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Homeschooling On The Rise, and the Media Doesn’t Care

29 December 2008 3 Comments

According to Tom Campbell of Illinois, homeschooling is becoming much more popular, and in 2008, there wasn’t enough information about this in the newspapers.

On the one hand, I agree with him, because his perspective that is homeschooling is on the rise, and it’s developing into a more diverse and socially acceptable educational option. There are never enough media stories about positive cultural development.

However, I don’t agree that the increase in homeschooling families was undereported. In fact, it seemed like every time there was a news story about homeschooling, there was some mention about how more and more families are choosing this “nontraditional” option, or how the fact that now that there are even more homeschooling families, the local schools get less money.

Homeschooling is still in the news as some kind of peep show - “look at what these strange and exotic creatures do, you’ll be amazed!” Article after article points out all the different ways that we provide “curriculum” and make sure our kids are “socialized” and describe our lifestyle as if it’s something from another world. No, homeschooling news is not hard to find, and it’s certainly not under reported.

3 Comments »

Janet said:

While it is not under reported, I try to make sure that I don’t hide it at all. In fact, I talk about it whenever it seems appropriate because I would like the stigma to be gone. One thing I tend to say is the only thing we have in common is that we choose to homeschool. Our reasons and goals are diverse and our beliefs about the public and private school systems differ as well.

# 29 December 2008 at 6:05 pm

Laura :) said:

I think the media isn’t quite sure what to do with homeschooling…on the other hand public schooling doesn’t get much press unless they are arresting a teacher for inappropriate behaviour with a minor student or there’s a shooting or a pending teacher strike or test scores are in the dumps. The news media looks for the negatives in all situations so the more they stay out of home education the better, IMHO.

I’ve always thought the best way to gain positive attention on homeschooling is to be a good example of it ourselves. And that’s not to say have the award-winning types out there all the time, but to just live our lives in real ways, enjoying each other and the learning process. I have to think that’s been happening as I hardly run into anyone these days who doesn’t think that homeschooling is wonderful!!! Yay to all of us!!! :):):)

# 29 December 2008 at 7:30 pm

David Weaver said:

Under-reported probably not. Properly reported definitely so. The media is suppose to be an impartial source. Yet more often than not, they take a pro-public school stance against the homeschooling movement.

They do this, as you say, “… look at what these strange and exotic creatures do…” And they do this by calling homeschooling non-traditional, when it is anything but. Homeschooling use to be the norm. Then we decided that the village school would be a good idea, and the idea of public education took hold, and became “the norm”.

The media points out the successes of the homeschooling movement, those kids who excel and beat out the school taught kids, as some type of freaks or abnormality, when more often than not homeschoolers as a whole, while in the minority of schooled children, outperform those children that attend “traditional” schools. Yes there are failures in homeschooling, but look at the failure rate in public schools.

No what the media needs to do is not report more on homeschooling, just report accurately and without bias.

# 29 August 2009 at 5:10 pm