time, he will take over what ever subjects I ask him to. For a while he was even working all day and coming home and teaching Garrett 5 subjects every evening since Garrett was balking at listening to me. He trusts my judgement completely and never questions it.. or at least not when he isn't genuinely curious about what we are up to (or maybe I should say what I am buying), but he never acts like he doesn't believe in what I choose... just wonders why I choose to do this, this way.
My dh has been off work some lately, and I have found that too much dh help, is like too many cooks in the kitchen. So I gave him math and guitar. The rest is off limits !
Carl is fully supportive. He sort of leaves it to me, but a few years back I actually ASKED his opinion, and he gave it to me (!!!). AND it went against what I had pretty much decided. AND it was more than an opinion, really, but more of a "I don't want you using that with our kids because of A, B, and C." THEN, the Vendor's Hall at CHEO always is open the night before the conference, and he WANTED TO GO WITH ME! Ever since, I have consulted him on curriculum. I'm still the one doing the research (thank you, ladies, for your valuable assistance!!!), but I discuss the various programs, which I'm leaning toward,and why. If things aren't going well (such as Phillip's math!) I talk over with him what I might possibly do about it. When Rachael has trouble with her higher math (or even Faythe once this year!), I let him know and he will help her with it in the evenings. But, being a teacher, he's not interested in coming home and teaching some more. And that's OK with me!
DH is very supportive of HSing, and his only question regarding cost is whether I think we can afford it without hurting too much. He works on an offshore oil rig, so he's gone 14 days at a time. When he's home he handles recess/PE and actively seeks out chances for the girls to show off what they've learned so that he can praise them. He's also in college classes online, so I can't really expect him to be the man of the house, half homeschool duties with me, work in the middle of the ocean half the month and do well in college. He has said that he wants to be more involved with history as they get older and he finishes school. He also cooks dinner most nights he's home and lets me sleep in an extra hour in the morning when he's home. So while HSing isn't exactly divided equally, the workload while he's home is pretty well balanced.
My DH works a lot of long hours (we own our own trucking business), so I rarely ask him to help with teaching, even if he's off that day. I recently asked him why he didn't seem to care about our schooling, and he said, "I don't worry about it. I know you're doing a great job, because I can see it in Will when we talk about things or do whatever. If you have any problems I know you'll come to me about it if you need my help." So then I asked if there was anything particular he really wanted us to focus on, and he said he wants to be sure both of the boys have a solid understanding of American history and our documents, meaning the Declaration, Bill of Rights, etc. He does participate in field trips when he can, and teaches the typical "manly" stuff like car maintenance, yard work, etc. So he works at his job, I work at mine and if we need help from each other we give it. He's very hands-on in other areas, just not poopy diapers or the workbook parts of school.
DH has always been very hands-on. Even with little things like the diapers and what not. He is always willing to stay home with all three kids if I have something that needs to be done. I am very blessed to have such a hands on husband. As far as school, he is very supportive and has let me know what he would like to see the kids learning as far as subject matter. However, I pick out the curriculum and do most of the teaching. It's not because he doesnt want to but more because he works during the day and I am the one at home. It just makes sense to do it this way. When they get older he will be teaching them computer science since that is his passion. He also loves doing computer learning games and going on field trips with us. He will ask my older daughter simple math questions in the car and stuff like that as well.
