In another round of going through my inbox of articles submitted to Home Education Magazine, I’m reeling from the number of similarly named articles. Writers have worked hard on their articles for HEM, which we appreciate. But at the moment of truth, when writers “save” or “name” their files, 90% make the same choice: “HEM Article.”
Inside a particular writer’s PC or Mac, “HEM Article” stands out as a particular piece of work. It is not the article written for Catfish Farming Today, and it is not the article written for Cat Fancy.
Unfortunately, in my brain, as well as in the clouds of HEM webmail and in the electrons of my laptop, “HEM Article” is one of 1.6 million articles so designated.
To complete the confusion, many writers submit their work attached to emails with a subject line of, you guessed it: “HEM Article.” I have a bazillion emails from different people, all with the subject line “HEM Article.”
Obviously, this makes distinguishing a particular “HEM Article” difficult.
Please, please have mercy on the articles editor. Name your file – not just your article - something that relates to the title or topic of your article. Curriculum Choice or School Recovery or Waldorf Mornings or Nature Walks. I may have another article in the tank that has a similar name, but I won’t have a million of ‘em.
As to subject lines of emails, use your last name, first initial and the topic of the article: Eillinger, R./Bio Labs, or Roberts, J./Math Texts, or Marshall, D./Environmentally Aware Homeschooling.
I’m sorry if this sounds like persnicketty-ness or a demand to make my life easier. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is I am afraid. I am afraid I am going to miss an article our readers would be inspired by or benefit from, because my feeble brain will mistakenly think I’ve already evaluated the article, which was, of course, named “HEM Article.”
I just do not want to miss looking at any submitted articles; our homeschooler-to-homeschooler approach depends on these stories.
Bottom line: Make your submission distinct by using a descriptive file name and author’s name/title in the email subject line.
Submissions to Home Education Magazine are wide ranging. Most of our content is generated by homeschooling parents, but we also get articles from non-homeschoolers. The article ”Using Writing Contests” by Thursday Bram, a non-homeschooling writer, is coming up in our November-December issue.
Most submissions by non-homeschooling writers don’t get published, usually because the articles don’t reflect an understanding of the ways home education differs from school or because the writer is suffering from expertism. Some submissions I get from non-homeschooling writers have a condescending tone, and some come right out and say homeschoolers obviously need assistance from someone with credentials.
Since a lot of people want to write for Home Education Magazine, I thought sharing Thursday’s approach would be interesting reading for prospective writers. She agreed to answer some questions that provide insight as to why her article was selected for publication, even though she is not a homeschool mom.
Thursday, when I read your article, I was immediately impressed with your idea for the story. How did you think of doing an article about the way writing contests could be helpful to homeschool kids?
In the past, I’ve tutored English, as well as taught test prep for college admissions exams like the SAT. Those experiences have lead me to the conclusion that the only way for a student to improve his or her writing is to actually write. Actually finding things to write about can be the hard part, though: in chatting with a mom who homeschools, the question of where to find writing prompts came up. Since I’ve been suggesting writing contests for students I’ve tutored for years, I thought it would be a good fit for this mom who felt like she could never find writing topics that interested her kids.
What made you think of writing this story for a homeschooling magazine, when the writing contests are open to all students?
The more I thought about the idea of using writing contests as prompts for homeschoolers, the more it seemed like a good fit. As I started looking into it with the families who I know homeschool, I consistently heard that parents would like a good source of writing prompts but most of them hadn’t even considered writing contests. I felt like it was an idea that would be useful and honestly didn’t think that much about the factor that most writing contests are open to any student. I’ve known enough people that either homeschool their kids or were homeschooled themselves that I don’t think I really consider homeschooling that radical of an educational idea compared to a public school.
I wasn’t sure whether you were a homeschool parent yourself. You hit the right tone with me, so I thought “maybe.” I get a lot of submissions from writers who are not homeschooling parents, but most come off as “experts” outside homeschooling who would like to assist homeschoolers who “must be” struggling to manage without the infrastructure of “school.” This is definitely not an approach our readers appreciate, and so those writers don’t get published – and yet our readers do highly value a supportive tone and helpful ideas.
When I asked, you told me you weren’t a homeschool parent. How do you think you managed to get inside the approach that Home Education Magazine is seeking without being a homeschooling parent yourself?
I think one of the biggest factors that lets me write for a magazine like Home Education Magazine without being a homeschooling parent is the fact that I don’t assume anything about homeschooling. I know that I’m definitely not an expert on homeschooling and I know most parents have good reasons for taking the approaches they do. Instead, I sought out homeschooling parents who were willing to talk to me about how they approach planning a curriculum. I think it’s all about keeping an open mind and avoiding assumptions – which may hold true even for parents already homeschooling! I’ve seen an incredible diversity between how different families handle homeschooling: what works for one family may not be an option for another.
Of course, we do occasionally have other articles that are written by nonhomeschooling writers. What are your observations about the content and editorial tone of Home Education Magazine that you would encourage prospective HEM writers to keep in mind?
Practical options seem to be a focal point in Home Education Magazine’s content: just from looking through article titles, you can get the feeling that if an article isn’t about something that a busy mom or dad can read and put to use fast, it’s probably not going to make it into the magazine. The magazine also manages to avoid what I call the ‘expert bias’ – there’s recognition that there are multiple ways to approach any homeschooling question and just because an expert has certain credentials doesn’t make their option more valid than the alternatives.
What other types of writing do you do? Any articles that you think would be of interest to homeschoolers, even though they might be intended for a broader audience?
I write about personal finance on a regular basis, as well as small business and work-at-home topics. A couple of the sites that I write for on a regular basis are www.Wisebread.com and www.Webworkerdaily.com. I like to group the topics I write about under the umbrella of productivity – I’m all about finding easier solutions to problems (like where to come up with a whole stack of writing prompts on short notice) and then making them available to readers.
People who are interested in writing for Home Education Magazine might be interested in your background. Tell us a little about yourself and your writing, and how our readers can find out more about you.
I started freelance writing the summer before I went to college and I’ve been doing it ever since. While I enjoy certain aspects of straight journalism, like interviewing interesting people, a short stint at a daily newspaper made it very clear to me that I wouldn’t get to cover most of the stories I wanted to if I didn’t stick with freelancing. I write primarily for online publications at this point and I actually blog about the business side of freelance writing on my personal website, www.ThursdayBram.com.
A lot of homeschool parents and young adults are interested in freelance or work-at-home type pursuits, including writing, graphic design, and other home based businesses. How does this work for you?
I’ve actually had the opportunity to work with quite a few work-at-home parents who have taken up freelancing. For some parents, it’s an ideal option – though freelancing alone can be tough, before you even start thinking about combining homeschooling. Both require self-discipline. Even after years of freelancing, I still occasionally struggle with making sure I get all of my work done when I have something else I’d really rather be doing.
If you can handle that aspect, though, freelancing has a lot to recommend it. There is a certain flexibility to it and the ability to pick and choose projects (and often turn your other interests into new projects) can provide an interesting career path. If you’re interested in freelancing, I’d suggest checking out some of the websites dedicated to freelancing, like FreelanceSwitch.com (disclaimer: I do write for FreelanceSwitch) and start learning about the mechanics of freelancing. I also offer quite a bit of information on freelance writing on my own website and just brought out my first ebook for freelancers just getting started in the business, Market Your Freelance Writing in 31 Days (http://www.thursdaybram.com/marketing-your-freelance-writing-in-31-days-the-ebook).
What do you like to read?
I read a pretty wide variety of blogs, but two of my absolute favorites right now are The Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/) and The Art of Non-Conformity (http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/).
Thanks, Thursday, for telling us about your freelance writing career and how you manage to customize your writing for Home Education Magazine. Our readers will enjoy your upcoming article in the November-December 2009 issue.
Tags: freelance, homeschooling writers, non-homeschooling writers, publication, Thursday Bram, writing contests, writing prompts
Some of HEM’s best homeschooling articles are about homeschooling methods. Others provide rich resources for learning. Others are personal homeschooling stories that will help other parents overcome challenges. We also cover legal and political issues. But none are more important to our general readership than the articles that are simply reflective and encouraging. I love to have at least one of these articles in each issue of the magazine, a piece that provides perspective and support for continuing the homeschooling journey.
You’ve enjoyed other articles in Home Education Magazine by Agnes Penny, like “Raising Art Critics” and “Family Time All Day Long.” In the November-December 2009 issue of HEM, this warm writer and experienced homeschool mom shares her understanding that special times keep coming even though our children are growing up fast.
Children who are getting a little older can enjoy more grown-up experiences with their homeschooling parents, from special concerts to lively discussions about books. This encouraging article tells us how homeschooling and caring for children of different ages provide variety and interest for Mom as well as kids. Make sure you look for Agnes Penny’s upcoming article, “Magic Moments at Every Age.”
You can read about the rest of the articles we’re working on for November-December at our upcoming issue page.
Writer Carron Armstrong explored resources and ideas to help younger kids learn “money smarts” in her article in the September-October 2009 issue of Home Education Magazine. Coming up in the November-December 2009 issue, Carron Armstrong tells HEM readers about great strategies, websites, books, programs, magazines, and other resources that we can use to help our older kids and young adults learn about financial management.
You won’t want to miss “Teaching Money Smarts to Older Children and Teens.” Carron brings her wisdom as a homeschool mom and a lawyer on bankruptcy and consumer issues to the article, which is so rich in ideas it alone is worth the price of a whole subscription to Home Education Magazine!
You can see what else the magazine has planned for the November-December 2009 issue by visiting our Upcoming Issue page.
Tags: Carron Armstrong, financial management, financial responsibility, money management, Money Smarts, older kids, teens
Advocating for home education is aplenty for me. A decade ago, I decided to make home education my focus rather than “school reform.” However, I still pay attention to efforts to reform public education. One of the latest is the high profile campaign, Get Schooled.
The Get Schooled website is snappy and well-edited. There’s no chance of getting lost in a sea of position papers. The highly produced video on the site (”Watch the Show!”) features basketball star LeBron James, American Idol Kelly Clarkson, and United States President Barack Obama. The angle seems to be drop-out prevention and prep for college and a competitive labor market. It all seems very noble, but my decade of home educating has apparently made me cynical. The website emphasizes getting drop-outs to finish school and getting students to value education but seems to offer little opening for examining why school is so irrelevant for so many.
From the Get Schooled Press Room:
Every school day seven thousand students walk out on their education. One-third of all students fail to graduate high school. (Read More)
Call me a crazy homeschool mom, but when faced with having created educational opportunities that didn’t work for my kids and that they weren’t willing to participate in, I did major examination and restructuring of what I was offering them. I adjusted and still adjust (two of my kids are in college; one is still in the thick of home education). I don’t presume that my agenda is more important than theirs, and I allow them to learn at their own pace and through the lens of their interests. I encourage them to do a lot of physical work and hands-on projects. We split wood; we make art; we study crayfish; we debate today’s news; we cook; we dance; we write; we read. We discuss emerging goals and how to prepare for them. I’m honest about the work they need to do to reach their goals, and I provide resources, encouragement, and opportunities for changing directions.
I understand that this kind of customization either seems or truly is impossible in the current approach to public education, but I can’t quite see how a system that has seven thousand more students walk out each day can address its dropout problem from the “encourage kids to stay in school” and “parents should be cheerleaders” angles. If one third of the customers you serve walk out on you in the middle of your serving them, shouldn’t something far more radical be under consideration? Like major examination and restructuring of what school offers students? Including examining the presumption that school’s agenda is more important than students’ agendas? Including allowing students to truly work at their own pace and through the lens of their interests? Including allowing students to do physical work and hands-on projects?
The thing is, it’s so radical that we’d have to admit that a lot of what schools are doing can’t work. We’d have to admit that the emperor has no clothes, despite our paying a tremendous amount for them with our tax dollars. We’d have to admit that public education, rather than treating homeschoolers warily, should be looking to home education for insight and ideas for meeting kids’ needs.
And one more thing. “Get Schooled” as a pro-education theme sounds off-key to my ear. I mean, I get the pop culture atmospherics and edgy feel, but “Get Schooled” is far too accurate in encouraging kids to passively submit to a system that is failing so many. We could signal a real intent to serve students, including the 1/3 of students who don’t graduate, if we were creating a system that deserved a theme like “Figure out Where You Want to Go and Learn What You Need to Get There. We’ll Help.”
Alas, this would make kids more important than the status quo.
I didn’t find the political will existed to make kids more important than the status quo back when my sons began their educational journies, which explains why I first began homeschooling. I continue to doubt that the political will exists to make kids more important than the status quo, which explains why other parents will continue to begin homeschooling.
We’re not looking for our kids to “get schooled;” we’re looking for them to become educated.
Tags: customized education, dropouts, Get Schooled, homeschooling, public education, school reform
