Parents holding homeschooling info meeting at Westside Park
DANIEL CLIFTON • EDITOR
MARBLE FALLS — As parents look for education options, one choice remains homeschooling, but many may hesitate at making the jump to homeschooling for a variety of reasons.
On July 27, two veteran — and successful — homeschooling parents are leading an informational meeting from 6-9 p.m. at Westside Park, located at Second Street and Avenue Q.
“We’re going to cover some of the main topics for homeschooling, both for people who already do it and for those considering it,” said Jennifer Jones.
She and her husband have homeschooled all their children — several have never attended a public school.
Another knowledgeable homeschooling parent, Belynda Abbey, will join Jones in providing homeschooling information.
“Belynda’s going to talk about the different types of homeschooling like unschooling, project learning, online public education and other types,” Jones said. “I’ll be talking about the different resources available for homeschooling families.”
After their presentations, the two will open the venue up to questions. Jones said she still gets lots of inquiries regarding “socialization” for homeschooled students. But with all the different activities — both with local homeschool groups and organizations and youth sports — she pointed out homeschooled children face few issues regarding social skills.
But that’s part of the reason for the Homeschool Parent Night, to give people who are new to homeschooling or interested in learning more about it a chance to see how they can do it.
Jones noted that she’s definitely seen an increase in the number of families in the area interested in homeschooling. She pointed to standardized testing in public schools as one of the main reason.
The event isn’t just for people new to homeschooling. Jones said they’ll also hold a curriculum swap where parents can look at the various curriculums out there and swap them.
The event is open for children to attend. While the adults gather and talk about homeschooling, the kids can enjoy the playground.
“We’ll have several teens there to supervise the kids,” Jones added.
daniel@thepicayune.com