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I know this is OT and probably over discussed by now, but I was in the tub earlier when I read this and it's rather hard to reply from there, so I wanted to respond to this.
First, it is just as unfair to stereotype home schoolers as it is kids who dress "goth." I believe that was a concern of yours in a previous post/thread. There are also many varied reasons why people have turned to this. I home school my four children.... 7th, 5th, and 4th graders and a kindergartener.
I assumed that if I was sending my children to public school, and they were making all A's and had above average SAT scores, that they were learning in school what I learned and they must be doing fine. However, I was incorrect in this assumption. Standardized testing has run a muck in our local school, and only math and reading are being taught to elementary aged children. No science, no history except state history in 5th grade. Two years ago, when I took my children out, my very high achieving oldest son had never been taught what adverbs, adjectives, prepositions or prepositional phrases, outlines, topic sentences, Roman Numerals, photosynthesis, or any geography other than the immediate 50 states and didn't even know all those. None of my children could tell me the seven continents or name the major bodies of water. They had never been taught about animal kingdoms or classifications, or even animal characteristics... such as what makes a mammal a mammal, or a reptile a reptile, etc. Now, this might just be MY area, but I was surprised to find out this information, and looked for alternative resources for educating my children. The nearest private school in a 45 minute one way drive for us, plus the $9,000 year tuition times four is a little much. I brought them home, and I am proud to say that not only do my children now know all of the above, they have exceeded my expectations and learned much, much more.My children are VERY social, and this was a concern of mine when weighing their educational needs with their emotional needs. Our local home school co op meets together every Friday, and there are 172 students K-12th grade. There, they take enrichment classes taught by mostly parents, and enjoy many social activities with peers their age. Our county home school group offers varsity football, varsity and JV boy's baseball and basketball, varsity and JV girl's volleyball and softball, as well as track, an Honors Club for Home schoolers, Science Olympiad, horseback riding and karate. They also organize an annual prom and other activities. So far this year, my children have met with the mayor of our city, toured City Hall, toured a courtroom and spoke with a judge and lawyers about our judicial system and how a court works, took a field trip to a Native American Festival, had a pool party, played mini golf, and had numerous after school picnics and park play dates. (Funny side note... my 5th grader asked the mayor if he paid taxes. lol) Outside of homeschooling, my boys play football, baseball, and basketball with our local association, as well as taking drum, guitar, and piano lessons. My daughter takes ballet, gymnastics, piano and voice, softball, and wants to play basketball this summer. She also does competitive cheer, and just mastered her round off back handspring... a pretty decent skill for a 5 1/2 year old.
We are very active in our community, and attend our local public school's events.As far as socialization in public schools goes, there is negative socialization as well as positive socialization. In some of my children's classes, there were children with such behavioral problems that my kids would come home talking about nothing but what so-and-so did to disrupt the classroom all day. Children are being taught that being kind, courteous, studious, and caring are considered "weird" while being a bully, obnoxious, and disobedient is "cool." Parents no longer care if teachers call home to report bad behavior... must be the school's fault, or the other student. My children did not personally deal with major bullying, but they did see other kids get bullied. My children were lucky in that aspect that they wore the "right" clothes, are handsome, and generally well-liked. However, heaven help the children who did not have this luck on their side.
It is MY job to teach my children who they are to be. My job to mold them, and shape them... build up their confidence and teach them how to be strong, educated individuals. It is not the world's job, and I definitely am not going to leave the shaping of my children's characters up to a variety of public influences. I disagree that children have to learn the ways of the world and "put up with" or "tolerate" people who disrespect them when they become adults. I DO NOT TOLERATE people in my life who are mean or disrespectful to me and my children should not, either. I surround myself with positive, caring people who have my best interest at heart. No adult should tolerate misbehavior in the workplace, as well. All people, children AND adults, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of whether we "like" them or not. As an adult, if someone is being detrimental to my life and emotions, I have the ability to change things. Get another job. Get new friends. Move away. Change activities. Etc. Children do NOT have this luxury, and can't see their lives past next week. They cannot simply avoid those who are terrorizing them, and they sometimes seek drastic and permanent measures to solve temporary problems. Bless 'em!!All that said, home schoolers vary in many of the same ways as public school students. They do not all fit in the same little mold.
By the way, as I was finishing typing this, my 5 year old was belting out "This is My Country, land that I love!!!" They say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, along with the Lord's Prayer, and are learning patriotic songs for the first time in their lives, since they are not allowed in school. We are also celebrating Jewish feasts this year, even though we aren't Jewish. Most of all, I am thoroughly enjoying this time spent with my children. I never knew how much joy I was missing out on by sending them to school every day. They continually amaze me, and I personally think I have the most rewarding, selfless, non-monetarily compensated job there ever was.
