See gossamerlens.com to stay up-to-date with the blog.
____________________________________________
I find school to be an interesting subject. Especially all of the common Homeschooling misconceptions. I mean, who decided that sitting in the same building for 7 or 8 hours makes you social? I just find some conceptions of homeschooling ridiculous. Who decided that just because you choose to do school at home you are not an outgoing person?
Once when I was figuring out what sarcasm was and how to use it, I heard my mom and one of her friends talking. It was at a soccer game and I was waiting for my team to need me on the field.
The woman talking to my mom turned to me and asked, "So you're homeschooled. What do you do? How does socialization work?" I just looked at her for a moment, thinking about how much how I hated the socialization questions.
After a moment of thought, I looked her right in the eye and said, "Well, pretty much my mom just locks me up in the basement. That definitely explains why I am here." I got called into the game and that was that. But before I left I got to see her startled face. I really think she thought there was truth to what I said.
Ah, that story is always fun for me to remember... Anywho. I think that people's conception of school is entertaining. I find it interesting that parents, when confronted with the fact that I am homeschooled always seem to ask about my social skills. I have rarely been asked, "So what subjects are you doing this year?" "What grade are you in?" or even, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
I remember being at play-groups as a little girl and when adults asked my peers about school they always seemed to ask, "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" but when they talked to me and then found out I was homeschooled they would go to my mom and ask about my "socialization." Now that I am thinking about this... perhaps it was because I am too outgoing... (?)
The thing is that this apparent worry over the matter of being able to conduct yourself like a normal human being seems to eclipse academia in most, if not all, parents' minds.
Thus I leave you with a question. Are those big building called schools, where teens and children sit for hours, and learn to worry about things that aren't real (like how they are dressing, doing their makeup, how their hair looks, and which group they are in) truly the place where kids will learn to be an asset to the world around them, and where they will learn what being a human, and being 'socialized' really is?
In my opinion, the problem society has with home schooling, isn't that those who participate aren't "Social", It's that we're difference from the norm. Society has very specific views of what is normal (granted they change almost constantly) and anything that doesn't fit into that view, is seen as strange and people will go out of their way to find bad things about it.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of "Socialization" in general, where you were schooled has nothing to do with it. My father was public schooled throughout his entire childhood, and he is one of the more introverted people I know. On the other hand, I'm home schooled, and for the first portion of my life I was incredibly introverted, now however, I've started to discover how I prefer to interact with the world, and don't feel the almost paralyzing fear of any sort of public interaction that I had previously. Another problem you'll run into when looking at school age kids is this: from probably eight or ten through probably eighteen, people in general are in a very volatile emotional state, and this in itself makes it hard to judge the way they'll interact with anything throughout the rest of their life. So judging the way they react, and attributing it towards how their schooled is ridiculous.
Something to think about is this though, public school can be a harsh place, and bullying certainly happens. This in itself, could cause someone to become withdrawn from society.
Interesting thoughts. I never thought about that because I'm a kid and I always ask those questions that adults seem to be neglecting you. I think that schools are ridiculos in their systems and what the average teen has to worry about in school; it's supposed to be a safe learning envronment, not a place were people keep finding ways to judge you throughout the day. I, however, don't choose homeshooling because of a simple fact: My mum would really bug me about any homework she assigned, and I like the different teaching styles and approaches from my school teachers. I really like home school kids though, they seem to take up most of my friend space and I'm gald for it.
ReplyDelete