For a long time, students, kids, and adults have pondered over the differences between kids who grow up going to school and those who learn at home. Hillary Frank digs deep into these issues questiong homeschooling kids about their daily lives at a homeschooling convention. And through this investigation, a lot of great points on the controversy are brought up. My favorite point that she made was that it appeared to her that homeschooled kids strive just as hard to be different as kids who go to school strive to be the same.

I really liked how this piece was put together. The background noise and music really brought the listener into the scene and I felt as if I was actually at the convention and the dance. Plus, Frank's questions for the homeschooled students were well thought out and I give her a lot of credit for being brave enough to question their ideas on the superiority of homeschooling.

The setting of the piece makes it hard to take more than just a superficial look at homeschoolers' social lives. But Hillary did a good job capturing the feel of the event, and its unusual nature. Her attention to the similarities between these kids and traditionally-schooled teens was careful and thorough.

The sound was fine, although nothing particularly innovative. What was at issue was the way kids feel about their lives, however, so the audio served that purpose.

Finally, Hillary's delivery was - unsurprisingly - oh-so-This American Life. Studied, relaxed, and terribly familiar.