Posted on 06/18/2007 12:21:52 AM PDT by LibertyRocks
Edited on 06/18/2007 1:15:58 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
I was just watching Ebert & Roeper and would like to report to my fellow homeschoolers that the guest host taking Roger Ebert's place tonight, Robert Wilonsky, made a very disrespectful and rude comment in relation to homeschoolers...
While reviewing the upcoming movie "Nancy Drew" Roeper made a comment that Nancy was a 1950's girl in relation to what she thought constituted a birthday party. When Roeper said that this would be a good movie that would be liked by 12-year-old girls, Wilonsky replied, "Maybe Homeschooled 12-year-olds"...
I found this to be a very ignorant and disrespectful comment, and I am left wondering what Mr. Wilonsky thinks would be better suited for 12-year-old Public Schooled/Private Schooled students to be watching (Sex, Drinking & Drugs???)?
I would like to ask my fellow homeschool parents to write to both Ebert & Roeper (Buena Vista Entertainment) as well as Mr. Wilonsky himself, and express your displeasure with this disrespectful comment.
Here is how to contact the show & Mr. Wilonsky...
Ebert & Roeper Show: http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/ Use the "Feedback" link at the top navigation bar to submit a comment.
Mr. Wilonsky: I could only find one email address online for Mr. Wilonsky (he also writes at RottenTomatoes.com, as well as the Village Voice, L.A. Weekly, and the Phoenix New Times). Here is his email address through his employer the Dallas Observer:
Robert.Wilonsky@dallasobserver.com
In my comment to the Ebert & Roeper show I requested not only that they do not bring Mr. Wilonsky back for any more co-hosting gigs, but also that they issue an on-air apology to all homeschooled students.
You think your family is disfunctional, you should see our marriage, we totally suffer because of our lack of conflict handling skills. I mean, I almost never throw pans at Talon and accuse him of not meeting my emotional needs. I blame homeschooling for that.
Nothing personal here, but while I understand the dislike you all express about the stereotyping of homeschool families, did it never cross your minds that you all are engaging in the same type of behavior when you describe/deride those that choose NOT to homeschool?
I've known plenty of home schooled kids and some seemed like great kids and others seemed like weirdos. Probably about the same percentages as public school kids.
Really? And when exactly was "your day"? Or perhaps I should ask, what era do your prejudices date from?
As a mom who's had three children go through public schools, and one child who is currently homeschooled, I'm pretty up-to-date on what choices are out there.
I know hundreds of homeschooled kids -- and I've "yet to meet one of them who wouldn't WOULD have been better off with a real Public/Private school upbringing."
(Interesting that you choose the word "upbringing" to describe what public schools do. Traditionally, "upbringing" has been the parents' job, not the schools.')
As for proms: Our homeschooling associations offer both graduations and proms for our students. They're great, too -- unless you want your teenagers to have that wonderful public/private school "experience" of renting extragant limos, staying out all night unchaperoned, and getting dead drunk or worse.
:::yawn::: This line gets soooo old.
FYI, our local homeschoolers have a prom. Not to mention the fact that my homeschooled children have more social interaction with other children now than they did when they attended public school. For example, at my son's former junior high school, they got no breaks between classes and were only allowed to visit during lunch when the "bad cop" principal was in a good mood. My daughter's former elementary school allowed recess 2 or 3 times a week, unless they were prepping for the TAKS test, in which case they got no recess.
Your tired old argument about "social development" holds no water with me.
Yep, I had one of those.
The following Monday was the traditional "Senior Skip Day", where everyone could nurse their hangover by the beach.
Good times.
Great Comment! My 12 girl homeschooler is very much looking forward to Nancy Drew.
I think the problem is, homeschoolers in general have to make a lot of serious sacrifices to do what we do. Yeah, everyone makes sacrifices. Moving to a better school district may require sacrifices. But homeschooling usually means between 25 and 75k less in family income every year right off the top. Sure, some moms can supplement income with piano lessons or consulting or a home based business, but it doesn’t compare. I’d guess, if I have four kids and homeschool them, that our “lost earning potential” will be something like 1.5 million.
So obviously to homeschool it’s got to be something you believe in with all your heart. Not just that government schools are a bad choice, but that homeschooling is the best, the only choice.
So yeah, sometimes we are a bit eager to “disrespect” the public schools. But to us, those good schools you and everyone else talk about are the exception, not the rule. Maybe the local school doesn’t have a drug problem or a high dropout rate, but does it challenge the average student to live up to her potential?
What band?
Or maybe your memories are crystal clear and you cherish your hangover fondly.
But as a parent, would you look eagerly upon the prospect of your son's getting drunk, knocking up some girl and/or getting plowed into a light pole while being driven to the beach?
Not to mention paying for the extravagant (correctly spelled this time) limo to the prom? When my last child to attend public school went to his prom, his friends were renting stretch-Hummers.
Actually quite a few of the items listed in post #55 occurred in my high school.........and I went to a private all-girl Catholic HS.
I have never denied there are problems with public schools, my gripe is that for the most part, at least here on FR, the homeschoolers do far more stereotyping of those us with children in public schools than we do of the homeschoolers.
I am a big supporter of homeschooling and have all the respectin th world for those who do it and do it well, I would like the same respect shown for those of us who for one reason or another have chosen not to go that route.
Really though, U 4got the nu way of communic8ing. U didn’t put ur message in text speak. (Sorry, I’m a literate adult who couldn’t do any better)
But seriously, yeah, homeschoolers cut down on public school a lot. It seems like we paint with too a large brush but think about this. We are generally riled up by the likes of some on this thread who, with their bigotry and votes are likely to allow the passage of regulations that directly effect us and make more difficult our chosen path. We have to be very vigilant about that sort of thing and it tends to make us counter attack with a lot of zeal. The miss conceptions about homeschooling is far more prevent and unanswered than negative things about public school. The difference is also that many of us have BEEN to public school and homeschool and are speaking from direct personal experience. We homeschoolers know darn well that not all public schoolers are XYZ stereotype. And unlike the opposite side we know because we have been there or know vast numbers of people that have been to public school. How many homeschooling parents were in public school themselves? Most of them! How many homeschoolers know lots of public schooled people? Probably all of them that are graduated and in the workforce. Most of the people I know were in public school. Lots of people come out fine. But having been to an engineering college and knowing lots of 'geeks' and 'misfits' I also know many people for whom public school was a nightmare. Is that everyone? No! But I have know doubt at every public school in the country right now there are at least a few kids that HAVE been bullied and picked on and generally are miserable. Of course it is not most of them. But why does that matter? I don't want main stream kids or kids that get values from their peer group. Do I mean that all public schoolers get all their values from only their peers? Not at all. I just mean that I want my kids to get NONE of theirs from their peers.
Yeah some homeschoolers can be a little rabid in their retaliation. But we have to. We are trying to defend a fundamental right from the encroachment of ignorants that would legislate those rights away or constrain them with incredible burdens. If you feel insulted some, know that we all know lots of nice public schooled people, recent and past and we know the problems are not universal. We just think they are 'bad enough' to justify the choice to homeschool and we are a little understandably paranoid defending that choice from liberals and socialists.
That is your opinion. And moving to a better school district was a big sacrifice for us, as I gave up my work and my paycheck as there is no call for what I did in this rural community. At least not on the scale as when we lived in a state capitol.
So yeah, sometimes we are a bit eager to “disrespect” the public schools.
And in doing so you also show a great disrespect for parents such as myself, who for whatever reason, have chosen to utilize the public school system.
I have never attemped any stereotyping of homeschoolers or homeschooled children, yet nearly everyone of you here on FR insist on stereotyping parents and children who do not. You just don't see what you are doing because in your mind your choice is right and mine is wrong and therefore you are entitled to say all the mean, nasty things you wish.
It's a darned good thing I have friends who homeschool in real life because if I based my opinion on homeschooling just from my experiences here, I could never be a supporter of it as far too many of you come across as narrow-minded, disrespectful bigots.
It is different, huh? My 13 year old is still bugging me about not taking him to a movie and dinner. The other day my brother-in-law gave me some shirts from his game store. My son tried his on and thought it was cool, rather than being embarrassed, that we were wearing the same shirt.
Hell,most of these girls out there today lost their virginity LONG before The Prom!
hahaha...good reply...
Nobody said it was a guarantee, but the chances sure are a lot higher. It wasn't worth the risk, IMO; especially in that community.
I have a friend who kept saying — from the time my children were small— that it was normal for kids to hate their parents. Of course, he’s now 38 and still doesn’t like his parents.
I think that was actually a compliment indicating the relative innocence of home-schooled kids.
Apologize for commenting without reading as many others may have already voiced this sentiment.
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