Long story short, I don’t believe in homeschooling. With the exception of special cases, of course, I believe that it:
- Does not prepare kids for real-world situations
- Accustoms them to being alone
No matter how much we all complain about waking up early and spending 7 hours in a building, I think we could all agree that going to a physical school teaches us a number of life skills. We are faced with the challenge of making new friends, which is one that we must be familiar with in the workplace. We do a lot of group work, which builds communication skills also needed in the workplace. Even waking up as early as we do and having a set schedule benefits us in ways we cannot yet envision. Overall, my main concern with homeschooling is that it keeps kids sheltered. In fact, I have a friend who is cyber schooled and was homeschooled for most of her childhood. She is unfortunately extremely socially awkward, and it shows when she is faced with a situation that we may face on the daily. She only leaves her house twice a week, both times to go to church. Although she is not technically being limited, I find that she is only because of her obliviousness and lack of access to opportunity.
Being isolated from society is, in my opinion, never the right answer simply because of these repercussions and loss of awareness. The act of going to school is not just an academic education, but a social one. It amazes me how much we have all grown from timid and shy preschoolers making our way through a lengthy three-hour school day to socially mature (for the most part) young adults.
On that note, do you know anyone who is home or cyber schooled? If so, how do they react in certain social situations? Would you agree with me that they are limited, or do you believe they have the same if not more opportunities?
I agree, I also plan on having my children go to public school. Not only have I had so many positive experiences at public school, but I agree that it helps develop the social skills and personalities of many children.I also think it is becoming more important, since our world is becoming even more connected. It is so much easier to travel or even communicate with other people from far away, and it's important for children to learn how to be comfortable talking to different people regarding different situations.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that home schooling limits social interactions. I was home schooled in first and second grades for numerous reasons, but when I went to public school in third grade I wasn't socially hampered beyond not having known the other kids for years. The quality of the home schooled education depends a lot on the effort put in by the parents. Home schooling parents often have groups in an area that organize activities and field trips with the other home schooled kids in the area.
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