Homeschool mamas wrote the book on lifestyle

MELANIN MAMAS

Melanin Mamas Homeschooling founders Mary McManus (left) and Stephanie Owens of Charlotte started the initiative to help families navigate homeschool from academic growth to self-care.

Stephanie Owens and Mary McManus are helping families navigate the potential minefields of homeschool. 

Drawing on their own experiences, education and trial and error, the Charlotte moms launched Melanin Mamas Homeschooling, an initiative to support parents balancing homeschool and family that includes the 186-page Homeschooling Planner. 

“We struggled to find a homeschool planner that truly supported our needs,” Owens said. “We didn’t just want something academic; we needed a tool that nurtured the educator personally, spiritually and practically. So, we created one.” 

Said McManus: “By working together, we were able to thoughtfully curate a planner that addresses a wide range of homeschool lifestyles, making it both flexible and universal. “Every element – from attendance tracking and assessments to goal setting, quarterly check-ins, and self-care – was included with intention, reflecting the realities and rhythms of homeschooling across ages.” 

The planner opens with a section for parents to write down their specific home school mission statement and goals.

“Our goal was to create a planner that supports parents in organizing, adapting, and thriving alongside their children, no matter where they are in their homeschooling journey,” Owens said.  

The planner also includes a feature seldom found in any traditional teacher’s planner. 

“To support the well-being of parents, our planner includes dedicated monthly pages for setting and prioritizing self-care goals,” Owens explains. “By making space for reflection and intention, it becomes easier for educators to maintain balance and meet their needs while guiding their children.” 

After years of working with each other and a growing community of home school parents, Owens and McManus say there is a commonly held misbelief behind why parents feel overwhelmed almost instantly after shifting to homeschool. Creating an atmosphere conducive to successful learning, even at home, requires effort, research and energy. 

“We often hear the idea that homeschooling is ‘easy,’ as if education happens automatically once resources are provided,” McManus said. “That’s a misconception. We are not simply putting worksheets or books in front of our children and telling them to get to it. The focus is on adapting education to the child, rather than expecting learning to happen automatically.” 

The U.S. Department of Education reports that around 3.1 million school age children are homeschooled, which constitutes about 6% of that age group's total population. The U.S. Census Bureau revealed that some 10% of North Carolina students are learning at home, making the Tar Heel State fourth in the nation for most homeschool students. 

Federal data reports that more than 40% of children homeschooled in the 2019-20 academic year were nonwhite and non-Hispanic, meaning parents of color are following the trend. The reasons behind this growth vary, but typically parents mention school safety concerns and displeasure with academic curricula as the top motivators for their choice.

For Owens and McManus, the decision to home school was motivated in part by a desire to provide tailored instruction but also concerns about inclusion, particularly in the face of growing political debate about African American historical content in public schools.  

“Recent CRT and DEI controversies have intensified the challenges that many Black students already face,” said Owens, a Virginia Tech electrical engineering graduate.  “Limiting honest discussions about race further reduces the support available for students navigating racial bias.” 

Owens and McManus say it’s not only Black students, but any child considered “different” who faces systemic challenges, subtle or blatant. 

“These children have faced culturally irrelevant curricula, microaggressions, disproportionate discipline, or racial bias,” said McManus, a Buffalo native with a paralegal background. 

Said Owens: “In a homeschool setting, children of color don’t struggle for acceptance. They simply belong.” 

Owens and McManus initially started their homeschooling journeys separately.

“I never imagined becoming a stay-at-home Mom,” Owens said, “[but] after the birth of my first child, I felt a strong desire to spend more time with my family.” 

After the birth of her second child, Owens and her husband made the decision to homeschool their eldest daughter. Around the same time, but many miles away, McManus and her husband made a similar decision with their preschool-aged daughter. 

“[We] wanted to give her a gentle, confidence building start before kindergarten,” McManus said. “What [we] didn’t expect was how quickly our daughter flourished. It was clear homeschooling was where my daughter thrived.” 

Once McManus relocated to Charlotte and reconnected with Owens, they rejoiced in finding out they were undertaking the same challenge. 

“We naturally fell into doing everyday life together – science projects, field trips, curriculum chats, mom vent sessions, and everything in between,” McManus said.
Several years on, both women celebrate their decision. 

“Seeing our children grow, lead and discover on their own has made every step of this journey worth it,” Owens said. 

That’s not to say homeschooling is without obstacles. Many parents report suffering from burnout stemming from being unprepared for the workload accompanying the transition to a home classroom. 

“One of the biggest challenges many parents face is time management. When you’re fully responsible for your child’s education, there are countless moving parts to juggle,” Owens said. 

“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We understand this firsthand.” 

Owens and McManus point out that issues like lesson planning, accurate record keeping, establishing effective routines and ensuring compliance with state guidelines can quickly accumulate and frazzle homeschool parents. The Melanin Mamas encourage parents to be patient with themselves as well as their children. 

“Our greatest advice for new homeschoolers is to give yourself grace, above all else,” McManus says. “For many families, this is completely new territory, and with the continually evolving world of homeschooling, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.” 

Said Owens: “The goal isn’t to re-create traditional school at home. The goal is to build a rhythm that truly works for your family. You can create a peaceful, flexible flow — one filled with read-alouds, nature walks, hands-on activities, and playful, gamified learning.” 

“Remember: there is no perfect teacher. What matters is being present, consistent, and responsive to your child’s needs.”

McManus’ advice is simple: “Take a breath. Slow down. Adjust when necessary. Everything will fall into place.” 

Neither Owens nor McManus are surprised by the recent uptick in Black parents turning to homeschooling. 

Many parents are opting for homeschool primarily based on public school safety concerns, but that is not always the case, particularly among parents of color. 

“Parents are choosing homeschooling not out of fear, but out of a desire for customized, child-centered learning that allows our kids to thrive at their own pace and in their own brilliance,” Owens said. “In our view, homeschooling can create an environment where these children feel emotionally safe, seen, and genuinely celebrated.” 

Beyond the security and belonging learning at home offers, statistics suggest there are noticeable academic benefits to homeschooling as well. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, homeschooled students, on average, scored between 15% and 25% percent than their public-school peers on academic achievement tests.  Among Black students, a 2015 report showed that Black homeschooled students scored up to 47% higher than Black students in public schools on similar assessments. 

Homeschooled students’ success was found to be unaffected by their family’s economic status or their parents’ educational background.

Melanin Mamas recognize parents’ motivations, goals and methods differ greatly, but the end goal is typically the same. 

“[We] share a desire for our children to be seen, valued, and educated in ways that honor who they are, not just academically but emotionally and culturally,” Owens said. 
With the Homeschool Planner, Melanin Mamas Homeschooling hope to continue leading the charge for parents who have the desire and ability to home school. 

“This trend tells a powerful story of families reclaiming agency,” McManus asserts, “[They are] creating educational spaces that embrace a more personalized, family-centered approach to learning.”  
For more information about Melanin Mamas or to purchase a Homeschool Planner visit: www.melaninmamashomeschooling.com.

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