Dear Editor,
While the National Education Association means well when it expresses concern in a lack of social development among homeschoolers, I feel that these students gain rich experiences in life that they otherwise may not acquire. The fact is that homeschooled students are excelling socially by learning how to create relationships in their community.
Generally the definition of socialization is the process of learning to interact with society in meaningful and constructive ways. What real evidence is there that these lessons in life have to come from a child’s fellow peers rather than their family and other individuals? The actual social level of homeschooled versus public schooled children was studied by Thomas Smedley and Dr. Larry Shyers of Radford University in 1992, with dramatic results. Home schooled students ranked in the 84th percentile while public schooled students ranked only in the 27th. Smedley’s conclusion was that “public school students are socialized ‘horizontally’ into conformity by their same-age peers, while homeschooled students are socialized ‘vertically’ toward responsibility and adulthood by their parents.”
I think that our definition of socialization is in need of adjustment. As the Minnesota Homeschooler’s Alliance accurately suggests, do we as a society in general feel that throwing a child in a room with thirty peers and one adult will somehow make them a more rounded individual than a child that is living and learning in the real world? If so, then we are obviously overlooking the power and place of community and family in a child’s life, and our faith would be sincerely misplaced. Rather than criticize the choice to home school, perhaps it would be best to think about what we want our children to be influenced by.
Sincerely,
Amber Pittman
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