When you think of homeschooling, the roles assumed are that of the mother being the teacher while dad is formally your school's principal and is out at work during the day. If you talk to different families, this is the case. But a majority of dad's are wanting to be as involved in their children's home education as mom is! So what is a dad to do when he has to work all day?
The answer is simple: In homeschooling, there are no defined school hours. Dad can easily come home after a day at work and do math with the kids, or science, or whatever it is that he feels led to teach. A great subject that is fun to do at night does involve science: Astronomy. How fun would it be to take the family outside after dinner with a telescope and learn about the stars? A great resource for studying Astronomy with the whole family is Exploring Creation with Astronomy by Apologia.
It's a tough role for a dad to take on considering that in most cases he works outside of the home all day. The reality is that by getting dad involved it actually brings the family closer together. A perk to mom for getting dad involved is that perhaps he can take on a subject that she is not familiar with or doesn't feel comfortable or qualified to teach. This also helps balancing different teaching styles to your kids.
With homeschooling giving us the option to teach whenever we want or whenever there is a teachable moment, dad's can do their subjects on the weekends or you can use that time for dad to lead a family field trip and perhaps co-teach a subject. If you were to be doing the subject of Astronomy, a field trip to Morehead Planetarium would make for a great local field trip.
But rest assured, it is okay if dad does not want to be an active participant in your homeschooling. Some dad's are just not cut out to be a teacher (or so they think). Most men don't realize all that they do teach their children just by being a parent. They may not be leading in an academic subject, but to be sure, he is teaching his children. Whether dad is coaching soccer or taking the kids on a fishing trip, there is still teaching involved and quality time being spent together. All you can ask if your spouse does not want to teach is that they at least be supportive of you, as mom and teacher.
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