For the most part I have done most of the teaching and planning for our kids’ homeschool. I do plan some with Johnny and have gotten his opinions and insights over the years but he pretty much leaves it up to me. But, that’s not to say that dad in our homeschool is non-existent or unwanted. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Johnny is a “big picture” person. He sees everything from 10,000 feet up and I’m all in the details. As the dad in our homeschool, Johnny’s role isn’t teacher. That’s my role. He has many other roles including Provider, Principal, and Mentor. Let me explain a bit more about these important roles.
Provider
Johnny funds our homeschool. He works hard and provides for all of us – a home, food, school supplies, transportation, and whatever else we need. He takes care of all of this financially so that I can focus on the actual teaching. But, in his own way, he’s teaching James and Lauren by his actions, not necessarily from a textbook. He’s showing them what a father does, by providing for his family and making sure that all of our needs are met.
He’s also the leader of the home spiritually. He makes sure the kids are on track and doing what they should be doing – praying, listening to God, spending time in His Word, etc. He also encourages each of us to find our God-given gift, talent, and passion so that we can follow God’s paths for our lives.
Principal
As the leader of our homeschool, he is also the Principal. He makes sure that the kids are doing what they should, honoring their mom (aka me), meeting deadlines, etc. But, he’s also the one we each go to when there’s a problem. Early on in our homeschool years, he was the mediator between James and me. We had a lot of problems adjusting to homeschool and there were hurt feelings on both sides. It was Johnny, as the Principal, who stepped in and mediated between the two of us.
He also has the final say on many school-related issues. Let’s take the day off and go fishing. Don’t push the kids so hard. No free time until your paper’s done. Listen to your mom. These are all things he’s said over the years.
Johnny also holds a BA in Environmental Science from Concordia University Texas. He loves science and takes every opportunity to impart his knowledge to the kids. When we’re hiking he explains about how granite is formed and about the Llano uplift, or he’ll point out plants and species and if they’re normal for our area or an invading species. He’ll walk waaaaayyy out of the way if he sees a beautiful flower – all to smell it, show it to the kids, or simply admire it. We call him our own Ferdinand (as in Ferdinand the Bull – one of our favorite stories).
Mentor
As I’ve mentioned before in other posts, Johnny is a real estate agent, entrepreneur, and hard worker. As a mentor, he has been educating James and Lauren since they were little to think outside the box as far as jobs and careers. Because of that Lauren has tried her hand at selling doggy treats and even writing books and selling them. James is a beekeeper and has had small business since he was 10 or 11. He’s had a column in the Molly Green Magazine (Beekeeping 101 articles) and has sold honey at local markets for several years.
Through his mentoring, our children have learned an education well beyond what a textbook can provide. These are life lessons in how to pursue a dream and how to turn a passion into a business. They’ve seen him work hard, strive for success, fail at times, and push through to success.
Overall
I’ve only really touched briefly on all that Johnny does for our homeschool and how he keeps us focused and on track. He is such a vital person to our home, our homeschool, and our lives. I love him immensely and am so blessed to call him my husband and to know that he loves our children as much as he does. He just rocks. Love that man!!!
To read more about Dad in our Homeschool blog posts from other Homeschool Crew members, click here.
One thought on “Dad in Our Homeschool”
Comments are closed.