[JediGirl]

By looking at the e-mails to the editor this week, questions about home-schooling are still in play. Along with doubts about the home-schooling atmosphere and educational results, there is large concern over whether home-schoolers are properly socialized.

I was homeschooled for a year and couldn't stand being away from my peers. My brother and sister were homeschooled for 5 years. They and the people in their "homeschool group" here weren't ready for the "real world". But I had another friend in Texas who homeschooled for many years, but was definitely ready for the real world because she also got out outside of the group. Some people are not ready for the real world regardless because of homeschooling, but as long as you go to functions outside of homeschooling activities, i think you can function quite well.

[joathome]

Young girls who put their pictures up on the internet, however innocent, are probably STILL not ready for the real world. :)

[glory]

You have to understand that your situation is not unique. It is often a struggle for parents to deprogram children who have been in ps for any extended period of time and it is difficult for parents themselves to change thier own attitude when ps is all they know. Chances are you had become used to what you were getting in public school, but that does not mean it is good or the type of socialization you were used to was even normal or healthy. I'm sure prostitutes become used to the job they do no matter how demeaning, but it still does not make it the ideal job or good for them because they "miss it" or are used to it. Most of the time, it's just what they know

[jlogajan]

If a young person grows up without any contact with other young people, they will probably be fine as adults because adults aren't supposed to act like children. However, if such a young person is suddenly thrown into a group of other young people, they will probaby not have as fluid an entry into that youthful population.

Of course, schooling isn't the only source of youth-youth contact. So home schooling doesn't preclude gaining such social skills (childish as they are.) In fact, a kid isolated from other kids would probably be pretty lonely. So that would be bad.

I don't recommend home schooling for every family, for every parent, for every student. First of all it is highly inefficient. But if it works, they should go for it.