I think this question comes from simply not knowing what life is like for a homeschooling family. The word "homeschooling" has the connotation that we are home all day, every day. However, between church activities, home school PE classes, horseback riding lessons, time with friends, YMCA sports and other activities, we are out and about "socializing" with a wide variety of people. Many of the families that we get together with have many children of all ages and my kids learn how to get along with the toddler, the teenager and their parents.
I also ask these parents to consider this question: "When in your life are you only surrounded by people your same age?" That usually gets a response of "Hmm. Good point." It's true. When you're at work, are you only surrounded by people your same age? Why, then, has socialization come to mean being surrounded by your same-age classmates?
I want to share a couple experiences that I think will bring home the point.
I was with my children at the Apple Store one afternoon trying to get my phone repaired. The kids asked if they could hang out over by the headphones while I was getting my phone issue taken care of and I told them they could. After about 15 minutes, my phone issue was complete and I started to make my way over to the headphones section. There was my son, talking to an adult and I stood back, watched and listened in to what was going on. I heard the woman say, "You're hired! Thank you so much for helping me."
At that point, I walked up and asked what he was hired for and she promptly told me how helpful my son was to help get her phone synced with the wireless headphones. She went on to say that he was very polite and well spoken and she recommended that he get a job at Apple. He was 12 at the time.
Now, I guess some might think that my son is simply outgoing and just naturally talks to people. That might be part of it. However, if he wasn't given the opportunity to be around a variety of adults (and people of all ages) on a consistent basis, I don't think he would be as willing and open to just strike up a conversation with someone or ask if they needed help.
Another experience was during our home school PE class.
Our PE classes include children of all ages from 4-year-olds to 17-year-olds. The group does the warm-up and cool-down part of the class together. During the activity time, they are divided up in to two groups: "olders" and "youngers". My daughter is technically in the "olders" group. However, she loves to play and help with the younger group. So now, she helps lead the younger kids group and loves it. She's getting her workout for sure and she's getting an education in socializing with younger kids. I love that!
If she were in public school, would she be able to work with the younger kids during their PE time? Maybe, but highly unlikely.
According to Oliver DeMille, author of A Thomas Jefferson Education, "The actual curriculum of the public school system is about 75% social and 25% skills." So, it's no wonder that I get that question quite often.
Let's consider the same question but at a deeper level. DeMille offers this definition of socialization (page 28): "The highest level of socialization, the ideal, means the ability to effectively work with people of all backgrounds, stations, and positions, of really caring about them and being able to build and maintain long term, nurturing relationships."
That's the definition I want to work and live by. How can that be accomplished when children are grouped by age and they spend all day in an environment run by adults that require respect and unfailing obedience?
This past Saturday, I attended the first Tarrant County Home School Symposium and one of the presentations, "Home School Myths Busted, given by Tricia Rosas addressed socialization. She began to list all the ways that as homeschoolers we socialize our children:
Happy Homeschooling!
-Christi
According to Oliver DeMille, author of A Thomas Jefferson Education, "The actual curriculum of the public school system is about 75% social and 25% skills." So, it's no wonder that I get that question quite often.
Let's consider the same question but at a deeper level. DeMille offers this definition of socialization (page 28): "The highest level of socialization, the ideal, means the ability to effectively work with people of all backgrounds, stations, and positions, of really caring about them and being able to build and maintain long term, nurturing relationships."
That's the definition I want to work and live by. How can that be accomplished when children are grouped by age and they spend all day in an environment run by adults that require respect and unfailing obedience?
This past Saturday, I attended the first Tarrant County Home School Symposium and one of the presentations, "Home School Myths Busted, given by Tricia Rosas addressed socialization. She began to list all the ways that as homeschoolers we socialize our children:
- Sports (horseback riding, gymnastics and football in our house!)
- Logic Clubs
- American Heritage Girls
- PE classes
- Home school co-ops
- Church activities
- Boy Scouts
- Horseback riding lessons
- Volunteering in the community
- Chess clubs
- Lego clubs
- Choirs
- Theater
- Music lessons
- Field trips
- Time with family and friends
- Vacations
- And so much more!
I'm sure I'll still be asked many times "So what about socialization?" and I'm OK with that. I see it as an opportunity to share my stories and talk about all that homeschooling has to offer our family with socializing just being one of the many benefits.
If I can raise Christian communicators and leaders by achieving the goal that DeMille writes about (page 30), then I will feel our home school has been a success!
"Homeschool is natural to socializing future leaders who don't feel compelled to follow the crowd or bend to social pressure, but who do feel at ease with others and work well in society."
Happy Homeschooling!
-Christi
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