Thursday, May 3, 2007

Homeschooling doesn't exclude socialization

Many school socialization advocates argue that homeschooling precludes children from experiencing real life.

Instead of being locked behind school gates in what some would consider an artificial setting characterized by bells, forced silence and age-segregation, homeschoolers frequently extend their everyday classroom to fire departments, hospitals, museums, repair shops, city halls, national parks, churches and colleges, where real community interaction and contacts are made.

Dismantling the stereotype that home learners spend their days isolated from society at kitchen tables with workbooks in hand, NHERI reports that they actually participate in approximately five different social activities outside the home on a regular basis.

Here's a great article that denounces the myth about homeschooled children being isolated from the outside world and from other kids their age. I'd recommend it to any parents that are concerned with the amount of time their children spend away from home - being influenced by peers and education workers but not by the parents.

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