socialized homeschooling

While starting my first weeks in homeschooling Makayla and trying to figure it out, I fear that I will not be able to teach Makayla her reading and math well enough. I was driving by the school parking lot Monday evening while all the families were at Back to School Night. I felt numb. Am I doing the right thing? Then I remember we don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Romans 12:2 reads “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. God has put it in our hearts to homeschool. Acts 5:29 reads …”we ought to obey God rather than man.” My life has flourished so much since I started obeying God, but that’s for another post.

Surprisingly, the only negative thing people can seem to say about it is “socialization”. Let’s start with me for example. I spent all my schooling in public or private schools outside the home. At age 20, my socialization skills were very low. School outside the home did nothing for me. I could not concentrate and many times was not interested in the teaching because I was too busy dealing with peer pressure from other students and the teacher…yes, the teacher. Teacher’s can be quite harsh and single out the students they favor leaving the other’s unnoticed or picking on the student’s they don’t like. I spent so much time worrying about being picked on or wanting to fit in, it was ridiculous.

Why do we want to send our kids to a place where we have to work backwards to teach our children morals, values and truth? Kids pick up so much from other kids and teachers. The main learning source should start in the home and then taken out from there. How can I expect my children to follow my lead if they are spending most of their time in the school without me? I am still battling with Makayla that Santa Clause is not real because her teacher, babysitter and other kids say he exists.

Socialization starts in the home. Over the summer, my relationship with Makayla has grown tremendously. Even though I was home during the later part of her school year, we still dealt with misbehaving issues. I felt like I was working on someone else’s time clock...getting her to school, picking her up and trying to stay tuned in what was going on in her life while she was away. Makayla now listens to me well. We communicate, she does what she’s told, and we have quality time together all because she is not off to school everyday where she picks up bad habits from others and bring their attitudes home. Now my children will pick up MY attitude. So now it all relies on my shoulders to be the good example for my children’s socialization skills. Children pick up things from the one’s they are around the most.

According to Wikipedia.org, the term socialization is used by sociologists, social psychologists and educationalists to refer to the process of learning one’s culture and how to live within it. For the individual it provides the resources necessary for acting and participating within their society. For the society, inducting all individual members into its moral norms, attitudes, values, motives, social roles, language and symbols is the ‘means by which social and cultural continuity are attained’ (Clausen 1968: 5).

Culture starts in the home, which are attained in everyday activities and errands. I take my children with me to the store, church, family outings, extended family gathers, etc. My children get plenty of outside contact with other’s. It’s the immediate family who should be putting the most influence on kids.

I hope I have encouraged other’s out there like me, who are new to homeschooling and wonder sometimes if they are doing the right thing. As Christians, we may be “in the world” but we are not “of the world”.

LewRockwell.com has a good article on "Homeschooling and the Myth of Socialization".

I will post more updates on homeschooling later. This topic on homeschooling has been weighing on my mind lately.