Are Children Educated At Home Properly Socialized?

"Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained. " Helen Keller

What does "social" means? Let's read some definitions:

1. Living or preferring to live in a community rather than alone.
2. Denoting or relating to human society or any of its subdivisions.
3. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the experience, behavior, and interaction of persons forming groups.
4. Relating to or having the purpose of promoting companionship, communal activities, etc.

Many people are not familiar with the realities of the life of a child educated at home. These people are always questioning about the home schoolers proper socialization. Many people wanting to interfere with homeschooling have no clue of the reality in traditional public and private schools. Others don't have children to know what educating a child really is all about. There are those that frozen in time, are evaluating education systems without stepping on a school yard or entering a classroom since "once upon a time".

What does "socialize" mean? Let's read some definitions:

1. To place under government or group ownership.
2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.
3. To convert or adapt to the needs of society.

Many families choose to educate at home to guide their children to a healthy and positive socialization, avoiding the negative socialization found in some school settings. Some of those are:

1. bullying - To treat in an overbearing or intimidating manner.
2. peer pressure - Influence that those of the same group can have on each other.
3. blind ideas - Without seeing or looking at logic.
4. immoral rules - Unrelated to moral or ethical considerations; non moral.
5. anonymity - One that is unknown or unacknowledged
6. conformity - Action or behavior in correspondence with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules, or laws that could become into a conformism; who uncritically or habitually conforms to the customs, rules, or styles of a group (such as: gang members).

Studies confirm that the home schooled children live their lives in a natural social environment of family and community. The home schooled children develop healthy social skills through the womb unto the tomb. They gain this from the model of their parents and other adults in their community and through sharing with other children of all ages in diverse environments such as: playgrounds, shopping places, church, group support, public libraries, etc.

How do we evaluate a socialized person?

It will depend on the moral values of each individual, as the person acts responsible toward the awareness of the norms, rules and customs existing in society. The person will make decisions respectfully upon their own, and society's welfare. Living around others will demand cooperation to subsist in this world in a harmonic way.

Independence is one of the highest levels achieved in any educational process. A socially independent person will know that life is about daring into an adventurous scene. Home schooled children gain social skills to perform as a healthy socially independent person.

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. " Martin Luther King Jr.

This hub was written with the purpose to defend and help homeschooling families with the "socialize issue"; also to educate those without knowledge in the theme.

Below is a list of links that will help explore more about the issue of children being educated at home with proper socialization.

Blessings to all!

© Maria Magdalena Ruiz O'Farrill