Keep updated! Join the Jesus Cafe mailing list. Your Email Address : subscribe unsubscribe		Homeschooling: What About Socialization? By WMomTCC, November 1999 See also: Home Education: Is it for you? and Is it a Second-Rate Education? Web Sites of Interest Home School Legal Defense Fund: Statistics and Reports Christian Book Distributors Home School Used Books and Curriculum Exchange Jon's Homeschool Resource Page Practical Home Schooling Talk City's Parent Center Perhaps the most frequently asked question I hear as a home schooling mother is, "Home schooling sounds great, but what about socialization?" I usually smile and reply with another question, "What did YOU learn from your peers?" Take, for instance, Dr. James Dobson's comment about socialization: I've seen kids dismantle one another while parents and teachers stood passively by and observed the 'socialization' process. I've then watched the recipients of this pressure begin to develop defense mechanisms and coping strategies that should never be necessary in a young child. (1) A properly "socialized" child, by my definition, would be one who had the skills to relate effectively to other people…even those of different ages, genders, abilities or disabilities, etc. In the home school, who models proper social skills? The family, primarily mother and father, relatives, and family friends. This is age-integrated socialization which occurs naturally within a home school setting. Our families provide our children with stable, loving, close relationships, which in turn allows their social skills, as well as their self-esteems, to flourish in a lovingly supervised, non-competitive atmosphere. But What About Learning How To Get Along With Other Kids? Most home schooling families are very active in the social sense. We attend church, go on field trips with other families, attend support groups, have lessons, are involved in sports and community groups, and expose our kids to many different people of varying ages. The difference is that our kids are dependent upon their families rather than their peers. Some argue that home schooled kids are not in the "real world". Yet the real world is not age segregated. In the real world, we must deal with all kinds of different people. In a traditional school setting, the kids are grouped by age and are tucked away in classrooms with 20 or 30 other peers and an adult teacher. In my opinion, it is the school setting that is not the real world. What The Research Says Research by Dr. Larry Shyers, Dr. Norma Hedin, Dr. Linda Montgomery and others reveals a significant advantage in social development for home schooled children. They are socially adept, possess a positive self-image, and are active in areas that develop leadership skills. Thomas Smedley, in a 1992 controlled study, concluded, "…the home educated children in this sample were significantly better socialized and more mature than those in public school." (2) What Does This Mean To You? If you have been considering teaching your children at home, but have been hesitant because you have feared you would harm them socially, please reconsider. Chances are your kids will be much better off socially by growing and maturing in your loving, stable home. Coming Up Next Month: Is Home Education a "Second Rate" Education? Respond: Post your questions, ideas and/or experiences with homeschooling in the Parenting folder of our discussion boards. Footnotes: (1) Educating the Whole Hearted Child, Clay & Sally Clarkson, Whole Heart Ministries, 1994 (2) This, and more research, is detailed in Marching to the Beat of Their Own Drum! A profile of Home Education Research (Dr. Brian Ray, HSLDA, 1992)
c a f ém e n u | Home | Contact Us | Discussion Boards | ePrayerNet | Free Email | Fun Stuff | Link to Us | | Mailing Lists | Press Gallery | Resources | Search | Staff | Who Jesus Is | Who We Are | This page and its contents inclusive are © 2003 Jesus Cafe ® Ministries. "Jesus Cafe" is a registered service mark. Click for details. Site design & maintenance by In the Light Communications.