- Editor
Haley Taylor Schlitz: Writing what she knows
September 1, 2020
In her spare time during law school, Haley Taylor Schlitz and her mother published a book on homeschooling for Black children. The source of their expertise? Their own experience.
Having graduated from high school at 13 and college at 16, and then having been accepted to all nine law schools she applied to, Schlitz chose SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas. She completed her first year when she was 17 and is now a 2L.
Educating kids differently
The Homeschool Alternative: Incorporating a Homeschool Mindset for the Benefit of Black Children in America was a collaboration between Schlitz and her mother, Myiesha Taylor, a physician.
“My mom and I decided to write the book because of our family’s experience with the education system in our nation,” said Schlitz. “We felt compelled to share our story and, more importantly, to share information on how families can homeschool or adopt a homeschool mindset When we started our path to homeschooling, there was no real clear resource to help families, especially Black families, navigate the transition from structured school to homeschooling.”
Schlitz is a homeschooling advocate for Black children in particular. “I believe there’s overwhelming evidence that our schools, public and private, were never designed to truly educate the diverse student population that’s now the overwhelming majority in our schools,” she stated.
“There are constant news stories on the release of new studies that show how Black boys and girls are clearly treated negatively by the adults who run our schools. It’s important that we understand the realities Black boys and girls face in our schools and embrace a path of empowerment for educating our children.
“We simply can’t continue to wait until the system changes itself,” asserted Schlitz. “If we do that, we’ll miss an entire generation of problem solvers who could bring positive change to our world.”