Thinking...

"Mom, I am not a toddler anymore, I am sixteen." "Stop worrying about me." When my son said this to me the other day, I started thinking about why I started homeschooling. When my son was 5 years old and ready for kindergarten he was so not emotionally ready. But, over the years, my reasons for homeshooling have changed. Now I am so much more about providing the best learning environnment. After all, education is about becoming educated and I want my kids to learn without all that extra stuff that can interrupt learning. I am proud of my son and how he has grown emotionally and has made some choices this past year that have challenged him socially and he has been better for those choices. He is right - he isn't a toddler anymore!

The S-Question

I've been homeschooling my two children for 10 years. Yet I still struggle with the S-question that inevitably surfaces in my conversations with those around me. When I say the S-question - I mean that dreaded word - socialization! Why is it that so many folks think that students who attend school outside the home are always well socialized? I do not agree. Homeschoolers have such a variety of opportunities to socialize and their interaction is different than those of students schooled in the traditional manner. I guess this question bothers me because it is just assumed that the goal of schooling is socialization rather than the larger view that suggests socialization is just one important aspect of the lives of our children. If we really want to assess positive youth development, we really need to look at other aspects such as contentment, selflessness, forgiveness, resilience and gratitude. I will talk more about these other aspects in the next few posts. I am grateful to Dr. Gary Welton who has done a great deal of research into the aspects of socialization and the homeschooling experience. More later....