MemeStreams | WordGirl - A good way to Piss off Homeschool Parents

Still, I will pass this on because I really DO get tired of these negative stereotypes that are totally unfounded.
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ATTENTION HOME SCHOOLERS! ACTION NEEDED!

If you haven't seen any of the one minute WordGirl shorts throughout the PBS
KIDS GO! weekday programming or the two minute WordGirl episodes which air
after the very popular Maya & Miguel show on your local PBS station, please
take a moment to visit the PBS KIDS website to view the negative portrayal
of home schooled students that is being espoused in this programming. The
link to the website is:

Click on the left side "Heroes, Villains & Mere Mortals" then select the
character "Tobey". Here's the character description from the website:

"Tobey is a 10-year-old home schooled genius who causes serious property
damage in order to get WordGirl's attention, not that he'd ever admit it.
He's a master of robotics, building giant robots to do his bidding. He's
constantly trying to prove that he is WordGirl's intellectual superior, and
that he isn't afraid of his mommy."

In one episode, there is a comment about Tobey that "he's so timid that he
has a hard time making friends." In the same episode, Tobey also acts very
rude and destructive. You can see this episode and others (they are all only
a minute or so long) by going to the same website link above and clicking on
"Adventures of WordGirl" on the left side of the webpage, and then when the
"Choose a Character" screen comes up, select "Tobey" and then click on the
first picture under "Choose an Episode" at the bottom of the screen (it's
the one with the robot picture).

Scholastic's choice to portray this intelligent, yet socially inept and
deviant character as a home schooled student is a glaring attack on home
schooling and educational choice. Scholastic would not have dared to portray
this character as a racial minority or as a homosexual, yet they feel at
liberty to attack home schooled students and indirectly their parents who
they imply are making social misfits out of their children by teaching them
at home. This programming is seen by thousands of children every day and is
a means of influencing their attitudes toward home schooled students. As the
saying goes, "If you say it loud enough and long enough, the people will
believe it." There is no evidence to support the socialization concern in
regards to home schooled students, yet the educational establishment
continues with this propaganda.

Even if your children do not watch PBS, please contact Scholastic Media (the
creators of the WordGirl cartoon) and Scholastic Corporation (the owner of
Scholastic Media) and let them know your feelings about their choice to
portray this socially deviant "villain" as a home schooled student. We need
to stop the continued insinuations by the educational establishment that
home schooling results in a lack of social aptitude. Insist that Scholastic
Media stop making episodes with Tobey and also mention that you will not be
purchasing any more of Scholastic's educational books or products until you
see that they have removed this character from the WordGirl episodes.

In addition, please contact your local PBS station and ask that they stop
airing the WordGirl episodes that involve Tobey and remove them from their
website. Emphasize that the portrayal of Tobey as a socially deviant home
schooled student is a direct attack on home schooled students and their
families. If you happen to be a financial supporter of your local PBS
station, make sure to mention this fact to them and tell them that you
cannot support a station that airs such programming.

FOLLOWUP - Feb 16, 2006 - Scholastic notified me that their website and programming for Wordgirl would be scrubbed for any references to Tobey being homeschooled. The letters and emails obviously worked.

WordGirl - A good way to Piss off Homeschool Parents