by Christina Leonard

Created on: October 23, 2010

 For those who believe there are or will be negative effects to homeschooling, they will find them everywhere. However, I have found the effects said to be widespread amongst those who are or were homeschooled are a direct result of their teacher.

has been said that homeschoolers lack socialization. From my own experience, as well as the experience of other homeschool families or groups that I have interviewed, I have found that the only reason for a lack of socialization is a choice not to socialize. There are many established co-ops which were founded specifically for homeschoolers to get together, socialize, play games, trade tips and experiences, or even trade curriculum. There are also the traditional gatherings with children from public schools during extracurricular sports, spelling bees, science fairs and the like. If you include trips to parks and field trips, there are truly an unlimited number of opportunities for socialization. Socialization happens everywhere. How do adults socialize? They go shopping, create outings, attend churches or conferences, or simply introduce themselves to strangers. Children have the same opportunities, whether homeschooled or not, but with more openness to self-made introductions.

Another incorrect argument is the lack of extracurricular activity in homeschooled children. The homeschooling environment is conducive to all sorts of activities of which the “normal” scholar may not be able to take advantage. Homeschoolers are able to go on field trips at any time. They are able to learn subjects – example: history – by visiting places linked to them – example: Gettysburg – in person. While still being required to write reports on books and field trips, the knowledge of their subjects is more deeply ingrained because of personal experiences. Sports are also able to be played frequently and practiced regularly as schooling takes less time since the teacher is free to give more one-on-one time with the student.

A rebuttal of the boredom of constancy with homeschooling has been addressed already by mentioning field trips and extracurricular activities, but needs one more item addressed. In public schools, the boredom increases for two reasons. One, the environment rarely changes – as opposed to that of a homeschooler – until they enter high school where different subjects are taught in different classrooms. Two, the children are held to the standards of the slowest learners of the class and are unable to progress at their own pace. In homeschooling, the child sets the pace. They also have unlimited possibilities for great learning environments.

In conclusion, the negative effects of homeschooling are truly only a result of the choices made by those doing the homeschooling. If the teacher chooses not to change environments, it will resemble public schooling. If they choose not to allow for socialization, the student suffers. It is, therefore, incorrect to assume these so-called negatives happen in each and every homeschooling situation.

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