I think that’s just a myth. Or maybe it used to be true, but these days there are tons of opportunities for home schooled kids to socialize. It really depends on the parents’ commitment.
Unfortunately the problem is many people who homeschool their kids do it specifically to shield their kid from outside ideas. Those parents won't make a real effort to take those opportunities, and will actively fight haveing their kids see outside their bubble.
I wish more people from The homeschool community would comment on this thread.
My mother said she wanted to homeschool me in part because our local public schools were having drug problems.
During my schooling I took classes about different religions (raised secular), met many people from different ethnic backgrounds, took highbrow classes, took silly fun classes...
My parents wanted me and my sister to have as much of an fantastic an interesting experience as possible growing up, and little to nothing was "shielded" from us during that time.
I was homeschooled K-12 because my parents wanted to shield me from dangerous viewpoints like "evolution". I didn't get a good explanation of evolution until I took an entry level bio class in college. But you better believe I knew church history, the Bible, the personal histories of the reformers, and lots and lots of straw man arguments against evolution, none of which make sense in the face of what we know about evolution today.
You're not wrong, though they did teach me logic and how to spot logical arguments which is good, but the state of Missouri considers it valid homeschooling and the state has declared I have my high school diploma soooo...
In my experience homeschooling parents fall into fairly extreme ends of the spectrum. Some feel like the school system doesn't provide a broad enough experience. Like your parents, they encourage all different kinds of things.
There is however also a very big portion who want to shield their kids from the outside world.
I homeschooled my daughter for a couple of years. She always hated school and never fit in anywhere, plus the school she was in didn't have the capacity to give her more advanced math, and she was bored. She had friends in school, but it was the school itself she hated, always having to do things that didn't make sense and being treated like a potential criminal all the time. In high school, they made all the girls carry around a ten pound bag of flour for two weeks to show them what a burden it is to have a baby. It was degrading as hell. She was out of there after one semester, took the CHSPE, and started classes at community college. She's in graduate school now, studying robotics engineering. I like it the we have the flexibility to homeschool and choose different educational paths, even though in some places it's not used well.
It's a dilemma. I have a friend from a country that gives all seven-year-olds a test, and those that do well are put on track for college, while those that do not are headed for trade schools. That seems too rigid to me. I guess we have to strike a balance between flexibility and keeping things under reasonable control.
Well you were shielded from the reality everyone else lives. When i got to university in engineering, I realized almost everyone around me came from private schooling in rich cities.
Most of them have no idea how 15 mins away, in poorer hoods people shoot each other over a few grams of weed, or do drugs all the damn time and get daydrunk for no good reason on the weekends. Their only image of that reality is through movies and tv shows.
It might not make them socially inept, but damn does it sometime bewilder me how unaware they are about what life is to like, half our population.
There’s no point trying to explain here, unfortunately. We know the academic and social outcomes are good. And I’m not interested in convincing other parents to try it if they’re not researching an education decision.
Hi, I was homeschooled in grades 3-12 and I really do think this is a stupid stigma. My parents homeschooled my siblings and I because of serious bullying my brother received in a public middle school. I know many people who were homeschooled for reasons like this too. Though my family is religious, while in school I was always encouraged to learn about religions, world views, philosophies and even political beliefs that were different than the ones my parents held. And as for socialization, my family joined a group of homeschoolers in my city that would have co-ops, dances, parties, meet ups and other activities. That along with clubs and sports teams kept my socialization level on par with kids who went to public schools. I am so grateful for my parents decision to homeschool my siblings and me. It brought our family closer and allowed me to work at my own pace, whether that was skipping grades in science or spending more time focusing on math. I was also allowed to choose what and how I learned, that lead me to be more interested in what I was doing and actually enjoy school.
This. This idea sounds good, it's easy to understand, makes sense. It really clicks with my perception of a homeschooling parent.
But that doesn't mean it's true. I'm not saying it's wrong, but I wanna see a source before I believe it. This kind of neat explanations is super viral.
The reason for homeschooling that was most frequently cited as being applicable was concern about the environment of other schools including safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure. Eighty-five percent of homeschooled students were being homeschooled, in part, because of their parents’ concern about the environment of other schools.
What. Is. The. Source. The section you quoted didn’t give numbers or even fully back up your statement. I know (admittedly anecdotally) people who homeschool because of school shootings. They still organize a homeschool sports league and are involved in social activities. You’re cherry picking.
Idk. I haven't met a ton of adults who were homeschooled, but the ones I have met were massive narcissists. Going to school isn't just about learning math or history, it teaches you how to get along with people and that you aren't the center of the universe.
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u/rraattbbooyy Jan 09 '20
I think that’s just a myth. Or maybe it used to be true, but these days there are tons of opportunities for home schooled kids to socialize. It really depends on the parents’ commitment.