OK, it's come up again..Socialisation. How can children possibly make friends, play sports, go to dances, be in plays and performances if they don't go to school?
I sit here and I think about what Socialisation is. There are a variety of definitions but basically Socialisation is the process a person goes through that enables him/her to function in the society of which they are a part. When talking about Socialisation in regards to Home Education, it seems to focus mostly on the ability to form and maintain friendships.
Despite the reams of research that suggest the opposite, it seems that some people view home educated children as unsocialised, without friends, lacking confidence. That is not my experience. The home educating families I know are outgoing, happy, friendly and welcoming. You can only speak from your own experience.
The Calves and I are always out and about. We have many friends. Perhaps the word 'home' in Home Education suggests images of children locked up at home, completing worksheets and going pale from lack of sun? I assure you that is not the case in our home, nor in the homes of the vast majority of my fellow home educators. The word 'home' in this context suggests to me warmth, compassion, love, a slower pace, perhaps a few rough edges. Like home made bread or a home made chair. Slightly to the side of 'normal', a little wonky perhaps but oh, so much better!
For the record, we play with the local children in our village almost daily at the playground. The calves have no problem interacting with other children and making friends. We attend most visiting exhibitions at the local museums and art galleries. We go to the beach, out for lunch, we go for hikes and long walks around the farms in our village to observe nature. We do Taekwondo, we go to the botanical gardens, the markets, the zoo. The list is endless really, we do all the things that most families with young kids do we just have more time to do it.
As an adult I have lived and worked in three countries. I have had to communicate and cooperate with a great variety of people personally and professionally. School didn't prepare me for that, life did. When, as an adult, are you ever again in a room with 25 other people the same age and from the same background as you?
My kids travel extensively and have met and made friends with people from all over the world. I am not saying you can't do that WITH school I am just denying the assumption that you NEED school in order to do it.
This blog is less about what school isn't and more about what Home Education is. Home Education is not for everyone and I don't think it should be. It's about options, choices for families and acceptance. I am writing here not in defense of my choices or my rights as a parent but to be a part of the discussion about alternative ways of educating children that has been going on for a long time. The reality is that more and more families all over the world are choosing Home Education and alternative schooling arrangements for their kids.
To the mums and dads I chat with who are searching for a new fit for their family but feel scared to step off the well-trodden path, this blog's for you. Hopefully you will see, if I, a Wild Cow living on an island in Hong Kong can do it, so can you.
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