Recently I was honored for
homeschooling our four sons. While it is an honor and a privilege to be
able to homeschool, and it is nice to be recognized, I have to say,
that in my case, homeschooling has everything to do with my husband.
I put (Our) in the title
because I realize that every homeschooling family is different. Truth
is not variable, though homeschooling, delightfully, can be. As many
changes as we have been through over the twenty-six-plus years we have
been doing this, one strong constant has remained--Dad.
When I think of what makes our
homeschooling even possible, it all begins with him. He is the one who
has been completely supportive of the idea from the start, when we
figured out that public school was not working for us. Being
open-minded was not a challenge for him. Many dads have to work their
way around to the idea, which is fine, but Ron has a lovely penchant for
going off the beaten path. Sometimes this leads to a bad case of
poison ivy, but at other times it leads to much better places, and
wonderful hidden realms.
Ron is a fearless type who
loves adventure--and not alone, but is always anxious to bring his
family with. Actually, if he were the one doing most of the schooling, I
think the boys would be better off. But alas, somebody around here has
to make a living for us, and he has dutifully headed off each day, all
of these days, all of these years, so that I could stay home and
"school" the boys.
Not that I believe for a second
that what we do during "school" hours is the whole job of education.
Ron spends his free time lavishly on the kids (and me). When the boys
were little, after he would come home from work, Ron could most often be
found down on the floor playing right alongside them. It didn't matter
what, though he taught them all about knights, and army men, and other
favorites from his own childhood. He would also read to them many
nights, and has shared with his sons many of his favorite books and
authors, usually beginning with Tolkien.
Other hugely important learning
takes place with our boys when Dad is around, teaching them how to
garden, to fish, to fix things around the house, and general maintenance
of everything from washing the car to taking care of the dog. Every
Saturday morning since I can remember, Ron has been making pancakes with
the boys. It's not just teaching them cooking, but also the simple joy
of family life. Even if he's yelling at them (which sometimes happens
if the bacon is getting burnt or something) it is cementing them
together as comrades. They know they have great value in their father's
eyes.
It doesn't end with just us,
either. Ron is very mindful that we need to reach out to others. He is
the driving force behind the boys learning service. He courageously
leads the singing when we visit retirement centers, not that he even
really knows how to sing. He also jumps in with both feet when adult
leaders are needed in various kid's programs, and can regularly be found
coaching. He does these things with such an attitude of selflessness
that it is baffling to me. That he is modeling this to my sons is worth
much more than gold.
Obviously, I could go on for
days about all the ways in which my husband is an amazing father. But
back to the subject at hand. To me, homeschooling oftentimes puts the
focus on the mother--as normally she is the one handling much of it.
The truth about our homeschooling is that it is really the dad who makes
it any kind of a success. Without my husband's support, the kids would
run me ragged. He backs me up, encourages me, listens to me. He
helps. He gives me a break. He supplements where I lack. He does the
chemistry! He even sometimes picks up tacos on the way home for
dinner. Whatever it is I need, he does it.
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