SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

The S Word

Those of us who have home-schooled are all-too-familiar with the socialization question. For some reason, most people appear to think that children need to spend several hours a day together in a classroom with other children of the same age in order to learn how to get along with other children. Now comes this story from Quebec wherein “a judge has ordered a three-year-old and a five-year-old to attend state-funded daycare following claims that the children lacked proper ‘socialization’”.

There are eight million stories in the Naked City: this is one of them.

The year that I home-schooled my daughter (grade 6) had one expected benefit and three unexpected side benefits. The expected benefit - that she would learn a lot - was achieved (in spades). The first unexpected benefit was how happy she was. The second unexpected benefit was how healthy she (and the rest of the family) was - not one cold or flu all year. And the third unexpected benefit was how she blossomed in her interaction with other children.

Home-schoolers, as a group, are terrific. They provide tremendous support for one another, and they arrange wonderful outings and group experiences for their kids. My daughter went roller-skating and bowling, took swimming and baby-sitting lessons, enjoyed science demonstrations and a visit from William Shakespeare, participated in a French conversation group, and on and on. In the course of these activities, my daughter came to interact happily and confidently with other home-schooled children of all ages. These kids are great! They are kind and welcoming, and a bit unsophisticated in a charming way. Away from the cliquish, dog-eat-dog atmosphere of her public school, my daughter was able to relax and enjoy herself.

Read my lips: in terms of socialization, home-schooled kids are on average better off than public-schooled kids.