Posted on 06/28/2004 7:33:41 AM PDT by LadyShallott
This thread is for those who homeschool, those who want to homeschool, and those who support homeschool families. I know that we face many obstacles, and this is a place for support. Let's create a true "haven" for us to gather and discuss homeschooling within our FR home.
This weeks topic is: The "S" Word
I know that many if not all of us have heard the socialization argument voiced by friends and family. Many of my friends that have recently started homeschooling have been at a loss in terms of what to say or how to handle this. Some who have been homeschooling for years find themselves on the defense because of this topic. Many don't realize that we have chosen to homeschool because of the type of social interaction our children would/will face in the public school system. What are your thoughts on this? What positive social impact has homeschooling had on your own children? How do you personally handle the topic when it is brought up? I assumed if my homeschooling group is dealing with this, others might be as well. Hopefully this will help some that may be dealing with the same issue(s). God Bless! Have a great Monday!
*FR Homeschool Haven Ping* :)
JUST KIDDING!
(A true leader is a servant)
Actually, I do two things when this comes up :
I tell them that homeschooled kids have plenty of social interaction through playgroups, church, Awana, sports (t-ball, soccer. etc) as well as a homeschool band that is in our area. But more importantly, I use this as an opportunity to be an "evangelist" for homeschooling -- informing them of just why we aren't sending our kids to public schools. By the time I'm done, they usually want to get their kids out of the government schools too.
I did not homeschool my children. I was unaware of the "movement" until 1994 and at that point my son was already graduated and my daughters were in High School.
My observation since has been that "by and large" most of the homeschooled kids that I meet are very gifted in the social realm and able to converse with adults as well as their peers at a level beyond that of their public schooled friends. I also add the caveat that there ARE some people who should NOT homeschool. The dedication and creativity needed to do it well are not present in all parents. I have seen a few kids that have really fallen behind in their academics because of parents who are not 100% involved in the process.
At what other time in life are we in a group surrounded only by people our exact age?
In a homeschool setting, children deal with real life, and learn to interact with people of all ages, not just their peers.
Most homeschool children I know get PLENTY of socialization!!! Church, homeschool support groups, scouts, sports, church youth groups, Sunday School, on and on and on! Unless you keep your children home 24/7, and keep them locked in their rooms, or something, I don't see how the big S word is even an issue.
Please add myself and vic3o3 to the ping list.
Thanks and Semper Fi
Will do! Consider it done. :)
A-"But we don't want our kids to be socialists."
Ask them to compare the average home school student with the typical public high school student. By their fruits you shall know them.
At what other time in life are we in a group surrounded only by people our exact age? In a homeschool setting, children deal with real life, and learn to interact with people of all ages, not just their peers.
After a length chat, it seems that her concern was that my kids would not be exposed to the bullies and such, and therefore would not know how to handle them. I considered promising that I would beat up my kid in the bathroom at home, or that I would be sure to let him play at her house, on order for him to get his fill of bad behavior.
But I just grinned.
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