IF you read closely, you will discover a certain anti-homeschooler's wife “had maybe 5 actually useful education courses”. And a pack of un-useful ones, too, I'll wager.
I got the same thing from my school teacher cousin when we started homeschooling. However, my college professor uncle (E.D.) was completely supportive.
This "socialization" garbage is just that: John Dewey's regurgitated nonsense for people without any real arguments against homeschooling. Dewey argued that SOCIALIZATION was the PRIMARY goal of the educational process.
Said Dewey: "Apart from participation in social life, the school has no moral end nor aim." From "Moral Principles in Education"
Anyone ever see THAT quote above the school room door? Thought not.
The study below showed that homeschoolers were better off than publick skule kids in the areas of communication, daily living, SOCIALIZATION, and maturity.
Thomas C. Smedley's master's degree research
Studies by Johnson, Shyers, Taylor, Delahooke, Knowles show that "socialization" isn't a problem for homeschoolers.
If any children suffer from a lack of being with diferent "kinds", it's the publick skule K-12 kids who end up only being able to relate to a narrow sub-group of their peers.
My 17 year-old-daughter will be a sophomore in college this coming semester despite the fact that had she attended the publick skules, she would be a senior in high school this year. So far, we haven't had any notes from her profs telling us she is horribly backwards or has a hard time getting along with anyone. Of course, we didn't do "keggers" or angel dust in our fussy, introverted little homeschool, so she's obviously socially incapacitated. It will eventually show up. Maybe when she goes to architectural school.
LOL! Poor child. She's missed so much!
My sixteen year old is going to take his first college course next month. I'm very excited, but he is pretty nonchalant about it. Those homeschooled kids--they get so scared when they have to go out into the "real world".