New! Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

Happy November! We’re going to be rolling out some changes a little bit at a time in honor of our 10th Anniversary. For starters, we’ve decided to include a “Letter from the Editor” in every issue. Welcome to the first installment!

When we first launched Homeschooling Teen magazine in October/November 2008, we were seeking an outlet for homeschooled teen writers, a place where they could publish their articles and reviews to be read by other people (besides just Mom and Dad!). We wanted to create a space where homeschooling teens could speak their minds, tell their stories, and make their voices heard.

Although those inaugural writers, journalists, and poets have since graduated and moved on with their lives, our online magazine has continued to flourish and grow way beyond that original dream. But this wasn’t our doing, it was because of YOU.

What you have created over the past ten years — a community of dedicated readers, writers, and artists — is more than we ever could have asked for. Because, of course, Homeschooling Teen is YOU – the readers, the writers, the illustrators, the commenters, everyone who has shared his or her thoughts on these pages.

As you know, homeschoolers are an extremely diverse group of individuals. We’re kind of set apart as a small microcosm of the larger society. But just like any cross-section of America, homeschoolers are greatly divided along ideological lines. This really became clear to me upon publishing the Brett Kavanaugh article in our previous issue.

Would you believe, after being in existence for a whole decade, it was the very first time Homeschooling Teen magazine has EVER received hate mail! And yet that same article instantly received more “likes” than any of the others we’ve posted on Facebook!

Homeschooling Teen has never shied away from politics, religion, or controversial subjects. We have published articles on gun control (both FOR and AGAINST), birth control, abortion, genocide, racism, illegal immigration, and more. Funny thing is, during our ten years online, none of those articles brought about such an emotional (dare I say hysterical?) reaction like the Kavanaugh article did!

A big part of homeschooling is learning about the wider world around us. And yes, that can and does include politics. If you’re not interested, don’t read the article, but please don’t tell our writers what they can and cannot write about. They wouldn’t be writing about the topic if it wasn’t important to them.

Which brings us back to the purpose of this magazine — to give homeschooling teens a place to tell their stories, share their knowledge, and voice their opinions. Thank you for understanding.

🙂 Happy Homeschooling!

 

P.S. Just so you know, all opinions expressed in our articles are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or the readers. In order to uphold the freedom of speech, we must be willing to consider different points of view in a spirit of mutual civility. If you want to convince people of the merits of your personal perspective on the matter, please leave a respectful reply (or submit your own article!). Hurtful comments full of F-bombs and other expletives will be deleted.

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  1. I enjoyed this letter, it only makes me want to read the Kavanaugh article more. Great site!

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