Grown Homeschoolers - Where Are They Now? - Peter Kowalke
Jamie Hopkins drops the three large tote bags from her shoulder and quickly empties their contents onto a table in the back of a large, unadorned room made of thick concrete. The space, lined with folding chairs and tables, serves as temporary headquarters for the Howard County Fair in northern Maryland, near Baltimore. Middle-aged farmers with weather-worn faces, wide cowboy hats and ample bellies periodically enter, inquiring about fair business such as where to park horse trailers or when a certain livestock competition is scheduled. Jamie retreats to an enjoining room where noise is less a factor. There she unpacks her laptop with haste.
Filing a story from a laptop is a first for this grown homeschooler in her early twenties. Jamieâ™s been a newspaper reporter since her days at the community college, and has used a laptop before, but never submitted work from one under deadline. What if she canâ™t connect to the internet, or the computer crashes and she is unable to file her story? The deadline is tight; writerâ™s block is not an option, let alone hardware failure.
Last night she had 45 minutes to write a story about barrel racing. While tonightâ™s story will be written under less duress, she wonâ™t have much more time, nor yesterdayâ™s opportunity to stop by her office at the Baltimore Sun. Tonight sheâ™s covering the livestock sale.
â??When do you think the companies are going to come and check out the animals?â?? asks Jamie, mining the fair secretary for information.
âThey get a meal ticket to eat here, so they could arrive late this afternoon.â
â??Maybe four or five?â?? The secretary nods, prompting Jamie to continue. â??Iâ?™ve talked with some of the folks who come regularly, but Iâ?™d like to catch up with them to find out what they want to buy. That sort of thing.â??
Her beat is Howard County and the community college, so Jamieâ™s been at the fair all week. She whips a legal pad and reporterâ™s notebook from the outside pocket of her largest bag, dropping them on the folding table where sheâ™s encamped. The bulk of the livestock sale story was written yesterday in a slow moment when there was time to focus on style and story flow. Currently it runs 19 inches, with placeholders for names and quotes from noteworthy participants in the sale. When the livestock sale occurs this evening, filing the story will be as simple as dropping in a few quotes and writing a descriptive paragraph or two.
Jamie copies the names of the storyâ™s potential sources to a reporterâ™s notebook. Sheâ™s already talked with many of the people she might mention in the article. The mission this afternoon, her final day at the fair, is to collect a few more quotes and learn how various animals placed in competition.
Outside headquarters the fairground is loud, hot and smelly. Goats bleat as they are led from the squalor of their pens to the show rink. Once the livestock are there, a cute judge in her early thirties compares haunch development and suggests ways exhibitors can improve their animals. Giant fans in another tent cool cows from the humid, scorching day and attempt to diffuse the bovineâ™s fetid scent. On the other side of the fairground, in the distance, corn dog vendors and a ferris wheel can be heard.
Amid the excitement of the fairground, an unassuming Jamie wanders the tents with a purposeful stride. Sheâ™s searching for two or three particular kids who will be selling at the livestock sale. She needs those quotes. Tent after tent, she comes up empty. While canvassing the fairground, Jamie reflects.
â??This is my very first Howard County Fair despite the fact that I actually grew up in Howard County,â?? says Jamie. â??It is interesting to compare this to the Story County Fair in Iowa, the only other fair Iâ?™ve covered. Youâ?™d expect a fair in a suburban area like this to not be as big or have as many animals.â?? Jamie stops her brisk walk for a second, surveying the barns and trailers that surround her. â??But this seems larger to me. Iâ?™m not entirely sure why.â??
Her first year as a reporter, 1999, Jamie worked for The Tribune of Ames, Iowa. While the small paper was staffed by a distinguished corps of journalists, Jamie moved back to her hometown as soon as a position opened at the Sun. â??I liked being in Iowa for a year,â?? remarks Jamie, â??but I really wouldnâ?™t want to stay outside of Maryland for an extended period of time.â?? Both her family, and the family of her husband, live near the coupleâ?™s apartment in the Baltimore suburbs of Odenton. â??Iâ?™ve always been a homebody,â?? she says. â??I love Maryland.â??
The comprehensive fairground search yields nothing. â??Every single person I want to talk to is either busy or not here yet,â?? exclaims a mildly exasperated Jamie. Just then, she spots the mom of a nine-year-old subject sheâ?™s been trying to locate. The young journalist makes a beeline for the mother.
â??Did you find Morgan? Sheâ?™s in the show rink wearing the farm queen crown and giving out ribbons,â?? says the proud mom, pointing in the direction of the bleating goats. â??Sheâ?™s helping the show.â??
â??They said she was working with ribbons, but they didnâ?™t say that,â?? muses Jamie.
After a minute of light conversation, where it is revealed that Morgan will sell a pig, a lamb and a steer at the livestock sale, Jamie hops on a bleacher and waits for Morgan to finish moving livestock to and from the show holding pens. The sheep are nearly as tall as Morgan, but the gutsy nine-year-old hangs on to her animal while it tries to escape. The bolos tie around her neck sways wildly as she secures the sheep. It is a wonder that the white, sleeveless blouse the girl wears is not dirty from the tussle or damp from perspiration.
â??They are really proud of their show clothes,â?? says Jamie. â??Iâ?™m impressed by the folks who will dress up in pretty nice clothes to show their animals in this hot weather. It is so interesting to be here and watch that.â??
The livestock sale is the emotional high point for kids who have raised livestock and are selling them, but it is a bittersweet evening. â??Youâ?™re excited,â?? explains Jamie, â??but on the other hand it is sad to sell an animal youâ?™ve cared for so very closely.â??
Jamie glances back over at Morgan, who is still wrestling sheep. â??What I liked about her is that sheâ?™s relatively quotable.â?? Often children are shy and have difficulty explaining themselves and their activities. â??But she seems to know the subject really well and doesnâ?™t mind talking about it. And, she has a variety of animals. Thatâ?™s why I am considering putting her in the story.â??
That is only if Jamie can catch up with Morgan. Morgan has slipped away and is no longer in the show rink. Jamie is concerned. For a second, she panics. â??Ahh! I hope I havenâ?™t lost my girl!â?? Jamie glances back at the motherâ?™s jeep, but the mom is long gone. The search for Morgan is resumed with renewed urgency.
Another subject is found while in pursuit of Morgan. The boy, no older than thirteen, is showing a sheep named Blueberry. Jamie verifies the sheepâ™s name and asks its weight. Her tone is conversational--almost chatty; investigative journalism this is not. Before continuing her search, she asks the boy if she can stop back later for a few cheesy questions.
The lifelong unschooler was not always a fan of the newspaper for which she reports. â??I very unfairly thought that the Sun wasnâ?™t a good paper because I was raised on the Post,â?? reveals Jamie. That changed in college. While a student at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Jamie took an internship with her future employer. â??I loved the atmosphere! I felt I was actually accomplishing stuff there,â?? she says. Unlike her other internships, the Sun treated Jamie like staff. For an unschooler accustomed to respect and real responsibility, her experience with the Sun left a lasting, positive impression. The paper also was impressed with her work.
After some searching, Jamie once again spots Morganâ™s mother. This time, Morgan is available for a short interview. Despite the sound congestion of a noisy barn fan, Jamie finally gets her interview.
â??Does it feel daunting to sell three animals your very first time?â?? As a nine-year-old, this is Morganâ?™s first opportunity to sell her 4-H livestock.
â??I donâ?™t know,â?? replies Morgan. She pauses, then trails off.
Jamie gently presses with the next question. Perhaps Morgan isnâ™t as good an interview as originally thought. âWhat does it feel like when you are out there in these clothes, since it is so hot?â
â??With this it feels good,â?? answers Morgan, pointing to her sleeveless white shirt. â??But my pants get really hot.â?? As Morgan grows comfortable, her answers get more elaborate. The interview lasts four minutes, but Jamie scribbles furiously on her notebook an additional two. Then it is on to the next subject.
â??I knew very little about the fair when I started,â?? begins Jamie. â??Now I feel I understand it much better. You learn every day. It is a real thrill to be able to do that.â?? Originally with cartoonist aspirations, Jamie began newspaper work because it was fun. â??It was only later I realized I like this because it is very much the way I lived my life before I went into college.â?? As a journalist, Jamie is constantly broadening her knowledge base by meeting new people, asking questions and experiencing the world. This is exactly the same lifestyle she lived as a homeschooler. Only now she gets paid for it.
Says Jamie: âIt is a combination that canâ™t be beat.â
About the author:
Lifelong unschooler Peter Kowalke, 25, is producer of Grown Without Schooling, a documentary about grown homeschoolers and the lasting influence of home education. For more stories about grown homeschoolers, visit Peterâ™s web site at
http://www.grownwithoutschooling.com or e-mail him at info@grownwithoutschooling.com. This article originally appeared in the September-October, 2001 issue of -Home Education Magazine
