Home educating is a lot different than sending children to a public school to learn. The roles are different, even for the children. I had to learn what my own role was and what my expectations of others were when I first started out. My children also had to know what was expected of them.
Every homeschool family will look different. There are no two that are alike. There may be similarities but homeschooling involves so much more than just learning that it really does not look the same for anyone. Each family disciplines their children differently and teaches differently and uses different curriculum.
So, what are the roles of each person in the homeschool? The answer to that is: it will look different for every family. Below I am listing each position in my family’s dynamic. Yours may not look the same but maybe you can gain some insight about how our homeschool functions.
Dad
My husband plays an important role in educating our children. I call him “The Principle”. He gets a kick out of it but it is his main responsibility. He oversees our home and leads us in a Godly manner. He takes care of the facility (our house) and makes sure we have the supplies we need. He is also the go-to for discipline issues that cannot be handled by one parent alone. He asks how each day has gone and what they liked learning that day.
My husband is more hands-off when it comes to teaching unless I ask for specific help with something. He is, however, in charge of physical education for our boys. I live with chronic pain so I can’t do as much physically as my husband can. Having all boys is a challenge because they are VERY physical. My husband plays sports with them and does yard work with them. He teaches them how to care for a home and family. His role is vital to our homeschool.
Mom
My job is the actual educating part of homeschooling. I choose the curriculum after careful consideration and research. I study each book we will be using and select what we will need. I purchase supplies and make sure the kids have enough for the year. I am the “Teacher”. I get to spend my day with my children and watching their faces light up as they learn something new and fascinating. It is the best part of my day.
I am also in charge of disciplining when necessary. I only involve my husband when it is a recurrent issue or something dangerous. I take my children on field trips that have been carefully planned. I am the main provider of their education and I make sure they are not behind in any subjects.
My role is important because my children depend on me to provide them with a proper education. I am solely responsible for our daily work and daily routines. It is a tough job but well worth it.
Children
My children have important responsibilities as well. Each day they are required to give me their best when we are homeschooling. I am not strict but I do ask them to pay attention and always try hard. They love to learn new things and are very involved in the planning of each subject. For instance, I ask them what kind of science they would like to study. I give them a few ideas and they bounce some back to me. I want them to learn about things they are interested in. I ask for feedback when something isn’t working as well so I know in the future to use a different technique or curriculum.
My boys also have the job of cleaning our school room. We do have a designated school room. It has several book shelves filled to the rim, a huge fish tank (they feed the fish), my desk, school supplies on a large shelf, and a long table with chairs. I have a few dry erase boards as well. Their job is to keep the paper clippings (because they are constantly cutting something) off of the floor, clean the dry erase boards, put away supplies when finished with them, organize the books, and general cleaning and tidying.
If they bring their best each day, the day is that much smoother. We do have days that fall apart and that’s okay. That is the beauty of homeschooling. Sometimes none of us are feeling it that day. We start fresh the next day.
Each person in our family has certain responsibilities and duties. If we serve one another willingly and lovingly our homeschool day will be great. Making sure my children have fun while learning is a true blessing. It took me a while to figure out the structure and dynamic of our homeschool but once we did, things got a whole lot better.
