Some years ago, a chilling event made the public aware of some of the darker consequences of the socialization process in public schools. A couple of maladjusted students killed a large number of their classmates at Columbine High School, the worst such incident in the nation’s history. Unfortunately this wasn’t an isolated incident, as similar shootings have since taken place. Now, school security is much tighter in many schools as a result of this. Many parents who want to safeguard their children from such an environment have taken the homeschooling route. Children schooled at home need not be isolated from the world, provided that their parents allow them to take part in a wide variety of activities that keep them involved with their communities.
Parents are aware of the concerns regarding developing healthy social skills in homeschooled children. So the natural result of that concern is to ensure there are adequate opportunities for social interaction. Including social excursions as part of their child’s education is fairly simple and there are many options. Parents make sure their homeschoolers are involved in the extracurricular activities offered in their communities. Most children in public schools cannot say the same thing. Their parents aren’t as concerned about finding such opportunities for healthy socialization, so they don’t make the effort to encourage their kids to participate.
4-H clubs have been around for years and you’ve probably heard about them. They offer many clubs for kids to join, based on their interests. This is something that all of your children may become involved in provided they are interested. 4-H clubs are a great way to introduce your children to others their age and they cost nothing to join. Keep in mind that children network to a greater extent than years ago, and the internet is largely responsible for that. Kids are more likely to introduce your children to their own friends.
Socializing with peers of the same age does have unhealthy aspects like distorting personal expression. Consider what typically happens in public schools to dispel doubts regarding this. Most children want to be accepted and popular. They do this primarily by trying to fit in. We all know about cliques and the tendency to gravitate toward others and form small groups. While that behavior is understandable, it often is accomplished at the expense of personal identity and expression.
There are many sides to the whole argument of whether homeschooling helps or hinders socialization in children.
Home schooling can provide children with some definite benefits, such as one-on-one instruction that’s not possible in most schools. Parents who take this route, however, are taking on a great responsibility, so they must be ready to live up to it. If children are going to grow up in a balanced manner, they must be given plenty of social opportunities as well as academic instruction. Home schooled children whose parents understand this should have no problems learning the social skills they need to function in the world.
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