The Socialization Epidemic

Called the "s" question among homeschoolers, "What about social skills?" is a question that comes up over and over. I asked it myself, with a straight face and everything. As all of these posts are lately, this is just a good place to calm the nerves of my family. Their concerns are valid and need to be dealt with. I'm not exactly trying to be some published author here :D

I would never want my kids to be isolated. I'm not going to homeschool because I want to shelter them. It's just an opportunity that I've been given, to improve this next generation. I think that should be the goal of all generations-- and it is, but I want to take a different approach. Perhaps one that will work.

Although I'm not doing this to shelter my kids, I do think that a lot of the social interaction that kids get in school these days is altogether negative. I think there is a lot more greediness, bullying, and sitting at a desk and being silent than there is quality time spent together. At the end of a post entitled Socialization, the author says: And let's not forget the battle cry of teachers across the country..."Young lady, you're not here to socialize!"

That's really a great article altogether, and if you have concerns about socialization you should read it.

One of the concerns that a family member had was that the kids would miss out on positive peer pressure. The theory being that a child will feel weird about not learning something that all her peers are learning, and that pressure will make her learn it. I don't feel like that is positive. And furthermore, if that's a real concern, you need to understand that homeschooled kids DO get interaction with other kids, and perhaps they will want to learn what their other homeschooled friends are learning or even their schooly friends!

I've come to the conclusion that others say it much better than me. So, I give you some quotes on socialization that I have gotten from various blogs and other sources. I will be adding to this post as I find other great ones.

Do you have any fabulous things to say on the topic of socialization? A quote or a personal rant? If so, please leave them in the comments!

I found this the other day at a local news blog:
Now, the Tri-Cities homeschooling community is so big that parents have formed vibrant and active “co-op’s” in which homeschooled students gather for group activities like art, sports, science, and even band. In other words, the lack of peer to peer social contact no longer seems to be an issue. Don't Mess with the Homeschoolers, by Josh Smith.

Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize. from The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List