All of us are familiar with the "S" word. Since homeschoolers have demostrated academic competence, this word has become the new objection to how we choose to raise and educate our children.
But maybe we ought to take a look at a couple of definitions.
Here is the definiton that we tend to think of when the term is brought up:
Socialize (Verb): to make social; make fit for life in companionship with others.
But consider this one, from the American Heritage Dictionary (online):
Socialize (Verb): To place under government or group ownership or control.
Maybe this is the one that our critics have in mind?
After all, the overwhelming majority of homeschoolers do tend to take care of the first, and in fact, we could argue that we do it better than government schools do it. Our children, after all, are out in the community, interacting with a variety of people of all ages, both genders, and a multitude of diverse ways of living.
Head on over to the "S" Word Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling to see how many of us are dealing with the first definition.
As for the second, to quote Nancy Reagan, "Just say 'No!'"
3 comments:
That's an interesting definition. I have found that when I ask naysayers what they mean by socialization, they do not have an answer, and it's pretty funny.
But yesterday my mother had an even funnier experience. She was at coffee with a woman who has been her friend since they were in kindergarten nearly 65 years ago. The woman worked at the local newspaper, her son is a judge, her husband a respected teacher in the community. She told my mother, as she has before, that she doesn't agree with homeschooling. My mother, who is extremely nonconfrontational (to a fault) finally asked her why.
This elegant, ordinarly articulate woman stuttered, said um, er, and uh a lot, and then began beating her hands on the table saying emphatically, "they are just supposed. to. go. to. school!!!"
Wouldn't the most important socialization be how to be a productive member of a family? Who cares if your son's future colleagues like him as long as he has a healthy stable marriage and is a good parent to his kids? Why sacrifice depth of core relationships for breath of surface-level relationships?
Oh, this outta be a good one.
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