Home Schooling

Home schooling parents are asked one question most often and that is are they worried that their home schoolers won't get adequate socialization? In order for a child to get along in this world he or she has to have socialization. Socialization is something that comes naturally in public and private schools even though it is not part of the curriculum. Friendships and relationships are usually formed through socialization. It is necessary that a child learn to socialize at an early age so as to not grow up and be a loner or a social outcast. Relationships are harder for this type of person. It's also difficult for this type of person to make it business and function in other forms of social situations.

If there's no one around to socialize with, then how does a child that is home schooled get the socialization that he or she needs? What it comes down to is that it's up to the home schooling parent to be aware of the many ways that home schooled children can get the socialization they need. There are many forms of outside activities kids can do after their home schooling that will put them in social positions.

Recreation centers are a good source for social situations. Recreation centers supply many kinds of activities that your children can do which necessitate interacting with others. Another good chance for your kids to socialize is at parties. It doesn't matter if you give the party yourself or take them to parties. One of the best ways for your kids to socialize is by participating in sports. This is also a good way for them to make friends and learn good qualities that they'll need in life.

Another opportunity for your home schoolers to socialize is church activities. Functions like church outings, Bible school and singing in the choir are great ways to socialize your child. You can also enroll your children in art classes, karate school, dance classes, swimming classes, etc. as a way of socialization. Just plain old going outside and playing with other neighborhood children, in my opinion, is the best way for home-schooled children to socialize. This activity all by itself can create everlasting friendships.

Academic lessons such as reading, writing, learning math and science are very important, but doesn't make your child a well-rounded person. If you want to raise a child that is a complete individual, part of the curriculum must be socialization. As the home schooling parent it is ultimately up to you to assure that your home schoolers get the socialization they need.

If you have thought about or already are home schooling your children then the issue of socialization might be something that you struggle with. For many contemplating home schooling this can be a big hurdle in actually making the move to home school. The argument and fear is since home schooled children are not with their peers on a daily basis in a large classroom then they might not be as social adept.

The issue essentially comes from the belief that your child ability to interact with others his/her age will be greatly hampered by home schooling. This could potentially lead to anti social behavior that will affect your child's success in life and the community at large.

However, this is not entirely true. Many people use the term socialization in a very lose way and often the true definition of the word socialization is not looked at. This lead many people to draw incorrect conclusions, these are often false or at least not based on fact.

Socialization in its truest form is the process of teaching a uninitiated member of a community to the norms and cultural or shared understanding that the person is a member of. For example, people living in a foreign country would have to go through a similar process if they wanted to fit in at all. Learning the cultural norms of a society helps the person to fit in socially and feel comfortable functioning in the culture.

In the case of a home school situation then the child is a young member that is beginning to learn the norms and shared understandings of a society you already effectively function within. Therefore one of your responsibilities as a home school teacher is to help your child learn acceptable and unacceptable behavior and norms of society.

So how is this socialization taught in our public education system? Typically students are grouped with others their same age. They spend 7 hours a day with these same students. However the classroom is a very competitive environment and does not allow for much outside interaction. Students rarely get a chance to work with anyone that is older or younger then themselves. Talking with the teacher would be about the only interaction with someone that is older then themselves.

On the flipside however, children that are home schooled often get to interact with a wide variety of adults and children younger then themselves. Since the time is not a rigid and more open children have many more opportunities to work with a wide range of other people.

In fact there are numerous studies that have been completed that would support this claim. They have repeatedly found that home schooled children perform as well or even better at relating to adults and younger children.

This should help allay any fears about socialization alone. However there are many other reasons why home schooled children will be far better socialized then their peers.

For example home school is often on a very small teacher or adult to student ratio and their give more flexibility in their time. Which allows for active home schooling parents to sit down and work with the children on specific communication skills?

Also since there is more time available to home schooled children they often start taking lessons in art, music, and even sports. In the end this is one of the best ways to socialize a child.

It is important to remember that home school is not a fix all solution for everything. Since the children will miss out on some of the more social aspects of school like field trips, recess and lunch times it is beneficial to involve your child in some outside activities. There are many home school groups that will do field trips and other social event together and if you do choose to home school your child it might be a good thing to look into.

Many people questioning if they should home-school their children consider the following questions.

How will my child be able to socialize if he is home-schooled?

Many people get caught into this trap: believing social interaction will suffer. This is not true. The fact is: many public schools allow home-schooled children to attend school dances, play in extracurricular activities. This means that a child could play on the school's football team etc. Also, most towns (even the small towns) have home-school meetings with the parents and the children. This is another great way to share ideas, questions, and concerns about home-schooling. Children during this time get to hang out together during the meetings and socialize. The park board for the city or town also provides great ways for children to socialize and learn about working as a team. Also, most home-schooling programs contain group work. The group work involves the children problem solving and generally working together on a large project.

Are the children only in home-school programs dropouts?

Many parents think that their children may associate with only dropouts if they are home-schooled. This is not true. In this day and age many parents enroll their children for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons parents enroll their children in home-school are: children can do their professional sports or careers, parents get more control over the values and ideals instilled into their children just to name a few. Another important factor is parents living in the country can now offer their children a variety of extra courses that are not offered due to budget constraints or not finding qualified teachers.

In Conclusion, deciding between home-schooling or sending a child to public or private school can be very difficult. This article dives into the question of socialization in and out of school and what type of students are home-schooled.