kmoney said:
DreadHelm did address this is the opening post. Did you read it? Any comments?
He said,
Homeschoolers are very apt when it comes to speaking and meeting people. Often we are asked question such as “How do you ever meet people?” Well, through Homeschool groups, City recreational leagues and classes, Church groups, and many other ways. Homeschoolers are not under socialized or overbearingly shy around people or groups any more than any Public School Student. In fact, Homeschoolers have a highly diversified portfolio of Socialization from many ages and groups. Often when Homeschoolers have younger siblings the older ones teach the younger, developing leadership. Public Schools many times negative affects of teasing and bad peer pressure arise.
And I said
"To say that you have the same integration with your peers as someone who goes to school is just wrong. With hindsight (something you don't have DreadHelm), you are missing out."
Which is valid. No matter how much he claims to integrate with others, the public schooled kids do more. He socialises at the church etc....so do the public school kids on top of what they do. The negative effects of bullying and peer pressure? Its all there in the real world too. Best learn to deal with it graually rather than in one big confrontation with the real world when homeschooling's finished.
Its when BB said, "Dread didn't have to worry about meeting drug dealers in the hallway." like the solution is to deal with the problem by taking the KIDS out of the school. Now that is a liberal attitude. Deal with the problem by taking the dealers out of the school and teaching the kids about drugs and their effects. An important part of growing up is learning about working within a group. OEJ doesn't seem to think that kids talk when lining up, eating food or in the classroom, going to and from school. You know what they dont just talk, but they joke and fight, rip on one another and make out. I'm guessing OEJ must have been homeschooled as well because he seems oblivious to this.
You can only speak from personal experience. All you can say is if schooling (whichever type you had) was good or bad for you. You can't say that DreadHelm is missing out.
Sure I can when I spot his behaviour. And when I talk from experience from other homeschooled kids. I can quite clearly say that DH is missing out on interacting with his peers. Some might say he is a nice kid, and I wish him all the best, but sorry if he carried that attitude in school he'd be torn apart by the other kids. Church kids might not do it, nor might the debating team but not many schools are made up of just church kids and debating team kids, there usually a few other sorts too.
Look at how he deals with confrontation by calling names, same as BB and a few others. He's learning from his peers, but his peers are here are not his own age. He calls himself homophobic and fanatical. Yet he is still a child. He's not made up his own mind, he's too young, its been made up for him. And whats more he has nothing to counteract it. You want to call yourself Christian....go and learn the world's religions first and then at the end of it decide if you're a Christian. Want to call yourself homophobic, go and be a heterosexual and then meet some gay people, then call yourself a homophobe. Want to say you hate certain types of people....go and travel the world and meet all types of people.
Want to say you are socially adept, go and interact with all aspects of society....not just the parts that have been revealed to you. As it is you're being sheltered.