Last Saturday one of our readers stopped by the Home Educating Family Facebook page with this question:

I just saw a cover for Newsweek, and one of the teaser headlines is “Are Homeschoolers Out Of Their Minds?”…. anyone know what that’s about?

Considering it was attached to THIS cover, a lot of people got riled up pretty quickly. Home Educating Family got to work, and Newsweek actually replied to us, as well as sent us the link, and allowed me to ask questions of the author. When I got to the link, I was amazed. Here was a very positive article about homeschooling in a mainstream magazine that is, by admission of the cover, not necessarily conservative.

I am really excited to bring you a Q/A session with Linda Perlstein, the author of the article. She was very gracious with her time, and answered my questions very quickly.

Home Educating Family: Thank you for taking time for our readers, Linda. Is there anything in particular that inspired this article?

Linda: I was contacted by Newsweek editors. I think they were surprised to learn that people around them in New York were homeschooling—people like them, I suppose—and they wanted me to explore that.

Home Educating Family: Have you had a chance to spend time with any other homeschooling families? Maybe ones who choose to homeschool for faith-based, special needs, or financial reasons? Are you considering a series, since this article was focused on one type of homeschooling family?

Linda: I interviewed dozens of homeschooling parents for my article, visited many homeschooler group activities, and spent extended time with the Schreibers and one other family. The article was intended to be specifically about secular, urban homeschoolers who were above all choosing a lifestyle, rather than homeschooling because schools had failed to meet their kids’ special needs. I have been covering education full-time for 13 years, so I do know there are all sorts of reasons to homeschool—even within this particular group, there were so many!—but this article was not meant to be comprehensive.

Home Educating Family: When I read your article, I felt that it was balanced, mentioning some issues people have with homeschooling and also offering a lot of positives. Some of our readers felt that you were saying between the lines, “Since secular parents are doing this, it’s acceptable now.” Do you have a reply for them?

Linda: Well, the point of the article was that it IS acceptable now, in the minds of more and more secular parents who might not have considered it before. Homeschooling is becoming somewhat mainstream in a lot of cities, and that’s a reality worth exploring. I had no intention of declaring whether I or Newsweek editors think homeschooling is acceptable or not. As far as my own personal views, I think that just like with traditional schooling, sometimes it works out great, sometimes it does not, and I support the idea that parents can choose what they want for their children.

Home Educating Family: I am curious to know if you’ve had a chance to interview any thirty-something or older adults who were homeschooled, so you could get a chance to see how they fare without their parents around, or if they are still with their parents.

Linda: I spoke with several homeschoolers who were in college and doing well. This was not supposed to be a “Homeschooling: Good or Bad?” article, and therefore I didn’t really want to get into assessing how kids turn out. In the end my editors did want a little of that, and I understand why.

Home Educating Family: What kind of overall response have you received from your article?

Linda: I have heard from a lot of the homeschoolers I spoke with during my reporting, as well as many professional homeschooling advocates, and they’ve been very positive. Some homeschoolers who have commented on my personal blog seem to think I have a bias against homeschooling, though I do not. And nobody likes the cover headline, including me!

As I said before, I really appreciate Linda’s kindness in answering us so quickly. I hope her answers help you understand her intentions a little better.

You can read the entire article online. Why not take a moment to tell Newsweek “thank you” for presenting a positive article on homeschooling? Might be a pleasant surprise for THEM.

Now it’s your turn! What do you think of Linda’s answers? Have you read the article yet? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Linda Perlstein is a freelance writer and editor based in Seattle. She is a former Washington Post staff writer and the author of Not Much Just Chillin’ and Tested.