But what about socialization???

Greetings Y'all~

During my initial explorations in the world of homeschooling, I encountered the question of socialization more often than any other. Interestingly enough, I never had any concerns about it because of my experience with my sister's homeschooled family (all of whom are quite social, have friends and penpals and are just great kids to be around.) But I heard the question so often that I had moments of wondering if my sister's family is some sort of fluke. Would I have a difficult time supporting Sage in the realm of human interaction? So, it was one of the first topics I researched before I'd decided to homeschool (Interestingly enough, I found that many families chose to homeschool because the socialization their kids receive is more well rounded. More on that in a bit.)

It is a question for all homeschoolers, those who use curriculum and those who don't. I believe it is a very fair question, but I have found that seasoned homeschoolers often get annoyed by the frequency of it. It is difficult to run through the explanation over and over again with the same amount of patience and open mindedness as the first few times you were asked. So, it is here that I gleefully address this topic once and for all for my circle of folks. And should I get asked about this again, I can send them here! Works for me!

Oh, one more thing before we get on with it, obviously I have limited personal experience on the subject of social interaction and homeschooling(outside of my sis' and her lovely brood.) Since I will be citing a few homeschoolers who've taken the time to answer this question on their blogs as well, I thank them for their time and effort and dedicate this post to them. So, off we go...

What does it mean to be social? Social: Public, Friendly; Of, characterized by, or inclined to living together in communities; Of or relating to the structure, organization, or functioning of society; Spent, marked by, or enjoyed in the company of others (www.dictionary.com) I am curious to know, where we came up with the impression that it is necessary to be placed in a controlled, unnatural facility which limits diversity in a myriad of ways to facilitate the above? I like Joanne's response to the "S" question,

I have to laugh when someone, after finding out our kids don't go to school, asks about socialization. I'll never understand what one has to do with the other. Are they saying that when their children are not in school (like weekends or summer breaks) they're isolated from other children? That when they're children are not in school, they have no social opportunities. How sad that they have to depend on a government institution for their children to have friends. I mean, why else would they be asking? It certainly can't be because they're concerned for my children. Just talk to any of my unschooled children and they'll tell you about their girl scout troop, gymnastics classes, homeschool classes, neighborhood friends, homeschool play groups and sleepovers, not to mention the time they spend playing with each other. All that socialization...without school. Imagine that! :-) (http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/2005/12/day-nineteen-socialization.html)

Schools, on the whole, are segregated in a multitude of ways, Private schools obviously house the upper middle class to wealthy, often limiting the children to an isolated non-experiential world view. They are given the education of the "elite." The higher the tuition, the more exclusive the school. If you are not rich, you'd have to be something of an Einstein to get in(Actually, Einstein initially failed the entrance exams of a prestigious school in Zürich, Switzerland. He couldn't pass the non science and mathmatics portions of the exam. He studied what he needed to know and passed it for the next year.)

The public school system leaves children no better off socially. Manfred Zysk (homeschooler) describes it this way, In order for children to become assimilated into society properly, it is important to have a variety of experiences and be exposed to differing opinions and views. This enables them to think for themselves and form their own opinions. This is exactly what public education does not want; public education is for the lowest common denominator and influencing all of the students to share the same views ("group-think") and thought-control through various means, including peer-pressure.

Homeschooling allows parents the freedom to associate with other interested parties, visit local businesses, museums, libraries, etc. as part of school, and to interact with people of all ages in the community. For example, my son goes on field trips with other homeschooling families in our community. He recently was able to visit an audiologist, a McDonald's restaurant (to see how they run their operation), and several other similar activities. He gets to meet and talk to people of different ages doing interesting (and sometimes not so interesting) occupations. He spends a lot of his free time with kids older and younger than himself, and adults from twenty to over ninety years old. Meanwhile, in public school, children are segregated by age, and have very little interaction with other adults, except their teacher(s). This environment only promotes alienation from different age groups, especially adults. This is beginning to look like the real socialization problem; ...Go to your local public school, walk down the hallways and see what behaviors you would want your child to emulate (http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/zysk1.html)

I hope I was able to clarify, (with the help of other homeschooling families)that socialization, actually, is a valid REASON for choosing to homeschool. With grading, testing, curves etc., the very nature of schools inspire a competitive dynamic that leaves children scrambling to preserve their dignity at all costs. These unnatural experiences, in which our children will spend the bulk of their lives,do not allow for healthy interaction with society or the natural world for that matter. Again the question persists, what kind of humanity are we creating for our children? How do we want them to view the world? The educational system, relative to the evolution of the human species, is still in its experimental phase. It's current incarnation breeds an unconscious and pervasive cynicism that hinders the ability to have a rich, joyous and full life. I think we can do better by our children, better for humanity, better for the world.

Ok, 2 down. I still have a few more to answer. Again, thanks for tuning in. Thanks for the questions and the interest. Sage has an amazing community to learn from. I will leave a link below to a discourse I found humorous and relevant.

g'night all!

http://home-educate.com/unschooling/socialization.htm