First, lets do a little bit of grammar.
so•cial•i•za•tion (s sh -l -z sh n)
n. The process of learning interpersonal and interactional skills that are in conformity with the values of one's society.
I think that can be learned at home & around town no problem. The question I think people are actually meaning to ask is about socializing. So that's what I'll address here.
I don't know about you, but when I went to school I heard a lot of "You're not here to socialize, you're here to learn" from teachers. That is true actually; school is for learning, not making friends. Add in to that the homework which means no time for playing with friends after school (& kids are getting homework in kindergarten). Then we have to take in to account the "bad kids", the kids you don't want your kids to play with or be bullied by. That is teaching anti-social behavior. Plus there's learning to worrying about if she's trendy enough. And of course gender norms, learning that girls don't play with trucks & that boys can't jump rope. Those last ones are skills I think she'll be fine without. But again, I don't think this is what people are asking either.
I think what people are asking is how will your child make friends & that is a question I can understand people having. Also how will she find people to date when she's older, of course I can see asking that as well. There are quite a few activities at our Y & at the library for younger school-aged kids. Plus there are groups for homeschooled kids, so instead of going to the science museum with 30 kids her age in school, she could go with 30 homeschooled kids of various school ages. Some homeschool activities are for a small age range, say 6-9, others are open to all homeschool kids regardless of age. She'll have tons of opportunities to interact with lots of kids is a wide range of ages, plus plenty of adults. I did take time to learn about what was out there for her to be able to have kid time, that was my biggest worry as well.
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4 comments:
My youngest plans on homeschooling her kids. She spent her Junior year of high school at home. She used a cyber high school. She had no problem with the social aspect of it. AND she learned more and faster at home.
I don't homeschool myeslf, but a lot of my friends who have special needs kids do. Some do it by choice and some because there is no suitable placement available in the public school system for their children (by law, there should be, but that's a whole 'nother rant).
Many kids do really well with homeschooling, and there is a lot of support and resources out there. I can email you some links if you like.
OSM
My daughter attended public school from K-3, a private religious school from 4-8, and was homeschooled for high school.
Our county has a fantastic homeschool program that is facilitated and overseen by teachers, that provides the books used in the public school system, and the students meet for a class or activity once a week. They even have a senior trip and a prom!
My daughter was able to start attending the community college in her sophomore year of high school and was ready to transfer to the university as a junior by the time she graduated high school. She had the benefit of three different types of learning environments and preferred homeschooling.
Maybe your county has a similar program that you could use with your daughter?
Wondering how you are... everything ok?
Theresa
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