Socialization
is the "S" word as many homeschoolers call it
If you think placing your gifted child in a class with 20 other children
(or more) of the same age all day is "proper socialization",
then please read what Webster's has to say:
so·cial·ize
(ssh-lz)
v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing,
so·cial·iz·es
v. tr.
1. To place under government or group ownership or control.
2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.
3. To convert or adapt to the needs of society.v.
intr. To take part in social activities.
Main
Entry: so·cial·iza·tion
Variant: also British so·cial·isa·tion
so·cial·i·za·tion (ssh-l-zshn) n.
1. The process of learning interpersonal and
interactional skills that are in conformity with the values
of one's society.
2. The process by which a human being beginning
at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge
of society through education and training for adult status
Source:
Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster,
Inc. |
"Socialization"
has
several meanings and interpretations, in my opinion. I interpret
socialization as the ability to communicate with and adapt to all
kinds of people. We do a lot of that in our homeschool. You don't
need 20 other kids the same age as your student to ensure that they
are "properly socialized". You just need the knowledge,
the imagination, the common sense and the common courtesy to be
able to participate in our society in a meaningful way. You learn
this by being in society, not in "school" all day. Read
on to see what others have written on this topic and then form your
own opinion.
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How
to Answer the Socialization Question Once and for All"
From The National Home Education Network.
Marsha Ransom believes that "socialization" is the
buzz-word among the Official Homeschool Nay Sayers Society.
She urges us to stop telling others about all the opportunities
our kids have for "socialization" and start gently
exposing them to the real issue - a lot of what kids learn from
other kids in social situations is simply living according to
"The Law of the Jungle." And wouldn't we really prefer
a higher set of laws to follow? Read Marsha's essay at
the National Home Education Network Newsletter, October 2002. |
Dispelling the Myths About Socialization
From: The National Home Education Network.
Christine Webb responds to many common myths
about homeschooling, including the myth that "Homeschooled
children are lacking in opportunities for social interaction,"
and that "Homeschooled kids lack real world experience."
Read what she has to say at the National Home Education Network
Newsletter, October 2002. |
The
Myth of Socialization by John
Loeffler, Steel on Steel Radio Program
"Stupidity
Masquerading as a Virtue - Reality Shock"
"The moment teens leave high school, the majority of the
so-called socialization in an artificial environment is found
to be worthless. No one cares about their, feelings, socialization
or image. “What can you do?” and “what do
you know?” are the real questions. Once public schoolers
emerge from high school, they discover that all the socialization
skills they learned in dealing with peer pressure don't apply
in the real world. Meanwhile the inter-age communication skills
they need are sorely lacking. Most government schoolers I have
met can't read, think, express themselves clearly and concisely,
have little knowledge of anything from history to politics,
and have a very distorted view of both history and society imposed
upon them by a radical leftist curriculum.
Home schoolers don't suffer from the strictures of peer pressure
and other artificial structures of public schools. They are,
I have found, much better integrated than their public school
counterparts, being as conversant with adults as with peers
on a wide range of topics. They are skeptical of much of the
peer-pressure nonsense their public school peers accept so readily
because they have found they can truly be individuals without
fear...." Read
More |
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