Posted on 03/20/2002 8:48:05 AM PST by Lizavetta
Here is something from the US Department of Education you may be interested in.
Home Schooling and Socialization of Children. ERIC Digest
Here is an excerpt:
Webb (1989), one of the few researchers who has examined aspects of the adult lives of wholly or partly home-educated people, found that all who had attempted higher education were successful and that their socialization was often better than that of their schooled peers.
But we are proud that our well-adjusted kids are not "socialized"... in other words they do not drink, are not sexually active, don't do drugs, don't hang out in the halls and make mock the kids who walk by and are not themselves all that concerned about what brand of clothing they wear.
But if that means our children are not 'socialized' then so be it.
Ahhhhh, there you've gone and done it!
'They' use the word socialization to mean what you said, and it doesn't mean that at all!
If there's a shred of meaning to the notion of "socialization," it would be that children, who have not yet mastered the courtesies and internalized the self-restraints that allow us to get along with one another, must learn them -- and the best place to do this is in a social setting that requires and enforces them. A classroom in which there is one adult and many children -- and the adult often dismissive of the social norms herself! -- is obviously not the right setting for it.
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com
You can not expect to put your children through a public school system and not have them be corrupted in some manner - whether it be liberal ideals, moral relativity, drugs, verbal abuse, etc.
Homeschooling is true freedom, for both parents and children. Our kids move at their own pace (which just so happens is accelerated from the "age slot" they'd be stuck in at public schools). We travel with our kids all over the US, unencumbered by class schedules, to attend their regional and national Tae Kwon Do tournaments (part of their Physical Education). We spent a week in France on a very educational field trip (they quickly surrendered to my youngest.)
They socialize with people of all ages, including kids on our street that go to the public and private schools.
They strike up conversations with *anyone* nearby, regardless of age. They want to learn, period. Kids are like that. You don't have to force anything - it just happens when you make learning enjoyable.
It does take some sacrifice on the part of the parents, but we get to be with our children 100% of the time. What greater joy is there as a parent? The kids wouldn't change it for the world.
They still do Boy Scouts, Church youth group, Soccer, Tae Kwon Do, etc.
With Universities realizing that home-schooled children generally perform better than other students, they are all changing their admissions policies to make allowances.
If you freepers ever think that you can swing it, you'll never regret it, and you won't miss out on so much of your children's lives.
Thanks Mom & Dad.
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