Kelli Traaseth

Hey everyone,

I have somewhat of a quandary,,

We have a friend(Amy) whose roommate is a newspaper reporter. This reporter does features on education and this time around she's going to do a feature on homeschooling. Amy had been over to our house a couple of days ago and we were discussing our unschooling. She's pretty cool about it,, she thinks it makes a lot of sense.

So naturally when her roomate tells her she's going to do a feature on homeschooling she asks her if she wants to go into the different types of homeschooling.

Amy called me yesterday asking me if I'd like to be part of it all. Maybe get interviewed, don't know what else. I said yes, but yet I'm apprehensive. Our school district has been pretty out of the picture in our whole homeschooling time. We've been doing it for about 3 years now. I just don't know if I want to draw attention to ourselves, yet if I can get the word out about unschooling,, I'm excited to do that.

I know there's a few of you out there who have done some interviews and they have seemed to go pretty well. It probably is going to depend on how it ends up being interpreted, how well I come across and how our school district responds. I live in a pretty small city, 12,000 people. So it wouldn't be hard to find me. :(

I was tempted to just say no and stay silent,,yet I also want to let other people know that there are other options.

What do you think?

Kelli~





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pam sorooshian

On Oct 24, 2004, at 7:02 AM, Kelli Traaseth wrote:

> I know there's a few of you out there who have done some interviews
> and they have seemed to go pretty well. It probably is going to
> depend on how it ends up being interpreted, how well I come across and
> how our school district responds. I live in a pretty small city,
> 12,000 people. So it wouldn't be hard to find me. :(

I've done many interviews - local, national, international - my
congressperson even talked about my family in a speech which is in the
Congressional Record. No problems. Occasional misquotings. Once, we
were interviewed for tv (Rosie and I and our friends Dan Vilter and his
son Matthew). Imagine our surprise when the voice-over at the beginning
of the segment announced, "Rosie and Matthew score high on standardized
tests." Nobody'd asked us about testing - and we'd been extremely open
about our unschooling, and the reporter had seemed to get it and like
what he heard. The rest was us and was fine. It can be annoying to talk
to a reporter for hours and end up with a paragraph that doesn't seem
representative of what you said, but that is not too uncommon.

If you go to the NHEN website and to the 'for the media' area, you
might find some useful ideas of things that might help the reporter.

-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

Kelli Traaseth

***It can be annoying to talk
to a reporter for hours and end up with a paragraph that doesn't seem
representative of what you said, but that is not too uncommon.***



Yeah,, I guess that is one thing I worry about. Not much I can do about it though. Like you said, it happens a lot.



I am leaning toward doing the interview.




***If you go to the NHEN website and to the 'for the media' area, you
might find some useful ideas of things that might help the reporter.***



I'll check into that.



One reason I'm really wanting to do this is that there really isn't a whole lot of knowledge about unschooling here. I guess that's pretty normal everywhere. Most of the time when homeschooling is mentioned in our paper its because the parents want to shelter their children from the big bad world. I want to point out that one of the reasons we pulled our kids from school is that there are so many more opportunities out in the world. This type of thing is never mentioned.



Thanks Pam!



Kelli~








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Valerie

--- In [email protected], Kelli Traaseth
<kellitraas@y...> wrote:
> ***It can be annoying to talk
> to a reporter for hours and end up with a paragraph that doesn't
seem
> representative of what you said, but that is not too uncommon.***


****** When Laurie and I did an interview for our local paper (it's
on my website http://www.ubpub.com under Media) we were pleasantly
surprised at how positive the whole thing turned out. An elderly man
did the interview and while he got a few facts mixed up, he
basically gave us two thumbs up.

We didn't have any fear from the interview though because Laurie was
already in college by that time. In our southern community we didn't
utter the word "unschool" until she was 16 or so - past the age of
school board bs.

However, that was so many years ago and while Unschooling is still
unknown and misunderstood by the majority, it is far more acceptable
now than then.

So basically, Kelli. I have no advice. <g>

love, Valerie
www.ubpub.com

Kelli Traaseth

**So basically, Kelli. I have no advice. <g>**



Sure,, Valerie,, thanks a lot! <G>

No, I knew when I posted the question that I would have to think through my own circumstances. Just hearing that others have done it, helps.



I'll go and read through some of the interviews and then decide if I'm feeling secure enough in my own definitions and answers. I don't doubt unschooling a bit. Its my ability to communicate details of why I don't doubt it is my worry. People ask, "don't you worry that they'll fall behind?" or "don't you worry that this will screw them up?" Nope. :) Now I just have to be able to defend that "nope".



One thing that I am a bit afraid to go into (within the interview) is the whole joy/happiness thing. I don't think I dare mention that that's what is important to me now. It would probably be seen as neglect. Isn't that crazy. Why can't that be enough?!



I know that my children will learn what they need to learn. Its just so hard to convey that to people who are new to these thoughts.



I think I'll have to speak a lot of educationese. :)



Kelli~






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catherine aceto

FWIW, from my one experience at being interviewed for parenting issues (extended nursing for a local alternative weekly). Don't assume that someone who is giving you social cues of "I get it" actually gets it. I went into the interview expecting that the reporter wanted to understand what I was saying and that if I wasn't clear she would ask more questions or at least look puzzled. But so far as I can tell, she was either formulating her next question while I was speaking or just nodding her head and looking as she were following the conversation in order to keep me talking. I know that happens in ordinary conversation (I do it myself when I'm more interested in the connection than whether I actually understand what the person is saying). I just didn't expect to find that behavior in a reporter doing an interview.

I guess that is just a warning that even if the interview seems to be going well, it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like the article.

-Cat

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Kelli Traaseth

**I guess that is just a warning that even if the interview seems to be going well, it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like the article. **



Yeah,, that's one thing I'm worrying about.



Even if I don't like it,, just the reporter's own spin on it scares me. Amy, my friend, says that this reporter is very conscious of staying obvective and presenting facts that way. But you just never know.

Thanks, Cat.



Kelli~





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Meg Grooms

I did an interview on TV once and swear I will never do it again. It was right after Sept. 11 and the reporter asked me NOTHING about whether or not I think more ppl were deciding to homeschool as a result of the tragedy. Well, I watch it on the news a few days later and their "expert" trashed homeschooling and safety up and down...

It's quite funny because their expert was a school board member who had a fw months earlier contacted me and asked me to be on his advisory board, and we knew each other quite well. When I was talking to the reporter I had no idea he would be on the other end, and when he was talking about the "homeschooler" he had no idea he was talking about me!

Perhaps a newspaper article won't be so easy to twist around, but know that the reporter may use only half of a sentence, or place the sentences awkwardly so it seems to twist what you are saying.

Meg

Kelli Traaseth <kellitraas@...> wrote:
Hey everyone,

I have somewhat of a quandary,,

We have a friend(Amy) whose roommate is a newspaper reporter. This reporter does features on education and this time around she's going to do a feature on homeschooling. Amy had been over to our house a couple of days ago and we were discussing our unschooling. She's pretty cool about it,, she thinks it makes a lot of sense.

So naturally when her roomate tells her she's going to do a feature on homeschooling she asks her if she wants to go into the different types of homeschooling.

Amy called me yesterday asking me if I'd like to be part of it all. Maybe get interviewed, don't know what else. I said yes, but yet I'm apprehensive. Our school district has been pretty out of the picture in our whole homeschooling time. We've been doing it for about 3 years now. I just don't know if I want to draw attention to ourselves, yet if I can get the word out about unschooling,, I'm excited to do that.

I know there's a few of you out there who have done some interviews and they have seemed to go pretty well. It probably is going to depend on how it ends up being interpreted, how well I come across and how our school district responds. I live in a pretty small city, 12,000 people. So it wouldn't be hard to find me. :(

I was tempted to just say no and stay silent,,yet I also want to let other people know that there are other options.

What do you think?

Kelli~





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pam sorooshian

On Oct 25, 2004, at 5:00 AM, Kelli Traaseth wrote:

> Its my ability to communicate details of why I don't doubt it is my
> worry. People ask, "don't you worry that they'll fall behind?" or
> "don't you worry that this will screw them up?" Nope. :) Now I just
> have to be able to defend that "nope".

I can't defend it, either, in the way my natural inclinations would
like me to. Meaning - I can't give evidence of research, etc.

So that has always left me feeling a little vulnerable - even though I
am FULLY confident - too much of my confidence is based on some kind of
resonance within me that this is just RIGHT.

Of course, now I have evidence of my own - my older kids are old enough
to be considered "success stories." So odd. I consider Rosie, at 13,
just as much a success right now as Roya, who is going to college - but
she doesn't constitute "evidence" the way Roya does.

And I suppose some people wouldn't see Rox as a success story, because
she puts nearly all her time and energy into musical theater and some
would see that as too one-dimensional or something. Last night I bought
her the boxed set of dvd's of Broadway: the American Musical -- which
recently showed on PBS. The DVD's have, of course, hours of extras. It
was $60 and my friend was surprised I'd spend that on such a thing.
Would somebody hesitate to pay that for an advanced astronomy series
for a kid who was into rocket science? They'd think that was a bargain.
<BEG>

Looking at the world through the lens of musical theater has been
fascinating for me - EVERYTHING is connected - we've done every social
issue, all periods of history, politics, world events, psychology, and
on and on.

-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

[email protected]

In a message dated 10/25/04 6:03:00 AM, kellitraas@... writes:

<< One thing that I am a bit afraid to go into (within the interview) is the
whole joy/happiness thing. >>

Then call it trust and confidence and self esteem.


I've been interviewed three times for newspaper and once for TV. None was
perfect, but all were better than nothing. A couple were very well presented
after all.

Every single time I was careful and sure to use these terms:
school reform
open classroom
John Holt

educationese enough for me.

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 10/25/04 8:26:29 AM, aceto3@... writes:

<< I guess that is just a warning that even if the interview seems to be
going well, it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like the article. >>

I have never hesitated to ask the interviewer questions too, so that they're
actively engaged in the thoughts themselves. Like... "Don't you know people
who have degrees they aren't using?" (GOD KNOWS anyone in journalism does.)

Sandra

Kelli Traaseth

In a message dated 10/25/04 6:03:00 AM, kellitraas@... writes:

<< One thing that I am a bit afraid to go into (within the interview) is the
whole joy/happiness thing. >>


Sandra wrote:
"Then call it trust and confidence and self esteem."



Yes! This is awesome, I'm going to remember it.

And>>

**school reform
open classroom
John Holt**



Thanks Sandra!



Kelli~







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Kelli Traaseth

Meg Grooms <habby_cat@...> wrote:

**Perhaps a newspaper article won't be so easy to twist around, but know that the reporter may use only half of a sentence, or place the sentences awkwardly so it seems to twist what you are saying.**



Yeah,, I've thought of that.

I wish I could say,,"I"ll proofread that for you before you submit it, K?" <G> Well,, I guess I could say that, doesn't mean they'd let me, but I could say it. :)



Thanks,



Kelli~


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nellebelle

I wish I could say,,"I"ll proofread that for you before you submit it, K?" <G> Well,, I guess I could say that, doesn't mean they'd let me, but I could say it. :)>>>


I think it is worthwhile to ask if you can look it over. At the very least, you should be able to see how they said what you said, to check if they caught your intent.

Will you have notes for yourself? Particular phrases or points you'd like to make?

Mary Ellen

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Julie Bogart

--- In [email protected], "nellebelle" <nellebelle@c...> wrote:
> I wish I could say,,"I"ll proofread that for you before you submit it, K?" <G> Well,, I
guess I could say that, doesn't mean they'd let me, but I could say it. :)>>>
>
>
> I think it is worthwhile to ask if you can look it over. At the very least, you should be
able to see how they said what you said, to check if they caught your intent.

I have been interviewed for newspapers before and they do offer you a chance (usually) to
review the article. I had to have something changed in the last interview because the
interviewer had misunderstood me and then wrote her perspective which was not mine.
She happily adjusted the content to reflect what I intended for her to express.

If they don't offer you a chance to review the article, definitely request the opportunity.
Most newspapers will be willing to honor that request.

Julie B

Kelli Traaseth

**I think it is worthwhile to ask if you can look it over.**

Good point. I was pretty much thinking it was wishful thinking, but how do you know if you don't ask. Duh...



**Will you have notes for yourself? Particular phrases or points you'd like to make?**



Yeah, I think I will.



Also questions to ask, that will make her think.



Kelli~






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Kelli Traaseth

**I have been interviewed for newspapers before and they do offer you a chance (usually) to
review the article. **



OK, so now I know that it is common practice. It wouldn't be off of me to ask, if they don't offer.



Thanks guys, I'll let you all know how it goes.
Kelli~




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mamaaj2000

--- In [email protected], Kelli Traaseth
<kellitraas@y...> wrote:


> So naturally when her roomate tells her she's going to do a feature
on homeschooling she asks her if she wants to go into the different
types of homeschooling.

Have you read anything this reporter has written? There are good and
bad writers, some who evenly show different views and some who are
going to write about their personal opinions and put down others.

Unschooling is so far outside of what a lot of people have considered
that I would worry about how some people might mangle an explanation
(heck, including me on a bad day).

--aj

[email protected]

In a message dated 10/26/04 11:01:30 AM, julie@... writes:

<< I have been interviewed for newspapers before and they do offer you a
chance (usually) to

review the article. >>

I've been told no. I've been asked to help review. It's going to be
different every time.

I've been interviewed by radio twice, promised a taped copy both times,
received one neither time. I was interviewed by phone by a newspaper far far away
(Portland Oregonian) and DID receive a copy of the finished article by mail.

Don't count on advance anything. <g>

It's like a river flowing, and into each river a little crap must fall.

Sandra