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Home-schooling series elicits intense response
Beacon Journal ^ | By Dennis J. Willard and Doug Oplinger

Posted on 11/30/2004 10:35:53 AM PST by hsmomx3

Home-schooling series elicits intense response

Nearly 800 comments collected at newspaper

Home schoolers from as far away as Italy expressed passion for their practice after the Akron Beacon Journal published its seven-day series exploring the rapidly growing movement.

By Monday, the newspaper had received nearly 800 comments on the series ``Home Schooling: Whose Business Is It?'' published Nov. 14-20.

Hundreds more were posted on at least 17 Web sites sponsored by other organizations.

Nearly 500 of the comments made to the Beacon Journal were posted through the newspaper's publicly accessible forum on Ohio.com, where the series remains available. Home schoolers and non-home schoolers discussed the issues raised and, in several instances, debated spiritedly among themselves.

More than 280 comments were received through a special e-mail site and phone lines established for the series. About 30 more went to the Beacon Journal's Voice of the People for publication in letters-to-the-editor columns.

If there was one thing clear about the Beacon Journal's exploration of the movement, it was that most home schoolers who responded to the newspaper didn't like it.

All but a few comments from home schoolers were critical of how the newspaper looked at regulation and accountability, academics, socialization, crime, abduction, politics and constitutional issues.

There were common themes among the feedback: Public schools are failing, dangerous and/or amoral; government is not to be trusted; the media has a liberal bias; and parents want to teach their children and have that constitutional right.

One writer who identified herself as a home-schooling mother wrote six e-mails to the Beacon Journal. She said she loves what she does.

``This movement is about parents taking responsibility for their children,'' she said. ``I have found that my work with my children, my CHOICE to home-school, have enhanced and enriched my life as a woman... I am doing what I want to do and what is working well for the kids.''

Unlike the parents who insisted that home schoolers perform better than public schoolers, she said that children educated at home are no different from children in public schools, academically and socially.

``A great many home schoolers know we are not home-schooling prodigies, but kids in the `vast middle,' '' she said.

She objected to home schoolers who say the movement is dominated by conservative Christians. When a leader of the conservative Christian organization Home School Legal Defense Association was quoted on the second day of the series, she responded with a critical e-mail simply titled, ``aacckk!''

An Akron-area mother who wrote four times said many of the issues explored in the series lacked fairness and illustrated an animosity toward home schooling. On the second day of the series, she wrote: ``I can tell I'll be sending critiques a lot. Even your previews are biased.''

``I can't tell if you're trying to sell papers with sensationalism or if you actually believe this bunk,'' she said. ``Then again, it doesn't matter. Our home-schooled kids are taught that freedom of speech and expression exists for all points of view, even those we don't like. Try wearing a pro-life or pro-Bible shirt in a public school now-adays... ''

Another common theme was summarized by an e-mailer who questioned the series' examples of home-school failures: ``Just because a family says, `We are homeschooling' doesn't mean they are. And, more regulations won't fix that.''

Callers' views

While e-mails came from all over the country, Canada and Italy, almost all of the readers who left phone messages identified themselves as from the Akron area.

The more than 100 telephone messages filled about two hours -- and again predominantly were critical of the Beacon Journal.

One angry caller suggested the newspaper was unhappy that U.S. Sen. John Kerry lost the presidential election and that the series was published as a way to get even with Republicans.

Several said that the reporters didn't understand home schooling, even after more than a year of research.

There were some non-home schoolers -- and a few home schoolers -- who described the project as fair and balanced.

An Ohio school official who works with home schoolers in the Youngstown-Warren area called the series ``a wonderful piece of investigative and, what seemed to be, unbiased reporting.''

He also acknowledged that home schoolers probably were quick to respond.

``I can't help but think you have stirred a hornet's nest and you likely will field some heat from different social groups in the state of Ohio... ,'' he said.

A home schooler noted that because the movement is so diverse, ``... even among ourselves, we do not always agree and sometimes chafe at generalities made about us.''

Home-school Web sites

Home-school organizations in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and at the national level posted links to the series and sometimes entertained discussion.

On two Web sites, home schoolers were urged to exercise caution in their responses to the newspaper, to spell-check their correspondence and not to be emotional. Still, many expressed strong reactions.

ODonnellWeb, a pro-home-school site, repeatedly referred to the series as ``journalistic vomit.''

Contributors questioned the purpose of the series -- which they said proposed interference with their constitutional rights -- and they challenged the integrity of the two reporters whoauthored the project.

``I get the definite impression that if (the) government wanted to implant a GPS tracking chip in every person in the country, these two clowns would be the first in line for the injection,'' one contributor wrote midway through the series.

When the newspaper asked on the series' seventh day whether it had been fair in addressing home schooling, an ODonnellWeb entry said: ``You are kidding, right? It is painfully obvious that the writers spent that last year looking for evidence that supports their preconceived opinions of home schooling. They never had any intention of being fair or complete. As a hatchet job against a minority group, it's well-done attack journalism. As fair and balanced reporting, it's an embarrassment to your organization.''

Another home-school site, Homeschool & Other Education Stuff, also offered daily commentary.

A contributor challenged people quoted in the last day of the series who suggested that parents don't have a monopoly on a child. The story had quoted some who believe the child and the community also have a stake in each child's academic and social growth. The contributor responded: ``To paraphrase Dickens, the community is a ass. I want assurance that public-schooled children do not become burdens on society; alas, I am sadly frustrated on that account daily.''

In response to the question of the newspaper's fairness, the contributor wrote: ``This is a trick question, right?''

The newspaper continues to examine the ideas and comments as they arrive and will address those and the opinions of policy makers in greater depth later. Comments on this story and the home schooling series can be e-mailed to: homeschool@thebeaconjournal.com


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: education; fasttrack; homeschooling; ohio
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1 posted on 11/30/2004 10:35:57 AM PST by hsmomx3
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To: hsmomx3

How about posting the original article?
Please.


2 posted on 11/30/2004 10:42:41 AM PST by ppaul
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To: ppaul
Found it.
Here's the link:

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/special_packages/home_schooling/

3 posted on 11/30/2004 10:45:38 AM PST by ppaul
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To: ppaul

Yup. Hatchet job.

One entire segment on how children are in danger by being at home and another entire segment on how home schooling exists to help child abductors. Yikes!

As for "socialization" -- who can blame parents for wanting to protect their children from the hopped up/dumbed down 'culture' that dominates the public (and even some private) schools today?


4 posted on 11/30/2004 11:16:51 AM PST by BenLurkin (Big government is still a big problem.)
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To: hsmomx3; Born Conservative

BTTT


5 posted on 11/30/2004 11:23:25 AM PST by EdReform (Free Republic - helping to keep our country a free republic. Thank you for your financial support!)
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To: hsmomx3
The whole concept of modern public schooling is flawed, in my opinion. It is overly centralized, which may be good for the production of goods, but is not good for creating a beneficial environment for education.

Even many, if not most, private schools eventually find a certain level of a "Lord of the Flies"-type environment.

There's just something unnatural about it.

6 posted on 11/30/2004 11:29:22 AM PST by B Knotts
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To: B Knotts
I am an instance of someone who's done a pretty complete 180 on the subject.

I had formerly very much approved of public education, with private as a good option — and very much disapproved of homeschooling. I felt it would produce hot-house roses unable to stand on their own, and was more often itself a product of unhealthy escapism.

Now I see public schools as government brainwashing centers, the means by which the sterile State seeks to acquire and control children for itself. In concept and execution, it is hostile to my Christian faith, and not in my children's best interests.

Homeschooling is one of the very best decisions we ever made.

Dan
Biblical Christianity web site
Biblical Christianity message board
Biblical Christianity BLOG

7 posted on 11/30/2004 11:35:03 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: hsmomx3

The series was unbelievably twisted and unfair. The tremendous response doesn't surprise me one bit.


8 posted on 11/30/2004 11:35:42 AM PST by Molly Pitcher (We are Americans...the sons and daughters of liberty...*.from FReeper the Real fifi*)
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To: hsmomx3

bump!


9 posted on 11/30/2004 11:52:33 AM PST by Sertorius (A hayseed with no greek and dam^ proud of it)
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To: hsmomx3
They didn't say, but I'm guessing that the strong response surprised, and maybe even scared them a bit.

It SHOULD scare them if they're strong public school supporters.

10 posted on 11/30/2004 12:14:35 PM PST by Balding_Eagle (Liberalism has metastasized into a dangerous neurosis which threatens the nation's security)
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To: kenth; CatoRenasci; Marie; PureSolace; Congressman Billybob; P.O.E.; cupcakes; Amelia; Diana; ...

11 posted on 11/30/2004 12:20:27 PM PST by Born Conservative (New annual national holiday for liberals: Shock and Awe Day , November 3rd.)
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To: ppaul

Excuse me? I went to the link that originated at EducationNews.Org and copied the article that was there at the time. I do not know what you are talking about as I posted this in its entirety. If there was more, I did not see it.


12 posted on 11/30/2004 12:32:49 PM PST by hsmomx3 (Who says the media doesn't control what Americans think/feel?)
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To: pinz-n-needlez
One writer who identified herself as a home-schooling mother wrote six e-mails to the Beacon Journal... When a leader of the conservative Christian organization Home School Legal Defense Association was quoted on the second day of the series, she responded with a critical e-mail simply titled, ``aacckk!''

That wasn't you was it?

13 posted on 11/30/2004 12:42:43 PM PST by Pelayo
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To: hsmomx3; ppaul
I think ppaul was referring to the original series that provoked the responses related in the article you posted.
14 posted on 11/30/2004 12:48:53 PM PST by Constitutionalist Conservative (Have you visited http://blog.c-pol.com?)
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To: hsmomx3
The story had quoted some who believe the child and the community also have a stake in each child's academic and social growth. The contributor responded: ``To paraphrase Dickens, the community is a ass. I want assurance that public-schooled children do not become burdens on society; alas, I am sadly frustrated on that account daily.''

Outstanding rejoinder!

15 posted on 11/30/2004 12:50:35 PM PST by Constitutionalist Conservative (Have you visited http://blog.c-pol.com?)
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To: Constitutionalist Conservative

Okay. My apologies if I came across the wrong way. The original articles were, I believe, from a week or so ago. I know there was at least one I could not access. This latest one I posted was for today.


16 posted on 11/30/2004 12:55:16 PM PST by hsmomx3 (Who says the media doesn't control what Americans think/feel?)
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To: Pelayo

Nobody saw me, you can't prove it.

Of course it wasn't me!

I prefer to ignore them and hope they go away.

Pinz


17 posted on 11/30/2004 3:56:32 PM PST by pinz-n-needlez
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To: Pelayo

Now that I've gone back and actually read the article, I still deny it. But I can see why you thought of me. hee, hee.

Pinz


18 posted on 11/30/2004 4:00:41 PM PST by pinz-n-needlez
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To: Alabama MOM

Ping


19 posted on 11/30/2004 5:15:35 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Today, please pray for God's miracle, we are not going to make it without him.)
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To: hsmomx3; F15Eagle; Squantos; Lijahsbubbe; aculeus
``I get the definite impression that if (the) government wanted to implant a GPS tracking chip in every person in the country, these two clowns would be the first in line for the injection,'' one contributor wrote midway through the series.

Hahaha, what Freeper wrote this?

20 posted on 11/30/2004 5:25:22 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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