Discovery Institute - Article Database - Homeschooled Children

(PRWEB) May 19, 2006 -- Parents considering homeschooling need not worry about their child being a social misfit. Learning within the school community does not guarantee a child will be able to assimilate into a group or gather real friends. An article in Times Community Newspaper on 17th May states “Critics of the homeschooling movement often cite a lack of socialization as a drawback to home education, “Socialization in public school is overrated,” Wantz stated. “There’s a bullying mentality out there, so much so that you’re willing to maybe deny your family’s values in order to fit in.” Discover more at http://www.homeschooling-secrets-revealed.com

One parent says of school children: “Children are segregated by age, and have very little interaction with other adults, except their teachers. This environment only promotes alienation from different age groups, especially adults. This is beginning to look like the real socialization problem.” This is a very interesting point, how can the children grow from being put into pigeon hole?

Homeschooling allows children to expand their minds through dedicated precise learning but also allows social aspects of the world to come through. “My wife and I like to bring our son with us when we are visiting with friends and other adults. How else will he learn to be an adult, if he never has contact with adults? He knows what kind of behavior we expect from him, and the consequences of his actions. He is often complimented on his good manners by friends and adults.”

Homeschooling allows you to teach your child how to get along with a variety of people of diverse backgrounds in diverse situations. The artificial, age-segregated government school classroom does not afford any such opportunity. All that children learn there is how to interact with the same 25 or so children of the same age, with one adult thrown in as a balance. In a home school, in addition to the classroom learning, children will often accompany their parents during errands and chores during the day. They will encounter people at the grocery store, hardware store, post office and all of the other settings that they will encounter throughout life. They will see people of all ages and all backgrounds. They will see them in all kinds of situations. Clearly, if you want a child who will grow up knowing how to interrelate with a wide range of people then homeschooling is the best choice.

In July 2000, the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think-tank, published an extensive report on homeschooling written by Senior Fellow Dr. Patricia Lines. She describes several controlled studies comparing the social skills of homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers. The homeschoolers scored as "well adjusted." In one study, trained counselors viewed videotapes of mixed groups of homeschooled and schooled children at play. The counselors didn't know the school status of each child. The results? The homeschooled kids demonstrated fewer behavioral problems. Dr. Lines' conclusion? "There is no basis to question the social development of homeschooled children."

For more information on Homeschooling visit http://www.homeschooling-secrets-revealed.com

Contact Information
Matt Weight
http://www.homeschooling-secrets-revealed.com
0419 617 192

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Click here to read the PDF version of Dr. Patrcia Lines' July 2000 report on homeschooling.