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Homeschool Socialization: Life in the Real World Equals Real Socialization |
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Ann Brady |
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Park days, play dates and friends of all ages…that’s what homeschool socialization means to many family. Of course, when new homeschoolers start considering homeschooling, this is often one of the first concerns they have, and one of the first questions they are grilled with. “What about socialization?” |
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Homeschooling and Socialization Revisited |
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Milton Gaither |
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Richard G. Medlin, a psychology professor at Stetson University, here continues a line of inquiry he began in one of the landmark articles of the original 2000 Peabody Journal homeschooling special issue. Since that article he has published several pieces in the journal Home School Researcher, all of which find very positive results for homeschoolers’ social and academic development. In this piece his goal is to review research on homeschooler socialization that has appeared since his 2000 article. |
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Homeschooling Benefits: Children less preoccupied with peer acceptance |
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William R. Mattox Jr. |
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Most people who have never met a homeschooling family imagine that the kids are socially isolated. But some new research by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute suggests otherwise. Indeed, Ray's research helps to explain why the number of homeschoolers in America continues to grow. Ray reports the typical homeschooled child is involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home each week. These activities include afternoon and weekend programs with conventionally schooled kids, such as ballet classes, Little League teams, Scout troops, church groups and neighborhood play. They include midday field trips and cooperative learning programs organized by groups of homeschooling families. For example, some Washington, D.C., families run a homeschool drama troupe that performs at a local dinner theater.
So, what most distinguishes a homeschooler's social life from that of a conventionally schooled child? Ray says homeschooled children tend to interact more with people of different ages. |
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Homeschooling Socialization for the Shy Ones |
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Sometimes, socializing is hard work, especially for those of us who have a shy kid—and if statistics are accurate, nearly half of Americans call themselves “shy.” For those of us homeschooling shy kids, there is a temptation to just let it go. It would be so much easier to just stay at home, curled up on the couch, than to watch our shy kid suffer or to feel compelled to make apologies for our shy kid. For those of us homeschooling shy kids, there is a temptation to just let it go. It would be so much easier to just stay at home, curled up on the couch, than to watch our shy kid suffer or to feel compelled to make apologies for our shy kid. |
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Homeschooling Statistics: Socialization and Sociability |
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Sara Mcgrath |
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According to Patrick Basham, author of the Fraser Institute's 2007 examination of homeschooling's growth from extreme to mainstream, "...the academic and socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student." When the socialization of homeschoolers is questioned, it's important to clearly define what the critic is asking. For example, how is socialization, an institutional training process, different from extracurricular social interactions, socializing, and sociability? |
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How to Develop Social Skills Without Socialization |
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Megan Zechman |
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The homeschooling community is wide and diverse, yet there is one question that almost every parent has been asked during the years they school their children at home. “What about socialization?”
We are led to believe that if we don’t put our children in public school, they will be missing out. They will become social misfits. Homeschooling means they will be stuck inside all day, having no opportunity for socialization. But true socialization comes from interacting with the world around them and having the freedom to explore and make true friendships. |
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Looking for the “S” Word: Socialization for the Homeschool Student |
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Veteran homeschoolers know that socialization is really not something to worry about in the homeschool, even for those who are moms to only children. The truth is children receive social instruction in the very environment where it is needed - society. As parents we are best equipped to direct the "socialization" of our children because we have their best interest at heart. Here are ten ways to find socialization opportunities for your homeschool student.
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Socialization is a Bunch of Malarkey |
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Most folks who ask about socialization mean well. They are not plotting against us, but they are uninformed. But modern socialization in schools is not natural or desired. |
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Socialization: Tackling Homeschooling’s “S” Word |
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Bridget Bentz Sizer |
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The mainstream perception of homeschool students is that they are an antisocial bunch, toiling away lonely hours at a kitchen table with only their parents for friends. But homeschoolers themselves will tell you that socialization—the “S-word,” as some call it—is really a nonissue.
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Socialization? No Problem! |
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HSLDA |
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Every parent who homeschools has been through the drill: “Oh, you homeschool. Aren’t you concerned about your child’s socialization?” Homeschooling parents have known the answer for years: “No problem here!” But critics demand proof. Today, the first generation of homeschooled students has “grown up,” and there are enough homeschool graduates to begin to see how they are succeeding in their homes, in their work, and in their lives.
In 2003, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned the largest research survey to date of adults who were home educated. Conducted by Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, the study surveyed over 7,300 adults who were homeschooled. Over 5,000 of these had been home educated at least seven years, and the statistics in this synopsis are based on their responses. The results confirm what homeschoolers have thought for years: “No problem here.”
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Solving the Socialization Dilemma |
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All children need socialization, including homeschoolers. Interestingly, the definition of the word “socialize” is “to make social; especially, to fit or train for a social environment”. The difference for homeschooling families is in how we choose to provide training that for them. |
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Statistics on Public School vs. Homeschool |
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Karen Frazier |
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Deciding how your child will receive his education is a choice that can impact the rest of his life. While your decision may depend on personal factors such as your time and availability and your child's personality, evaluating studies and statistics can also provide information you can include in your decision making process. |
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The How To’s of Homeschool Socialization |
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Heidi Ciravola |
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Is the only place to learn from others found within the four walls of a school? If we follow the logic that socialization only comes from school, are we then to assume socialization does not occur within the family unit, at church, or on any give sports team? How about during neighborhood play or at the local playground? And if we assume socialization is a process occurring throughout our lives then what happens when we are no longer within the four walls of elementary, middle or high school? You socialize a homeschool child, or anyone else for that matter by having them live their lives, be in their environment and around the people you would normally be around during the course of a day. |
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The Myth of Socialization |
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Diane S. Spears, Ed.D. |
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If socializing is a problem for homeschool families, it is rare. The homeschool socialization myth is a misconception perpetrated by people who know little or nothing of the benefits or facts. Some parents believed they would be breaking the law by not sending their children to public school. Unfortunately, there are movements in some states to pass such laws. But as of yet, it is still lawful to homeschool. Most states require documentation, which is reasonable. Other states are lax. Homeschooling as a movement is growing, and that is a very good thing. According to NHERI, the higher quality of homeschooling is not affected at all by whether or not the parent is a certified teacher, or by any state regulations. |
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The Socialization Secret |
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If you homeschool for long enough, you are bound to hear the question, “What about socialization?”. In fact, as soon as you announce to friends and family that you are even considering homeschooling, this question is probably among the first you’ll hear! Here’s the big homeschool secret that perhaps no one in the non-homeschooling world knows…homeschoolers are socialized. In fact, they are socialized in a more natural way than is typically found in a classroom.
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The Truth about Homeschooling and Socialization |
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Lucinda H Kennaley |
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The reality of homeschool socialization is that there are usually more opportunities to socialize than there is time. The crush of activities, friends, and interactions with others keeps most homeschoolers more than busy. |
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The Truth About Homeschooling and Socialization |
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Usually what is meant by socialization or the lack thereof is that if we isolate our kids from the public or private school culture, our kids won’t know how to survive in the ‘real’ world.
But the homeschool world has a lot more similarities to the ‘real world’ than any institutional setting. |
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Thoughts on Socialization from a Homeschool Graduate |
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Heather Greutman |
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You would think that in a world full of homeschool graduates, many of whom get into top colleges, win national spelling bees, and score way higher on all national and state tests that people would realize that the socialization question really is obsolete now days. But because we spend all day with mom (or dad) and siblings, instead of in a school room with 1 teacher to 25+ children we suddenly aren’t socialized! This homeschool graduate shares her experiences with her "lack" of socialization.
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