by Suzanne Wielgos
Many of you may have heard about the recent attempt by a small group of legislators in the state of Illinois to impose far-reaching new restrictions on the practice of homeschooling within our state. As we worked almost non-stop over a span of about two weeks to mount a respectful but firm protest, I learned that some old stereotypes about homeschoolers still exist.
My own state senator phoned me and reinforced the existence of some of these stereotypes with statements like, “I’m not a fan of homeschooling because I think children need to be socialized.”
I almost dropped the phone, because I thought that ancient stereotype had bitten the dust.
This experience made me reflect on how homeschoolers are portrayed in the media, because the old stereotypes just don’t fit any more. So what is feeding them? I recalled an email conversation with a television/media reporter for a major newspaper; he had reviewed a television sitcom several years ago that featured, as I remember, a redneck-type family that used homeschooling as an excuse for general laziness. I had written to protest, but we ended up agreeing to disagree.
If my state senator did not think homeschooled kids are socialized, then she was relying on false representations like that one. How many others operate under those incorrect assumptions?
Anyway, it was against the backdrop of this chaotic legislative battle in which I found myself driving to a movie theater with one of my daughters. We had been invited to a special pre-screening of a new movie, “Soul Surfer,” about teenage surfing phenom Bethany Hamilton. The movie follows her experience of losing an arm in a shark attack and then getting back on her surfboard to compete again.
As we checked in at the theater, and the Sony Pictures representative learned I coordinate a large homeschool support group, her face brightened. “You are going to love this movie! Did you know that Bethany Hamilton was homeschooled?” she asked my daughter.
We entered the theater and I held my breath. How would homeschooling be presented on the big screen? I wondered.
I needn’t have worried. Actress Helen Hunt, as Bethany’s mother, handled the homeschooling scenes with great humor and nonchalance. Dennis Quaid, who plays her father, portrayed just the right mixture of support and understanding, balancing her surfing with other life lessons.
As we drove home, I realized that movies like “Soul Surfer,” which depict homeschoolers as normal, rational, successful young people, will chip away at old stereotypes. Homeschoolers as unsocialized? Bethany Hamilton is today a popular, successful athlete and author. Homeschoolers as lazy or undisciplined? Bethany Hamilton embarked on an unbelievable athletic training program to relearn how to surf with only one arm. Homeschooling parents as kooky hippies or religious fanatics? The Hamiltons are a warm, loving, laid back family who relied on their family’s strength and faith to get them through unimaginable pain…and triumph.
In the end, Illinois homeschoolers made quite an impression on many legislators who still, sadly, relied on old stereotypes to craft an unnecessary legislative proposal. We won a (perhaps) temporary reprieve, but equally importantly, we helped others to see who homeschoolers really are.
Now, if I could only get the state legislature to sit down for a screening of “Soul Surfer,” we’d make some real progress. In the meantime, I am thrilled that the practice of homeschooling is being played out on the big screen in such a positive, realistic manner. It will go a long way in changing minds, even one at a time.
Suzanne Wielgos became a homeschooling Mom in 1994. Today, her oldest of five children is in college and her youngest is finishing 4th grade. She coordinates her local homeschool group in the Chicago area, encouraging those new to homeschooling and providing a forum for discussion and support.
Many of you may have heard about the recent attempt by a small group of legislators in the state of Illinois to impose far-reaching new restrictions on the practice of homeschooling within our state. As we worked almost non-stop over a span of about two weeks to mount a respectful but firm protest, I learned that some old stereotypes about homeschoolers still exist.
My own state senator phoned me and reinforced the existence of some of these stereotypes with statements like, “I’m not a fan of homeschooling because I think children need to be socialized.”
I almost dropped the phone, because I thought that ancient stereotype had bitten the dust.
This experience made me reflect on how homeschoolers are portrayed in the media, because the old stereotypes just don’t fit any more. So what is feeding them? I recalled an email conversation with a television/media reporter for a major newspaper; he had reviewed a television sitcom several years ago that featured, as I remember, a redneck-type family that used homeschooling as an excuse for general laziness. I had written to protest, but we ended up agreeing to disagree.
If my state senator did not think homeschooled kids are socialized, then she was relying on false representations like that one. How many others operate under those incorrect assumptions?
Anyway, it was against the backdrop of this chaotic legislative battle in which I found myself driving to a movie theater with one of my daughters. We had been invited to a special pre-screening of a new movie, “Soul Surfer,” about teenage surfing phenom Bethany Hamilton. The movie follows her experience of losing an arm in a shark attack and then getting back on her surfboard to compete again.
As we checked in at the theater, and the Sony Pictures representative learned I coordinate a large homeschool support group, her face brightened. “You are going to love this movie! Did you know that Bethany Hamilton was homeschooled?” she asked my daughter.
We entered the theater and I held my breath. How would homeschooling be presented on the big screen? I wondered.
I needn’t have worried. Actress Helen Hunt, as Bethany’s mother, handled the homeschooling scenes with great humor and nonchalance. Dennis Quaid, who plays her father, portrayed just the right mixture of support and understanding, balancing her surfing with other life lessons.
As we drove home, I realized that movies like “Soul Surfer,” which depict homeschoolers as normal, rational, successful young people, will chip away at old stereotypes. Homeschoolers as unsocialized? Bethany Hamilton is today a popular, successful athlete and author. Homeschoolers as lazy or undisciplined? Bethany Hamilton embarked on an unbelievable athletic training program to relearn how to surf with only one arm. Homeschooling parents as kooky hippies or religious fanatics? The Hamiltons are a warm, loving, laid back family who relied on their family’s strength and faith to get them through unimaginable pain…and triumph.
In the end, Illinois homeschoolers made quite an impression on many legislators who still, sadly, relied on old stereotypes to craft an unnecessary legislative proposal. We won a (perhaps) temporary reprieve, but equally importantly, we helped others to see who homeschoolers really are.
Now, if I could only get the state legislature to sit down for a screening of “Soul Surfer,” we’d make some real progress. In the meantime, I am thrilled that the practice of homeschooling is being played out on the big screen in such a positive, realistic manner. It will go a long way in changing minds, even one at a time.
Suzanne Wielgos became a homeschooling Mom in 1994. Today, her oldest of five children is in college and her youngest is finishing 4th grade. She coordinates her local homeschool group in the Chicago area, encouraging those new to homeschooling and providing a forum for discussion and support.
