Putting Homeschooling on the Menu

I was interviewed today by a reporter for the Huffington Post who is writing a series of articles on urban homeschooling and wanted my perspective.  One of the questions she asked me was if my graduate work in education policy influenced my decision to homeschool my kids.  I answered that, although I became interested in alternative education, including homeschooling, while in graduate school, it wasn't until I had my own children that I considered the option more seriously.  Ok, the reporter went on, but did my policy perspectives on current education trends lead me to choose the homeschooling option?

For us, homeschooling is not a rejection of our urban, public schools or of the private schools nearby.  Rather, it is an acceptance of homeschooling as the perfect fit for our family, for our learning, for our lifestyle.  It's kind of like going to a restaurant with three reasonable menu items.  We're not passionately rejecting the other two options; we just decide that one of the three options is most appealing to us for a variety of reasons.

I feel strongly that homeschooling should be on the menu.  It should be one of the three options, along with private and public school, that parents consider when they make education choices for their children.  I hope that this blog, in some very small way, helps families to better understand the homeschooling option (at least from one family's perspective), to help them make an informed, thoughtful decision about which education option fits best for their family, for their learners.

And then savor that choice.