Home Schooling and Pro Wrestling
Lesson in Distinguishing Fact and Fiction
Home schooled children often face the same kinds of challenges as their public school counterparts, particularly in the form of deciding what is real and what is fictitious. One example of this is the increasing popularity of professional wrestling on television. A few statistics show the widespread exposure of home schoolers and others to professional wrestling on television, including the fact that professional wrestling on television is the #1 primetime programming for boys aged 12 to 17. It has gained in popularity over the last two decades to the point where a prominent cable company will be coming out with a new 24 hour a day, 7 day a week professional wrestling channel. However, its popularity does not necessarily lend pro wrestling credibility and the important question to home schooled children and parents is the level of influence that professional wrestling has on home school curriculums.
The answer is that the marketing efforts of professional wrestling groups have made it difficult for parents to police what children do with the information gained on professional wrestling programs like WWE Raw. Home schooled children who walk through the isles of toy stories will see action figures and toys that not only are aimed towards their age group, but also exhibit messages of sexism, violence, and disrespect for others. However, parents are often pressured by their home schooled children into purchasing items in order to fit in with friends. This is not aided by the fact that many parents, particularly fathers, watch wrestling with their sons, which may reinforce the acceptability of wrestling in the minds of home schooled children.
As well, home school children who are not allowed to watch wrestling at home may be able to see wrestling matches at a friend's house. While this may seem innocuous to those who don't home school their children, it is disturbing because children learn wrestling moves and catch phrases quickly. This rapid absorption of details on pro wrestling leads to an undermining of efforts to teach children morals and values in a home school atmosphere.
Nonetheless, wrestling can provide an interesting curriculum piece for home school programs because it offers an example of the difference between reality and fiction that is tangible and interesting to home schooled children. Home school parents can teach their kids that wrestling moves by their favorite wrestlers, like Stinger and the Undertaker, are carefully choreographed moves similar to dancing or acting. As well, they can explain to their home schooled children that companies like Nintendo and Snickers use these wrestlers to sell their products, which can deflate some of the integrity home school children feel that pro wrestling has.
The most important aspect of home school curriculums in dealing with pro wrestling's influence may be, in fact, outside of the class room. The greatest impact on children is the time they spend with parents and when home is combined with school, in the situation of home schooled children, the differences between parent and teacher are negligible. In this case, it is important for parents to lay a firm hand down against purchasing items endorsed by pro wrestlers, which is an effective way for marketers to reach home schooled children. Most importantly, however, is to discourage interest in pro wrestling by not watching it in the home and talking with other parents about stopping their children from watching wrestling on television. Home school curriculums can be constructed any number of ways to deal with negative social influences on children, but the strongest tool for parents in educating their children is talking to them directly and frankly.
Published by Nicholas Katers
Nicholas Katers is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (BA, 2003) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MA, 2007) in History and currently a freelance writer. You can find his work in the In... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI don't see a problem with wrestling. It's no worse than a young child watching power rangers.
Whoever wrote this artical is obviously clueless. I am a pro wrestler on the independent level. Why is it that people condemn wrestling so much but are completely fine with thier kids watching things like Terminator, or CSI? Or even Professional football fot that matter? People need to wake up. Wrestling is a form of entertainment that USUALLY is very family oriented. Understand your subject before you tear it down!
I am a manager for a pro wrestling promotion. I had a long talk with my step son the first time he came to the matches. I told him that we knew what we were doing and he is NOT to try it with anyone. Furthermore I sat with him and slowed down some of the tapes to show him what was going on. He knows better than to try to do something like that. Parents just need to do their damn job and talk to their kids.
Now don't start with this bullshit. It is the parents job to control what their parents watch. If your kid wants a wrestling toy and begs you, and you give in, then that is the parents fault. No pro wrestling's. The parent needs to inforce his decesion. Not just give in and blame it on the toy.
Everyone blames Pro Wrestling for the violence in children. But do you ever stop to think who lets their children watch it? THE FREAKIN PARENTS!
i dont see where pro-wrestling or their action figures has anymore of an effect on homeschoolers than it does on public schoolers. i believe people would understand pro-wrestling better if they checked out the history of pro-wrestling. more often than not pro-wrestlers dont get the credit for being the great athletes that they really are,nor do big wrestling fans like me get credit for the passion,loyalty and knowledge we have for this entertainment oriented sport of kings. altho i am a legend in newark ohio because of my love,passion,and knowledge of pro-wrestling and how it works. as far as the wrestling action figures go, i dont see the potential for creative or imaginative play in other sports action figures that i do in wrestling action figures.
youd better do your homework better! wwe.com states that its programs are targeted towards males 17 years to 34 year sold. i dont think pro-wrestling has any worse effect on homeschooled children than on public schooled children. i would think that pro-wrestling programs and action figures are so popular because the other programs and figures are so dumb and/or boring. ive seen the crap they have on cartoon network. the only good cartoons on that channel are justice league, teen titans and ultimate avengers among other realistic cartoons but they always take the good ones off.
if they bothered to log onto wwe.cm theyd find wwes messege to parents about letting their children watch their programs. i see nothing sexist about action figures based on a sport where people feud over titles and rivalries all of which are written storylines. as for pro-wrestlings worth to homeschooled children there are at least 3 christian organizations that use pro-wrestling to reach people who wouldnt normally set foot in a church. most churches dont approve but it has been successful. i hope my church soes this as ive said something about it. thank you.