Dadministrivia

Homelab Notebook #05

What is the title of The Other Parent in the homeschool equation? It’s true that sometimes I teach, and sometimes I advise. But mostly, I dadministrate: I sit in an office, away from the action, and write Substack posts about what I think is happening while ordering printer paper. Occasionally I pop in, high five a kid, and ask with a wink, “Learn anything yet?”— then get out before Wife (and Teacher) finds something to throw at me.

So today, I present From the Dadmin Desk, where I’ll consolidate some of our learnings and lessons from the month for paid subscribers. This post includes:

1. Administrivia: top-level reflections on the month

2. Content Spotlight: a deeper dive into one subject

3. Book Bin: what we’ve been reading

4. Resource Directory: the resources we’re employing

---

1. Administrivia

September means schedules. Even with Oldest homeschooling, there are still bus stops, drop-offs, naptimes, work meetings, doctor’s visits, mealtimes, sports practices, and bedtimes. Somewhere in all these blocks, we had to find time to add a new one: second grade.

It turns out that’s an art as much as it’s a science. While the day might start with a plan, by breakfast, we’re usually calling audibles. What we found worked best was giving Oldest a guide for the day and fitting the learning blocks in where they fit in the day rather than the other way around.

Wife has a template she fills out each week that looks like this:

This simple scheduling template has worked wonders. It provides autonomy for Oldest when he has free time, but a sibling is assaulting Wife. It provides a light enough take that Wife can move forward or cancel items if Oldest runs out of juice. It’s flexible, which is what the homeschool schedule (apparently) requires.

An unexpected joy has been pushing Oldest to his limits. Last year, education was a black box: we saw the inputs (him and his backpack) and the outputs (tired him and his work products), but we didn’t get to see the mechanics. Now, we are inside the box and can tailor it based on his progression.

Sometimes, that means taking breaks. Handwriting, in particular, took a lot of focus in the first few days, especially since Wife is a stickler for penmanship. Thinking creatively in writing or art also saps his attention quickly. These are open-ended, “do your best” activities—and his teacher knows what his best is!— so I expect it to take longer for them to feel as intuitive as math problems.

We can build in more time for these things, though. We have plenty of it. At 4 PM, when neighbors are getting off the bus, Oldest has been playing outside with his brothers or reading a book on the porch for hours. He is lounging. He is luxuriating. He works hard… but he appreciates the time saved on the commute, like his dad.

Maybe that’s why homeschooling hasn’t felt like a disruption, some violent break from the norm, yet another thing thrown on a busy schedule. It’s becoming just another movement in the autumnal rhythms of the family.

---

2. Content Spotlight: Writing and Rhetoric