Author : Linda Popolano
Today's homeschooled student is not a child living somewhere in a remote place with no social interaction. Though that still seems to be the common perception among the majority of people not intimately familiar with homeschooled students, it is an erroneous assumption. As a homeschooling parent for the last six years, I've met dozens and dozens of other homeschooling families while living in two different states, and the vast majority of the children of all these families had social skills equal to or surpassing their public school peers. Some of the most articulate and courteous teenagers I've met have been raised in homeschooling families.When you really stop and think about it, most parents who are willing to put in the effort to homeschool their own children care greatly about the future of those children. Those parents generally take a lot of time and thought in making the decision to homeschool and therefore research both academic and social opportunities for their children. In the 1970's and 1980's when homeschooling was beginning to grow but was far less common, it was often difficult for homeschooling families to find support and extracurriculars for their children. However, homeschooling is now far more common, and most geographical areas in the U.S. have several support groups and extra-curricular programs for homeschoolers, some secular and some religious-based. In addition, many school districts allow homeschoolers to participate in after-school and other programs. In my family's experience, there are far more activities and groups to choose from than we would actually have time to participate in and still give adequate attention to the academic side of homeschooling.Additionally, even for children who attend public and private school, most socialization comes from family and not from peers and teachers. It would be frightening to think of a child growing up socialized only by his school experiences with no steadying influence from his family. The family represents the child's first social circle and, by the time he leaves the family circle to attend school at age 5 or 6, his basic way of relating to others has already been established. Yes, if from that point on the child is isolated from the world, he would not have the skills necessary to interact with others as an adult. But, again, the vast majority of homeschooling parents want to provide a strong academic and moral education so that their homeschooled child grows up to a force for good and positive things in a world where so often, even in schools, so much is negative. A child who is well treated by the society he grows up in, be it the society of family or the society of community or the society of a school, will be a well-socialized child who treats others well. The real issue for all children is to make our families, our communities, and our schools well-socialized places.Linda Popolano is a homeschooling mom and an Independent Consultant for BRIGHT MINDS/The Critical Thinking Company at Home. Please visit her website at http://www.inspirethinking.com to learn about tools to help all children, both those who are homeschooled and those who attend school, become better thinkers and therefore stronger forces in creating positive families, positive communities, and positive schools for tomorrow's world.
Keyword : Homeschool, Socialization
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