From: judy@locus.com (Judy Leedom Tyrer)
Subject: Re: Homeschooling?
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 22:13:06 GMT

In article <3459@master.CNA.TEK.COM> judyd@aspen.CNA.TEK.COM (Judy E. Drake) writes:
>
>I have to agree with Keith--I've always felt sorry for home-schooled
>kids because they miss out on the social aspects of going to a school
>outside the home.  To me, school isn't just academic subjects, it's
>a whole social learning experience as well.  I just can't see how
>parents who teach their kids at home can provide anything near the
>social experience that public school does.  There are very few 
>school-age children at home during the day--where do home-schooling
>parents plan to get this contact with other kids??

Well, my friend's kids have Little League (Dad coaches and made bats for
every member of the team), ballet, soccer, and their absolute favorite -
4H.  They also belong to the Unitarian church where they have friends they
meet every weekend.  
>
>I can't imagine having spent those years at home with my mother and
>brother and sister, no matter how many trips to the library and museum
>we made!!  Home schooled kids miss out on wonderful things offered in
>public schools.  They'll never know the excitement of playing in a
>school orchestra or marching band; they won't be able to cheer their
>team and school friends during a Friday night football game; they
>won't get the chance to compete or get coaching in a variety of 
>sports; they won't be able to participate in school plays, edit
>school newspapers; they won't have the fun and camaraderie of 
>seeing a dynamic, changing group of friends and acquaintances on a 
>daily basis.
>
Well, orchestra and marching band, probably not.  But all three kids play
the piano (as does Mom).  They do participate in extracurricular sports
so that's not a problem.  And as for editing a school newspaper, the whole
family edits a newspaper on, guess what, home schooling.  They created the
papers, found readership, manage subscriptions, and edit articles sent in
by other home schoolers.

Now, they may miss some things that kids in school get, but kids in school
miss some things these kids have.  For example, they raise their own goats,
chickens and rabbits (goats for milk and cheese, chickens for eggs, and
rabbits for meat).  They have a large vegetable garden and the kids have
decided to grow produce for the local farmer's market.  Dad does wood working
in a barn outside the house so they have interaction with both Mom and Dad
all day long.  Can you say "Little House on the Prairei"?  Because that is
very much like what their lives are like, only with ammenities like a TV
and VCR courtesy of grandparents.

You mention the changing group of friends and acquantances.  Well, as one
who was horribly unpopular in school, I can tell you that being outside that
"group" is hell.  It did more to ruin my self esteem (or at least as much) as
my mother's inept ability to deal with a child so much like herself.  So,
if you have friends at school that's great.  But imagine for a moment spending
all that time going to a place where people ridicule you, laugh at you, call
you names, and emotionally torment you.  Let's not forget the unpopular when
we talk about the wonders of socialization at school.




-- 
Judy Leedom Tyrer

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"	- William Blake
Newsgroups: misc.kids