Really mad homeschooler?

Question

im homeschooled, and im sick and tired of hearing the two labels of homeschoolers: they are unsocialized, and they dont know about the real world!!! so please tell me how we dont know these things! i mean, while public schoolers are in thier buildings full of kids the same age, homeschoolers are out in the REAL world learning things that they want to learn! and the socializations part... how are we not socialized????? you dont honestly think we sit in our houses all day do you?

Answer 1

I totally agree with you!  I've seen so much antisocial behavior from public schooled students, that I can't believe people would think homeschoolers should go to school to receive "socialization".

Don't let those misconceptions upset you though.  I usually just laugh about it.  If the person had good social skills, they would know that questioning your level of socialization is just impolite.

Answer 2

Finally some one who knose what there talking about. I know how ou feel people tell me all the time that they think homeschoolers are shut i and arent ready for the real world but when you really think about public schoolers have a tearcher to hold there hand and teach them homeschoolers have to do alot of things on there own.

Answer 3

I got the same thing when I was homeschooled. My sister would say to my Mom about how I'd never function in the 'real world'.

IMO, kids who are homeschooled function just as well or better than kids who go to public schools because they get a better education cause its one on one instead of 15-20 to one.

Answer 4

Look at the bright side of this...

1 - We have an opportunity to be "myth busters"

2 - Sometimes folks who are genuinely considering homeschooling really do wonder about the socialization myth and we have an opportunity to explain the reality.

3 - The homeschool bashers (almost) always show their true qualities in their (offensive, rude, insulting, bullying, intolerant, uninformed, incoherent, off-topic) wording.  They often make the point for us about why homeschooling is, for many, a better option.

The ones (here) that bother me the most are the lame and transparent attempts to *** inpursinate a homscholar end ettempt to make homscholar's look badly by posting sumthing fool of spilling and gramma errers.

Answer 5

I'm not sure how those misconceptions got started, either.  Probably from folks whose idea of homeschooling was formed reading National Geographic about Australian outback station families, or hearing about missionary kids whose parents had to homeschool them.

But like anything else, homeschooling is what the kids and parents decide to do with it.  It can be enriching or boring.   But it *does* take commitment from parents and kids to do it right.

Answer 6

I absolutly agree!  100%! Us homeschoolers are out in the real world more than people who go to highschool or public schools.  We are not just in one place, but in many different.  Such as the grocery store, the mall, and outside.  At school, don't you get in trouble for socilizing a lot?  Everytime I say that I am homeschooled, the first question that pops in peoples mind is  "what about socilization?"  The answer is easy: "I socilize with not just one age group, but with many different age groups.  Being homeschooled is not stopping you in anyway from hangning out with your friends, is it?  

Your right, we don't sit in our house alll day!  I have plenty, fun activities to keep me occupied.  I paint, babysitt(im15), piano, gymnastics, cook and bake, and learn lots of things out in the real world.  

I am homeschooled, and my sister will be homeschooled next year! :D

EDIT:  OH my goodness, I can't believe someone would post that about us homeschoolers.  First of all, they know nothing about us, unless they are one which I doubt.  Second that person has no right to say that we dont socilize, and we are homeschooled because we are babies, and need to grow up..  Obviously that person is having difficulties of his own!

Answer 7

go gettum, Tiger, rawr!

people say those things because they fear things they do not understand and most people cannot handle those of us that choose different paths.

It is the same way in many other areas of life, not just homeschooling.

Answer 8

That pisses me off all the time. I find that the best way to calm down is to take advantage of every freedom homeschooling gives you.

Go to a blockbuster movie at noon on a Wednesday. Read a book because you want to, and don't write a report on it. Sleep until 11 AM and then play WoW (World of Warcrack- I mean Warcraft) for as long as you want because you've done all your school for the week. Have a big water balloon fight with your friends (works for all ages) when kids in school are in the middle of math class.

Learn to laugh at stupid people and move on. You give them way too much credit if you let their moronic comments waste your time.

Answer 9

Teehee, here here, cheers for you (from one tired homeschooling mom, who has been driving around all day, and is planning toall week as well)

Answer 10

Some people lack imagination. They really cannot imagine life without schooling...

It's pretty sad, since I feel that getting school out of our lives was the most freeing thing we have ever done-- for everyone in the family-- and we've all grown so much from it, and so much closer to each other.

The opportunities that have come up in the last 9 years, when I think of all we'd have missed and had to turn down had they been in school-- both learning and social opportunities-- it's depressing to even about it.

Answer 11

|Probably from folks whose idea of homeschooling was formed reading National Geographic about Australian outback station families|.....

......well thank you but as a home educated kid in an Australian outback station family, I'd just like to point out that I'm not an unsocialized kid who knows nothing about the real world either, lol!

Anyway to the original poster: try just taking a few deep breaths, smiling to yourself and remembering "school = institutionalised learning" with everything that goes with that.

Answer 12

I agree with you, the people who say those things simply have no idea what homeschooling is like... or they might be basing their opinion on one family they know who homeschools badly.

The one that always gets me is when a public school teacher will talk about a child who returned to public school after the family gave up on homeschooling.  They look at any problems the child has and blame homeschooling... never realizing that they are judging homeschooling based on someone who gave up on it... those who are doing well do not give up on it!  They may return to Public school sometime because it fits in their plan, but they don't give up on homeschooling.  I had a friend once who worked at one of those major tutoring centers , she too judged homeschooling on those who came in for help... well obviously she was seeing the ones who were having trouble!   I asked her how many public school students also needed the services, she hemmed and hawed and said that most of their clients were public school students.  I asked her if that meant that public schools were a bad a idea and she just gave me a blank look.

Oh well, all a person had to do is look at SAT scores to see that homeschoolers are doing fine academically, and so the critics grasp for straws and come up with "socialization" as an issue.  It makes me wonder what they will do when their own schooling is finished... sit at home and never socialize again?

We'll just keep turning out well adjusted bright students and let the results speak for themselves.

Answer 13

Two reasons:  ignorance and the sensationalism from the media from the extreme few cases where the parents were doing a horrible job of home educating their children.

Okay, a third reason:  some people feel threatened.  Some parents feel guilty because they may feel inadequate that they're leaving their childrens' education to the government.  And, children may feel envious because secretly they wish they could be home, as well.

Answer 14

This is propaganda generated by the Teacher's Union and School Distritcs who fear loss of jobs and incomes.

Answer 15

I agree completely. Public school is no more the real world than a zoo is the wild. I suggest a warm cup of tea and some time away from negative people ( that might include the internet as a whole). At least, that's what I prescribe myself when I am ready to blow a gasket on the next person with misconceptions and an ax to grind against homeschool. I'm not sure why people believe any crazy stereotypes, but it seems like the wackier they are, the more people tend to believe them.