Homeschooling In Multicultural Families: The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling

I was sent a copy of The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions about homeschooling in multicultural families and what I learned about the book are my own.

Homeschooling in multicultural families is on the rise and for many, including myself, curiosity has turned into real interest in exploring what it would be like to homeschool our children. For families parenting multicultural with a Latino background like mine, there are many questions that come up in terms of what is the ideal way to do it, and if we would really be able to educate them bilingually without having a degree in education, and honestly, without losing our minds in the process.

I must confess that I had never heard of the homeschool life until I moved to the United States over 13 years ago and met one of my sister’s cuñadas, her husband’s younger sister, who at the time was homeschooling her two kids. At that point, it seemed to me that this was a lifestyle exclusive of  white, suburban stay-at-home moms like her. Needless to say that I didn’t learn about homeschooling in multicultural families until years later when I met a fellow Latina blogger and homeschooler mom, Monica Olivera from Mommy Maestra.

Through Monica’s blog I learned she was not an exception to a rule as I thought at first; I discovered there are other moms and dads homeschooling in multicultural families, and many of them are Latinos who also want to educate their children bilingually. That’s why Mommy Maestra has become such an important resource for parents homeschooling in multicultural families, as they can get access to tools and information that helps them navigate a world that for many it’s completely new.

Deciding to homeschool is something that families arrive at for different reasons, and when parents take that route there are a lot of questions and doubts around how to do it, if it is the right decision for them and their kids, and how to even start. Knowing that and with her many years of experience as a homeschooler mom and blogger, Monica decided to write a book in which the wisdom she has been spreading throughout the years could be access in a practical format without having to search the archives of her site. That’s why The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling was born.

A Guide For Parents Homeschooling In Multicultural Families

Personally, I have been thinking about homeschooling because the work I do involves traveling, and I would love to have the flexibility to take my children on some trips. However, for many parents homeschooling in multicultural families is a matter of providing the right education due to a school district with poor schools, or to prevent their kids from going through bullying. Currently, Latino families are thinking more and more about the option to homeschool and are in need of guidance. That’s why The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling it’s so timely.

I’ve had the book for a couple of weeks now and have enjoyed reading it to find useful tips, personal stories of homeschooling parents sharing their journey and learnings, as well as information that can help you decide if homeschooling is the right choice for you and your family. There’s a chapter addressing bilingual homeschooling which I loved because if I decide to homeschool I want to continue my children’s bilingual education.

The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling takes you from the very basics to the most advanced stages of homeschooling by going through specific topics like homeschooling children with special needs or learning differences, bilingual homeschooling, as well as tips for homeschooling older children.

I really enjoyed reading The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling and I’m already implementing some of what I learned in my day to day interactions with my children. Yes, that’s right, this guide it’s very useful for any parent who wants to be involved in their kids education as a guide of the type of things you can do and the resources that are available for you to do it. It is not limited to homeschooling parents.

That’s why I loved that Monica mentioned this on her introduction of the guide, encouraging all of us to participate in our children’s education: “Regardless of whether or not you decide to homeschool your children, I hope that you’ll find information and ideas that help you encourage their love of learning or to supplement their education. No one will care more for your children than you will, so take their futures seriously and get involved now!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monica Olivera is a Latina homeschooling mom and freelance education writer. Dedicated to Latino children’s education, she shares resources for parents who homeschool or simply want to be more involved in their children’s education on her website, Mommy Maestra. Her articles have appeared on NBCNews.com, PBS Parents, FOX News Latino, LatinaMom.me, and many other sites.

 

[dania]