For a long time, students, kids, and adults have pondered over the differences between kids who grow up going to school and those who learn at home. Hillary Frank digs deep into these issues questiong homeschooling kids about their daily lives at a homeschooling convention. And through this investigation, a lot of great points on the controversy are brought up. My favorite point that she made was that it appeared to her that homeschooled kids strive just as hard to be different as kids who go to school strive to be the same.
I really liked how this piece was put together. The background noise and music really brought the listener into the scene and I felt as if I was actually at the convention and the dance. Plus, Frank's questions for the homeschooled students were well thought out and I give her a lot of credit for being brave enough to question their ideas on the superiority of homeschooling.
Intentionally or not, this piece does its part to de-stigmatize the cultural cliche that surround the concept of "homeschooling."
At the same time, it points up the similarity between all kids - home schooled or public schooled.
Is one better than the other? Given its relatively recent resurgence, it is too soon to tell. Hillary Frank treat the subject with sensitivity and allows kids to speak for themselves.
The setting of the piece makes it hard to take more than just a superficial look at homeschoolers' social lives. But Hillary did a good job capturing the feel of the event, and its unusual nature. Her attention to the similarities between these kids and traditionally-schooled teens was careful and thorough.
The sound was fine, although nothing particularly innovative. What was at issue was the way kids feel about their lives, however, so the audio served that purpose.
Finally, Hillary's delivery was - unsurprisingly - oh-so-This American Life. Studied, relaxed, and terribly familiar.
Great sociology lesson. You learn a lot. But as a radio piece ... To my ear, it's a bit too much me, me, me (the reporter, that is). My thoughts. My impressions. They gather around me and shout out answers to my questions. As a listener, personally I'd much rather hear the kids. I didn't hear two kids speaking in a row until 4:30 into the piece. Then there's the section with Josh, the kid who wants to go to public school so he can meet girls. Let me hear Josh, please. Why does the reporter tell the whole story? I can see doing that in a newspaper feature, but the great thing about radio is you can capture someone's voice and, with it, their emotions and let THAT tell the story. This is a valuable slice of life that few of us know. I wish I could have experienced it with less of a wall put up between me and the individuals covered.
My wife and I are planning to home school our 4-year-old. Not positive, but leaning toward it. We have two older children who are basically A students in 4th & 8th grade. We don't really have anything to avoid, nothing we truly hate, but, it's something we want to do.
"We all turn out alright" is a good theme in this piece. I've thought that about adults, too. Sure, some are bad, some are good, some work at the DMV. But, with all the different ways you can raise a kid, basically all of them work okay. I'm just as well-adjusted -- good or bad -- as most of my friends. One was raised in Pittsburgh, one in Bogota, one in Paris, one in Mexico, one in Reno, etc. We all turned out.
So, is home schooling better than regular school? I know both of my kids excel in certain areas they really care about, but just get by in those that they don't. They still are taught the same things as everyone else, everyone who has a different interest or ability. There are good points. How do you know if you'll like math if you don't try math? What about science? School is good for that. But, once you find out what you like, if you do, school is a horrible waste of time. There should be a balance.
Gosh, this is a review! I liked it, I did. Would I have wrote all that other stuff if I didn't? I went back and chose "Thoughtful" for my first Tone, because it made me think again. Interviewee Josh didn't seemed programmed either for or against anything, and that's the kid I want. Someone who is free, and can and will make up his own mind.
Comments for Homeschooling Dance Party
Produced by Hillary Frank
Other pieces by Hillary Frank
Rating Summary
5 comments
Erika Mahoney
Posted on April 08, 2007 at 04:07 PM | Permalink
Review of Homeschooling Dance Party
For a long time, students, kids, and adults have pondered over the differences between kids who grow up going to school and those who learn at home. Hillary Frank digs deep into these issues questiong homeschooling kids about their daily lives at a homeschooling convention. And through this investigation, a lot of great points on the controversy are brought up. My favorite point that she made was that it appeared to her that homeschooled kids strive just as hard to be different as kids who go to school strive to be the same.
I really liked how this piece was put together. The background noise and music really brought the listener into the scene and I felt as if I was actually at the convention and the dance. Plus, Frank's questions for the homeschooled students were well thought out and I give her a lot of credit for being brave enough to question their ideas on the superiority of homeschooling.
Sean O'Connor
Posted on October 27, 2004 at 03:39 PM | Permalink
Review of Homeschooling Dance Party
Intentionally or not, this piece does its part to de-stigmatize the cultural cliche that surround the concept of "homeschooling."
At the same time, it points up the similarity between all kids - home schooled or public schooled.
Is one better than the other? Given its relatively recent resurgence, it is too soon to tell. Hillary Frank treat the subject with sensitivity and allows kids to speak for themselves.
A very well done piece
Ann Dornfeld
Posted on February 22, 2004 at 07:08 PM | Permalink
Review of Homeschooling Dance Party
The setting of the piece makes it hard to take more than just a superficial look at homeschoolers' social lives. But Hillary did a good job capturing the feel of the event, and its unusual nature. Her attention to the similarities between these kids and traditionally-schooled teens was careful and thorough.
The sound was fine, although nothing particularly innovative. What was at issue was the way kids feel about their lives, however, so the audio served that purpose.
Finally, Hillary's delivery was - unsurprisingly - oh-so-This American Life. Studied, relaxed, and terribly familiar.
Richard Paul
Posted on February 14, 2004 at 11:57 AM | Permalink
Review of Homeschooling Dance Party
Great sociology lesson. You learn a lot. But as a radio piece ... To my ear, it's a bit too much me, me, me (the reporter, that is). My thoughts. My impressions. They gather around me and shout out answers to my questions. As a listener, personally I'd much rather hear the kids. I didn't hear two kids speaking in a row until 4:30 into the piece. Then there's the section with Josh, the kid who wants to go to public school so he can meet girls. Let me hear Josh, please. Why does the reporter tell the whole story? I can see doing that in a newspaper feature, but the great thing about radio is you can capture someone's voice and, with it, their emotions and let THAT tell the story. This is a valuable slice of life that few of us know. I wish I could have experienced it with less of a wall put up between me and the individuals covered.
Hans Anderson
Posted on December 09, 2003 at 05:40 PM | Permalink
Review of Homeschooling Dance Party
"We all turn out alright" is a good theme in this piece. I've thought that about adults, too. Sure, some are bad, some are good, some work at the DMV. But, with all the different ways you can raise a kid, basically all of them work okay. I'm just as well-adjusted -- good or bad -- as most of my friends. One was raised in Pittsburgh, one in Bogota, one in Paris, one in Mexico, one in Reno, etc. We all turned out.
So, is home schooling better than regular school? I know both of my kids excel in certain areas they really care about, but just get by in those that they don't. They still are taught the same things as everyone else, everyone who has a different interest or ability. There are good points. How do you know if you'll like math if you don't try math? What about science? School is good for that. But, once you find out what you like, if you do, school is a horrible waste of time. There should be a balance.
Gosh, this is a review! I liked it, I did. Would I have wrote all that other stuff if I didn't? I went back and chose "Thoughtful" for my first Tone, because it made me think again. Interviewee Josh didn't seemed programmed either for or against anything, and that's the kid I want. Someone who is free, and can and will make up his own mind.