In case it pertains to my thoughts, I have one child who went entirely to public schools, one who was homeschooled through third grade, and one who was homeschooled this year for Kindergarten (and we are now deciding whether to continue or send her to public school).
With the experiences my daughter has had with a bully at school, and now another blogging friend has had the problem with her son in Kind, it brings up one of my pet peeves: people who think homeschooling isn't good because the kids lack socialization. What are homeschooled kids really missing out on? Learning how to be able to learn when other children don't care and are disruptive day in and day out? Learning to wait because the teacher has to take time with those kids and with the ones who don't understand the lesson? Learning what it is like to have hurt feelings or physcial cuts and bruises from kids who are just plain mean to them? Learning that the popular kids are not necessarily popular because of good character traits? Learning about things you would never want your child to know at that age because other kids are talking about it on the playground? (The first day my daughter came home from 4th grade at public school after having been homeschooled previous years, she had a question for me. "Mom, what's a wh*re?) They do not learn to interact with adults in everyday situations, or kids that are different ages than themselves. As someone who myself was teased in grade school (for reasons I have never figured out) I know how it hurts and how it can affect you the rest of your life.
With the exception of only a few children, the greatest majority of homeschooled kids I know are bright, normal kids who get along well with others and know how to carry on a conversation and interact with people regardless of their age.
So while there are pros and cons to both homeschooling and public schools, please DO NOT tell me that socialization is missing for homeschooled children!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Homeschooling and socialization
Posted by Dawn at 8:55 AM
Labels: homeschool, public school, rants
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3 comments:
I have found that socialization is a catch phrase to bring down something different.
In home schooling I have found that the one room school house mentality exists and the kids respect and interact with all the children, public school makes it very clear that the kids need to be segregated and not interact with any but their own age group. Talk about not preparing for life.
I have home schooled for nearly 13 years and have heard all the nonsense that comes with it, but the choice summer jobs are always offered to my children because of their work ethic and the socialization skills picked up at the dinner table with the family and at the church.
Have a safe weekend!
Just a thought---maybe we ALL should take a stand on taking care of the bullies and disrespect issues in our public schools instead of pulling the kids out of school to homeschool them (I just found out our school is one of the few around here that does not have a bullying policy in place). As much as I hate bullies (having had my kids go through it, one pretty severely) the sad reality is that they are going to run into people like that their whole lives.
When people say, "But what about socialization?" I am tempted to say, "We avoid it at all cost!" But I don't. I have seen my fair share of kids I would NOT want my kids hanging with. Instead I turn it around to them and point out this:
I am 48 years old. When working, before kids, I did not work with people who are only my age. I do not live on a street with people only my age. I do not go out to restaurants and eat inthe section for those who are 48. True socialization is not being in a group of people that are just your age for 13 years and say that they are "socialized."
My boys can talk to the elderly and keep little kids occupied. Second surfs with one of his church friends, a teen, but also plays X-Box with the 11 year old brother. This is socialization.
:-)
Vanessa
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