When you mention homeschooling to someone, one of the first responses you get is about how your children won't be socialised. How can they socialise if they don't attend school?
As a homeschooler there is plenty to worry about - how your children are doing academically, which activities to attend, which curriculum to use but socialisation is not one of the worries. Why do I not worry?
School is a environment where children are put into groups according to their ages and then are with that same group of children for a number of years. Playtimes and lunch are often segregated by key stages and staggered by year groups. Children in school rarely interact with children older or younger and often the adult/child relationships in schools are dictatory.
Chatting in class is not allowed and often questioning is not encouraged (due to time and the number of children in a class).
Chatting in class is not allowed and often questioning is not encouraged (due to time and the number of children in a class).
Having spent a lot of time around home schooling families I see children attend activities on a daily basis where children mix amongst adults and other children of varying ages. Older children play with younger children. Older children teach younger children and then chose to have conversations with adults. The children naturally bounce off of each other and are confident to question/ talk to adults. There is no segregation due to ages.
Seeing home schooled children in a variety of situations socialising with people of all ages, shows me what true socialisation is.
I personally think that schools need to work more on socialisation and collaboration. Great ideas come from bouncing ideas off of others, talking to those of different ages and learning from others.
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