Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics.
This week’s Moms Talk question relates to homeschooling:
The topic of home schooling has garnered major headlines these days. A recent Newsweek cover story with the title “Are Homeschoolers Out of Their Minds?” has generated a good deal of online chatter among both those who homeschool and those who don’t. The Newsweek article itself is a bit more balanced than the cover headline might indicate, detailing the reasons “Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education.” Now we want to know what you think:
Is homeschooling just the latest parenting fad?
Our Moms Council members include:
- Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mom to an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International.
- Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
- Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.
- Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.
- Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.
- Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”
- Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is almost 2 and a 5-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.
- Jennifer Willenbrock of Nazareth is mom to two beautiful daughters, ages 5 and 6 weeks. She was previously employed by Catholic Charities, where she worked in a girl’s group home in Philipsburg, N.J.
If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.
In any event, even if that were true, we would have to conclude that almost all human beings throughout the history of mankind (and even in our own time) were improperly socialized because they didn't partake of modern, industrialized, mass education. Historically, what we now call "homeschooling" simply used to be childhood. As to the question the headline asks (whether it is a fad), there are close to 2 million homeschooled students in the U.S. now, and the percentage has been growing far faster than population growth. Some useful stats: http://www.nheri.org/Research-Facts-on-Homeschooling.html
The only time I disagreed was when a middle schooler asked to be homeschooled in the middle of the school year because another kid called her "fat", and the parents obliged. In this case, I think it was a reactionary decision, rather than deal with the issue. They aren't doing a great job teaching her at home, as both parents work full time, and her grades are terrible. I believe there is a lot more going on here that needs to be addressed, and homeschooling is not the answer for them.
Name the benefits