Some buffoons over at a certain board I am banned from, think that they have every right to be able to enter this contest: Subway/Scholastic Writing Contest. They are calling for a boycott of these two places because it explicitly states "no homeschools" in the rules.

Why?

Because the winner gets: Pay CLOSE attention to the part about "$5,000 worth of SCHOOL ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT" part.

Can you tell me what a homeschooler (who isn't a Duggar with 5bajillion kids) would do with this much equipment? No, these companies have every right to not include us in this contest and I told them as much.

Please do the same for me. I wrote Subway last night:

With regards to the Subway/Scholastic Writing Contest for children. I am a home-schooler and I am saddened that some of my fellow home-schoolers seem "outraged" that you've chosen to disinclude us in this latest contest. Please understand they do not speak for all home-schoolers, as some of us have brains that we actually use for things other than righteous indignation. I am not upset that you chose to not include us in this contest because I understand why you chose to not include us: you want the prize to go to schools that need it. I mean, after all, the prize is meant for a playground situation not a private home-school situation. Please do your best to ignore emails that will be coming to you from all over with regard to this contest. I do not agree with them and they do not speak for all home-schoolers. I am sorry that you are now going to be mail-bombed with fools who lack proper reading comprehension skills(and again, *I* am a home-schooler myself).

Please ignore them. They don't know what they say and you are thoroughly in the right for not including us.

Sincerely,
Toni Wilson, a home-schooler.

Please contact them at: P&CConnects@scholastic.com or CConnects@scholastic.com or on the Subway website and tell them what I did--that these morons claiming to speak for us, really do not.

As Doc said "They don't give a shit about the prizes, they just want a homeschooler to win so they can proclaim the superiority of homeschooling."

Amen.

~~Toni

Well I think a better solution then banning homeschoolers from the contest would be to allow the prize for sports equipment to be donated to a local community playground, recreational sports league or church of the homescoolers choice, if a homeschooler won.

The public playgrounds in my community need all the cash they can get for new equipment and for maintenance. Also recreational sports teams need somewhere to play and new equipment.. So there were alternatives to banning homeschoolers.

The key word in everything you said was “public”, meaning public funds. Meaning that your playgrounds, though they may need it, won’t and shouldn’t get the prize fund because it is publically funded.

No, homeschoolers do not have to be in every single contest offered. It’s silly to think we are owed that. Even if you can come up with those alternatives, doesn’t mean we should be allowed to enter.

I totally agree with you.

I can’t understand this need to be included in absolutely everything that the school kids are. I’ve just never understood why some homeschoolers get so outraged and demand to be able to do everything. They don’t speak for me.

Like you said, we aren’t owed it.

Regarding your concerns about the Subway contest that excludes home schools from contest eligibility, Scholastic and Subway apologize to all individuals who have taken offense at this. Our intention was never to make independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded from this specific promotion.

Throughout the course of the year Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in particular was solely put in place to award a large group of children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. We do however understand how home-schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

We appreciate your feedback and will make sure a similar situation does not happen in the future.

If anyone has any additional comments to make regarding this contest, please email Scholastic directly at P&Cconnects@scholastic.com and we will respond promptly to your concerns. Other email addresses or phone numbers shown in this blog will not reach individuals who are equipped to help you. Again, please direct all comments/inquiries to P&Cconnects@scholastic.com and we would be more than happy to speak with you regarding this.

Thank you!

I could not disagree with you more. If we allow them to block us from contests because “the prize is too big”, then their prizes will ALWAYS be too big. They can use that excuse to keep us out f every contest they have!

Homeschooling families could use every single prize on that list. We have homeschool sports organizations that could use the equipment. Even if one family did win and keep the equipment, that is the way the cookie crumbles. Scholastic needs to get with the times and realize that we all are a legitimate part of the American community. We need support just like the public and private schools need support.

It is discrimination! You may accept being discriminated against because of a prize that they decided to offer, but I do not accept it. I will not roll over and allow them to write us out of contests by offering things they think we “cannot use.” THAT is one standard I will not allow to be established because I will NOT accept it.

And it is stupid to think it discrimination. You are certainly entitled to your unjustified opinion, but this is getting ridiculous. I am sick of seeing boycott emails all over the place over this.

Get over yourselves. We are not entitled to ANYthing let alone a “right” in a stupid contest.

This is giving homeschoolers a bad name. It really is. And I hate that more.

Toni

Why are you and everyone else so worked up about this? All the homeschool family would have to do is pick a local public or private school to sponsor/donate the equipment to! What’s the big deal?

Besides, if, (and that’s a mighty big if), if my kids were to actually have access to 5k worth of play equipment, it would be shared with all the neighborhood kids anyways.

Hey all, we’ve got a cowardly anonymous poster who thinks they are entitled to the prize, surprise on me!!

You don’t deserve 5k worth of equipment that’s why. The public schools do. And obviously you’ve not been reading, or else you’d know the big deal.

Does Subway make “Anon Foot longs”?

hehe
toni

Toni, you have every right to your opinion about these…thanks for taking a side in the debate. Being a homeschooler, however, I feel it important that all kids be included in contests like this, but I digress.

My biggest comment about the letter you wrote to Subway….your grammar is poor and you used words that don’t even exist (i.e. “disinclude”). Your first sentence should say “regard” not “regards” and we were “excluded” from the contest, not “disincluded”.

What really gets me angry is when homeschoolers write things that are not written well…..especially when writing letters of support or criticism to companies….you just showed that some moms don’t have the education necessary to homeschool their children. Oh, and homeschool is either one word or two but not hyphenated….. At lest you didn’t say “irregardless” but somehow I have a feeling that word is in your vocabulary, too!

Oh yeah, I spelled checked this before I posted it…”disinclud” is NOT a word!

Hey guess what Karen, I don’t care about your grammar nazi post. My letter to the was not the most disgusting thing they’ve seen considering how some of you righteous morons felt it necessary to be included in this. You call yourself Christians? Some of the letters I’ve read were NOT Christian in nature.

Go Away.

Toni

Toni,
I respect your opinions & I happen to agree with you on the Subway thing. But to be fair, if you are speaking of the TM website, only one poster asked about boycotting Subway, the responses to her post said that they thought Subway should be able to do anything they wanted. The website that had the most pro-boycotting posts was the one you help moderate, free homeschool.
So, while I understand your being upset at the homeschoolers who are having this “entitled” view & your anger at TM for banning you, accuracy in blaming folks leads to better credibility.
All this said seriously & hopefully helpfully,
Lesa

Don’t think so highly of yourself and TM lesa.. I am not speaking about TM and they never crossed my mind. There are other website besides TM on the internet. They aren’t the only morons in existence…

It would help you much better if you actually did your homework and read the rest of my posts instead of just assuming I’m speaking about your precious TM.

I’m not so get over yourself.

toni

Of course Subway has every right to run their contest however they choose. And I have every right to spend my sandwich money elsewhere. Most companies appreciate knowing why they’ve lost customers, so they can improve their business in the future. I’ve always enjoyed Blimpies better anyway.

Toni,
Sorry about the assumption, thus the “if” in my comment. I must have missed your posts about any other homeschool message board, so I assumed you meant TM. I have followed your comments there & here & always thought you should have the right to speak your mind w/o being put down. I’m not here to try to be your best friend, just thought I could speak my mind, too. I am coming to realize that you emphasize that opinion not of the norm should be embraced, but in all this you seemed to have lost the ability to have tolerance yourself. I think you like the controversy you stir up. So be it.
Lesa

Well I think a better solution then banning homeschoolers from the contest would be to allow the prize for sports equipment to be donated to a local community playground, recreational sports league or church of the homescoolers choice, if a homeschooler won.

The public playgrounds in my community need all the cash they can get for new equipment and for maintenance. Also recreational sports teams need somewhere to play and new equipment.. So there were alternatives to banning homeschoolers.

The key word in everything you said was “public”, meaning public funds. Meaning that your playgrounds, though they may need it, won’t and shouldn’t get the prize fund because it is publically funded.

No, homeschoolers do not have to be in every single contest offered. It’s silly to think we are owed that. Even if you can come up with those alternatives, doesn’t mean we should be allowed to enter.

I totally agree with you.

I can’t understand this need to be included in absolutely everything that the school kids are. I’ve just never understood why some homeschoolers get so outraged and demand to be able to do everything. They don’t speak for me.

Like you said, we aren’t owed it.

Regarding your concerns about the Subway contest that excludes home schools from contest eligibility, Scholastic and Subway apologize to all individuals who have taken offense at this. Our intention was never to make independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded from this specific promotion.

Throughout the course of the year Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in particular was solely put in place to award a large group of children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. We do however understand how home-schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

We appreciate your feedback and will make sure a similar situation does not happen in the future.

If anyone has any additional comments to make regarding this contest, please email Scholastic directly at P&Cconnects@scholastic.com and we will respond promptly to your concerns. Other email addresses or phone numbers shown in this blog will not reach individuals who are equipped to help you. Again, please direct all comments/inquiries to P&Cconnects@scholastic.com and we would be more than happy to speak with you regarding this.

Thank you!

I could not disagree with you more. If we allow them to block us from contests because “the prize is too big”, then their prizes will ALWAYS be too big. They can use that excuse to keep us out f every contest they have!

Homeschooling families could use every single prize on that list. We have homeschool sports organizations that could use the equipment. Even if one family did win and keep the equipment, that is the way the cookie crumbles. Scholastic needs to get with the times and realize that we all are a legitimate part of the American community. We need support just like the public and private schools need support.

It is discrimination! You may accept being discriminated against because of a prize that they decided to offer, but I do not accept it. I will not roll over and allow them to write us out of contests by offering things they think we “cannot use.” THAT is one standard I will not allow to be established because I will NOT accept it.

And it is stupid to think it discrimination. You are certainly entitled to your unjustified opinion, but this is getting ridiculous. I am sick of seeing boycott emails all over the place over this.

Get over yourselves. We are not entitled to ANYthing let alone a “right” in a stupid contest.

This is giving homeschoolers a bad name. It really is. And I hate that more.

Toni

Why are you and everyone else so worked up about this? All the homeschool family would have to do is pick a local public or private school to sponsor/donate the equipment to! What’s the big deal?

Besides, if, (and that’s a mighty big if), if my kids were to actually have access to 5k worth of play equipment, it would be shared with all the neighborhood kids anyways.

Hey all, we’ve got a cowardly anonymous poster who thinks they are entitled to the prize, surprise on me!!

You don’t deserve 5k worth of equipment that’s why. The public schools do. And obviously you’ve not been reading, or else you’d know the big deal.

Does Subway make “Anon Foot longs”?

hehe
toni

Toni, you have every right to your opinion about these…thanks for taking a side in the debate. Being a homeschooler, however, I feel it important that all kids be included in contests like this, but I digress.

My biggest comment about the letter you wrote to Subway….your grammar is poor and you used words that don’t even exist (i.e. “disinclude”). Your first sentence should say “regard” not “regards” and we were “excluded” from the contest, not “disincluded”.

What really gets me angry is when homeschoolers write things that are not written well…..especially when writing letters of support or criticism to companies….you just showed that some moms don’t have the education necessary to homeschool their children. Oh, and homeschool is either one word or two but not hyphenated….. At lest you didn’t say “irregardless” but somehow I have a feeling that word is in your vocabulary, too!

Oh yeah, I spelled checked this before I posted it…”disinclud” is NOT a word!

Hey guess what Karen, I don’t care about your grammar nazi post. My letter to the was not the most disgusting thing they’ve seen considering how some of you righteous morons felt it necessary to be included in this. You call yourself Christians? Some of the letters I’ve read were NOT Christian in nature.

Go Away.

Toni

Toni,
I respect your opinions & I happen to agree with you on the Subway thing. But to be fair, if you are speaking of the TM website, only one poster asked about boycotting Subway, the responses to her post said that they thought Subway should be able to do anything they wanted. The website that had the most pro-boycotting posts was the one you help moderate, free homeschool.
So, while I understand your being upset at the homeschoolers who are having this “entitled” view & your anger at TM for banning you, accuracy in blaming folks leads to better credibility.
All this said seriously & hopefully helpfully,
Lesa

Don’t think so highly of yourself and TM lesa.. I am not speaking about TM and they never crossed my mind. There are other website besides TM on the internet. They aren’t the only morons in existence…

It would help you much better if you actually did your homework and read the rest of my posts instead of just assuming I’m speaking about your precious TM.

I’m not so get over yourself.

toni

Of course Subway has every right to run their contest however they choose. And I have every right to spend my sandwich money elsewhere. Most companies appreciate knowing why they’ve lost customers, so they can improve their business in the future. I’ve always enjoyed Blimpies better anyway.

Toni,
Sorry about the assumption, thus the “if” in my comment. I must have missed your posts about any other homeschool message board, so I assumed you meant TM. I have followed your comments there & here & always thought you should have the right to speak your mind w/o being put down. I’m not here to try to be your best friend, just thought I could speak my mind, too. I am coming to realize that you emphasize that opinion not of the norm should be embraced, but in all this you seemed to have lost the ability to have tolerance yourself. I think you like the controversy you stir up. So be it.
Lesa