What do you mean ‘Socialization?’
My apologies for
not having this post ready last Tuesday.
A friend provided me with information to get a free e-book, “The Myth of
Socialization: Dispelling the Rumors” (from: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine), that I wanted to
read before making this post.
Truly,
socialization was not something that crossed our minds as my husband and I
considered whether to home school our daughter or not. She was frustrated with public school and not
only sad but, I think, moving toward depression. I just wanted to get my daughter out of there
and into a healthier situation.
Then, after the
decision had been made, someone asked it: “What about socialization?” Huh? What an interesting question; I really
haven’t thought about that. What about
socialization?
Three years later
my response is a little more along the lines of, “Yeah, what about
socialization?” I just don’t care much. And so when we decided to homeschool our son
this year it wasn’t a consideration because it was a moot point to us. I remember school…kids are mean to each
other, very mean and unforgiving. I
don’t want my kids being mistreated by other children, much less for them to
mistreat others.
“If socialization outside of public school is nothing like, or is at
least substantially different from socialization in public school, then what in
the name of John Dewey are we socializing our kids for?”
And
I believe this sentiment to be accurate and true based on the recollection of
my own personal experiences. As such, I
find the socialization of my children to be of little to no importance.
However,
this does not mean that I believe they don’t need to know how to interact with
others appropriately. Therefore, we do
provide them with opportunities to interact with others. And they associate with others of a variety
of backgrounds and ages! That is
certainly much more like what they will face in “the real world.” But they also receive different amounts of
‘socialization’ due to their different personalities, unlike in the public
schools where they would always be surrounded by 20 to 30 peers whether they
could handle that amount of stimulation or not or need more.
As
an additional note, I prefer having more control over who my children are
interacting with and knowing when something occurs in their life. This way, I am able to catch problems before
they arise, coach them through the handling of tough circumstances, and support
them when things do not go well. And
this will make them more prepared to handle challenging circumstances and
individuals later when I am not there to assist them, “in the real world.”
*If you
are interested in the e-book I mentioned at the beginning of this article,
please email publisher@thehomeschoolmagazine.com to request the e-book, The Myth of
Socialization: Dispelling the Rumors
When I was first considering homeschooling, seriously, I found many more people than I expected who were already homeschooling. And they all told me the same thing. “It’s EASY. You can do it. Just look online. You’ll find what you need.” I’m going to talk about this next week but in the meantime, Homeschooling parents, please don’t tell anyone new to homeschooling to look online unless you are sitting down with them and helping!
Please comment:
What
concerns have you heard about socialization and how do you abate them?
Also,
Homeschooling parents, what websites have you found beneficial as you
homeschool and how are they helpful to you?
I agree with you 100%! My son is very much a "people-person," but even he can get overwhelmed by too many people around at once. And I like having control over who he gets exposed to as a child, especially as he grows older. If I don't like someone in his life, I'll cut them out of it. Unfortunately, too many people outside of homeschoolers don't truly understand the socialization aspect. Seriously - When is anyone ever in a room 8 hours a day with 20-30 of their own age? Never! I think it's ridiculous that some people get stuck on this specific, inconsequential thing. They can't argue with better learning environment, more parental involvement or whatever, so they harp on the socialization aspect. Ever heard of clubs, extracurricular activities, worship centers? Or just plain playing with friends within the neighborhood? That's where traditional students really get their socialization from, not really much socializing done during class (at least not in a good teacher's room).
ReplyDeleteAs far as the websites go, I would say homeschoolshare.com, superteacherworksheets.com, pinterest (just search for homeschool), and enchantedlearning.com have been my favorite sites. But even if you don't look online, the library will be your best friend! (Tip: Return the books on time. Late fees are really a pain.)
tlusco - you are absolutely right. In fact, I even remember hearing teachers say, (more than once in my school career) "You are not here to socialize."
DeleteAnd thankyou for the websites! I love using pinterest to find crafts, particularly, but they have some amazing organizing pins, too!