Critics whose first words out of their mouths when they hear we home school is "What about their social skills?"
Well what about them?????
My children socialize with all ages, all types, CEO's, company presidents, adults and babies - whoever happens to be at our supper table, visiting our home or meeting up with us in the community.
Your kids socialize with their peers.
Who is learning? Who is maturing?
A new study released yesterday by the Canadian Centre for Home Education (CCHE) reveals that home-educated adults in Canada excel in all measured areas of adult life, including education level, religious observance, civic and community participation, life satisfaction, and income.
The study, entitled Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults, surveyed adults whose parents had responded to a 1994 study on home education. In total, the researchers collected 226 questionnaires. Ranging in age from 15 to 34, the respondents answered questions on a variety of topics for which Statistics Canada has comparable data from the wider population.
The study found that, when measured against the Canadian average, home-educated adults were more socially engaged and almost twice as likely to have voted in a federal election. Their average income was higher, with more self-reliant sources of income, such as investments and self-employment. In fact, of all respondents, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income.
The respondents were happier in their work and about their lives in general. They also have more varied recreational pursuits. The study notes, for example, that the respondents "were much more likely than the comparable population to have read books and attended concerts of classical music or theatrical performances." Overall, when reflecting on the value of being home-educated, most felt that it was an advantage in their adult life.
"In terms of income, education, entrepreneurial endeavours, involvement in their community, and all the other characteristics measured, home-educated adults not only excel, but also make meaningful contributions to their communities," stated Paul Faris, president of CCHE. "They are the type of neighbours we all want."
The full study and a synopsis are available here.
Just thought you might like to know......
I would homeschool the gang all over again in a second... well if I were not in my 50's that is.
4 comments:
Julie,
Congratulations on having had the time, talent, skills, resources and support to homeschool your kids. It was obviously a labour of love and the results speak for themselves. You deserve to be very proud of yourself and the choice you made.
I read your blog regularly and I was quite surprised by the tone of this comment however : "Your kids socialize with their peers.
Who is learning? Who is maturing?"
It really rang like "Nana, nana, boo, boo."
I am truly sorry for those who made you feel bad about your choice. It really isn't their business at all. But please don't play into their game but throwing down the gauntlet with comments like "Who is learning? Who is maturing?" You are far better than that.
Believe it or not, some of us have children who did just fine in public schools. We need to remember that, as parents we are their primary educators regardless of whether or not we choose to home school or not. I certainly didn't throw my kid out of the car at the schoolyard gate and say "sink or swim, Baby, see in 13 years!" I SUPPLEMENTED his learning with books, lessons, activities and resources that a one-size-fits-all school could not. Consequently, I am the proud Mom of an articulate, adventurous, generous, committed, engaged and all-round great young man.
I celebrate your choice to homeschool because you had that choice but I also celebrate parents who weren't given a choice but who give it their all nonetheless. We are all winners when parents take the lead when it comes to their child's education. On that I think you and I will agree.
As for the study, well, we'll need to talk about laws of averages and the challenges of blending learning differences in the classroom, class sizes, costs, etc.
Great post when it creates dialogue. Thanks
Bamm-ela, thanks for your comment. Point well taken. My apologies if I in any way offended you and your parenting with my remarks. In no way do I mean to belittle parents who use the school system. I know that it is about what you pour into your children that counts always - no matter who educates them or where they are educated. So please accept my apologies. The tone was not one of “so there” but rather one of “take an honest look at how the home educated do socialize during their school day and compare it to a child in a classroom.”
The point I was trying to make was that it is ironic that people (even non parents) would immediately associate home schooling with unsociable children. I am not saying children schooled in the school system are unsociable at all. My point was that the home schooling environment, parental involvement and all other variables aside, on the contrary, was one of diverse socialization opportunities. My response to people who felt our children were being barricaded in the home all day was to ask if putting them in a class of their own peers was a better alternative for developing socialization. Was time spent with peers better for social maturity versus time spent with a variety of ages.
That's all.
I did not mean the comment to be taken any further than that. It was not an attack on or assumption about how parents, who use the public school system, raise or invest in their kids. And it certainly wasn't an assumption that they are just dropped at the door and abandoned.
We all invest in our children in many ways and we generally reap the fruit of that investment. I say generally because I know some parents who have invested love and commitment heavily in their children to have one rebel and cause great pain. We are though, surrounded by wonderful, mature young people in our community who are the results of a society, school system, family and parents who have invested in them and who care.
We have much to be thankful for.
This is a very timely post Julie, as I've had thoughts of homeschooling vs. public school floating around my brain for a while. I didn't know you homeschooled your kids, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the pros and cons sometime.
Any time Kim - would love to sit down with you and talk home schooling. Allison was the only one to return to school for high school - she can tell you about her thoughts on the subject too.
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