Posted on 11/18/2005 7:33:41 AM PST by TaxRelief
RALEIGH -- If homeschooling families want to draw attention to their lifestyle and education methods when their children excel -- as in academic competitions -- they've got to accept that they will draw unwanted scrutiny when one of their own does something horrible.
Such is the case with 18-year-old Pennsylvania murder suspect David Ludwig, who abducted his 14-year-old secret girlfriend Kara Borden Sunday after he allegedly gunned down her parents in their home. Ludwig was arrested in Indiana Monday with Borden in tow, after crashing his vehicle. Both were homeschooled and, according to some media reports, "deeply Christian."
The nature of homeschoolers when they draw negative media attention is to get defensive, and sometimes appropriately so. They administered a justifiable backlash against CBS News two years ago, when the network tried to establish a "dark side to homeschooling" by trying to tie an artificial trend of child abuse to the growing educational alternative. Correspondent Vince Gonzales even foolishly claimed during the two-night report on "CBS Evening News" that "children nationwide have been put in danger -- even killed -- while homeschooling."
The major media hasn't submitted an illogical disconnect like that yet with Ludwig, and if journalistsdo suggest there's some kind of murder trend, then homeschoolers should respond. But otherwise the media is justified when it calls attention to the fact that both Ludwig and Borden were homeschooled.
The excellent Media Research Center seemed to take exception to that, however. On its "Newsbusters" weblog, analyst Brent Baker noted how ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas teased for an upcoming segment on the teens, "When we return, the homeschool student charged with murdering his girlfriend's parents. A small town, and a community of homeschoolers, are shattered."
Baker, in his comments on the report, suggested a bias against homeschoolers. "Can you imagine Vargas ever citing 'the English as a Second Language student charged with murder'?" he wrote.
Baker is right that that would be unlikely, but I think he's wrong in believing the media shouldn't play up Ludwig's and Borden's educational background. The fact that they were homeschooled makes the murder even more significant. Why? Because the nature of the news is that when certain types of people act in ways that are inconsistent with what the public traditionally expects from them, it makes a story more newsworthy.
Frankly, ABC News did the right thing by recognizing the significance that the two teens were homeschooled. This was out of character from what most Americans have come to expect from homeschooled children: that they are mostly intelligent, polite, respectful, well-behaved, quiet, and mind their own business. They are a threat to no one (except teachers' unions).
Contrast that with the lie CBS (gee, what a surprise that it would be them) tried to perpetrate two years ago about homeschoolers. Gonzales, Rather and company identified four or five cases in which parents who claimed to be homeschooling were abusing their children, as though the phenomenon was unique to that educational style. In each instance, however, it wouldn't have mattered how those children were being educated, because others were aware of the abuse and failed to act adequately to prevent it. That didn't stop "intrepid" CBS from uncovering homeschooling's "dark side."
I suppose this case could be added to that dire (albeit phony) list CBS compiled and the media could label it as further proof of aberrant and anti-social behavior, but it still wouldn't ring true. Homeschoolers, whether they believe it themselves or not, have built too much credibility for that to get any traction.
http://www.johnlocke.org/
Homeschoolers can admit this association when the mainstream press admits when a murderer went to public schools.
So a homeschooler killed someone? How many public school "graduates" are sittling in our jails or killed someone? A million.
Ahhh! They're on to us!
< /s >
Contrast this story to Washington DC, where some murders aren't even covered in the news - or they get at most a minute or two on tv - because they're so prevalent.
The home schooling aspect of this murder case was newsworthy, mostly because of its unusualness.
Exactly what I was going to post. If each time an 18 year old murders someone, we see the media designate whether they were public, private or homeschooled, then I'll have no problem with the policy.
One murder committed by a homeschooler.
Too many to count murders committed by public school students in their schools.
A little bias indeed, I would say.
If reported as an exceptional case - "Man bites dog" - that's reasonable. If reported as a nascent trend, or as being caused by homeschooling, that's an outrage.
Truly bizarre logic.
The children excel (or not) in academic conpetitions BECAUSE of they way they were schooled.
This murder was not committed BECAUSE the kid was homeschooled.
Yup.
However, here's my second. I think his point is something like this:
It's valid to report on HSers' academic excellence, since "the line" on HSing is that it gives a substandard education. Therefore, it's news when the type is bucked.
Similarly, and infinitely less happily, since "the line" (--OUR line) on HSing is that it produces kids who are as a rule better-educated, better-raised, and better-socialized, it is news when that type is bucked, too.
This bucks that type. Hence, it is news.
I reluctantly have to grant his point, if I've taken it correctly. And what it suggests further is also interesting, to wit:
You've got those who are actually schooled at home by parents....and you've got those who have been suspended for being problem children, and are therefore at home - and they are still called homeschooled.
Both get the homeschool label but only one deserves it. Which type were these perps?
Oh, I'm torn on this. I agree with Brent Baker that the homeschooling aspect was part of the headline mainly out of bias against homeschooling. At the same time I think that it belongs as part of the story. Homeschooling doesn't produce saints. Each school is different and should be judged on its own merits, as should each student and teacher in any other educational system.
Good point.
Pointing out that he was home schooled seeks to tie that fact to the fact he is charged with murder.
If he read "Treasure Island" and "Kidnapped" last week would it be appropriate in every news account to describe him as a desciple of Robert Louis Stevenson?
Yeah, my homeschooled kid (type 1) became friends with a homeschooled kid (type 2) for awhile. The difference was huge. They are no longer friends because the kid swindled my kid out of $80. My kid was sweet, generous, and trusting. Is that the fault of homeschooling? Probably. That kid was manipulative, dishonest, and rotten. Let me also say that he wasn't homeschooled until high school, and that was because he was failing in public school.
"If homeschooling families want to draw attention to their lifestyle and education methods when their children excel -- as in academic competitions -- they've got to accept that they will draw unwanted scrutiny when one of their own does something horrible."
Why? Public schooling families don't accept any responsibility when one of their own commit a heinous crime.. or hint that public school had anything to do with it, even though the ratio of public schooled murderers vs homeschooled murderers is overwhelming.
bingo
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