Homeschoolers Thrive in the Real World
Monday, October 23rd, 2006This Express-Times article does a great job of debunking the myth that homeschoolers are sheltered or not socialized.
Not content to illustrate how wrong this widely-held misconception is, Jill Drake, co-founder of the Kids Homeschool Network questions how sheltered and socialized public school students really are. She brings up a great argument that I have often used myself:
“How does spending your entire day with age-grouped peers prepare you to socialize in the diverse real world? Other than 13 years in public school, when do you spend the majority of your day with people within two years of your age?”
Can we not argue that public school students rather than homeschooled students are the ones who are indeed sheltered from the “real world”? Parents have often remarked to me how articulate and confident my children are when speaking with adults. They don’t shy away from adult conversation, shuffle their feet, stare at the ground, or show any signs of shyness. Rather, they look adults straight in the eye and have very mature conversations. Compare this to the average young child or even teenager. They stare at the ground when spoken to and mumble one-word answers because they are not used to socializing with a variety of people from different age groups. They are intimidated.
Imagine what these kids go through when entering the workplace. For the last twenty years they have been surrounded by people their own age. People who look like them, talk like them, and behave like them. Then, suddenly, it’s over, and time to enter the “real world.” This storied land is full of a variety of people from all different walks of life. How can we expect these kids to cope any better than homeschoolers who have been surrounded by variety throughout their young lives?
“I’m not trying to hide my daughter from the world. I’m trying to give her a bigger picture than the four walls of a schoolroom.”
Imagine that! The kids who live in the “real world” are the ones accused of being unprepared to enter the “real world.” How backward!
Sure, it’s important for kids to be around peers. They can get that at church, co-op programs, clubs, sports, and the neighborhood. But it doesn’t have to make up the majority of the child’s day, every day. Thanks to brave parents (and open-minded reporters), the stereotype of the socially maladjusted homeschooler is gradually being exposed for the tripe that it is.