HOMESCHOOLERS EXPOSED -- BY INDIE FILMMAKER FERNANDA ROSSI

Hollywood Investigator ^ | February 20, 2003 | Thomas M. Sipos

[VRWCmember]

Homeschooling critics worry that homeschooled children don't learn the social skills to be had from interacting with other children.

Like the important social skills learned by Dylan and Eric that helped prepare them for their heinous acts a few years ago?

[Aquinasfan]

"Queen Bees and Wannabes"

Thanks for the reference. It was a lot like "Lord of the Flies" when I was in there.

[Joe Brower]

"The only 'social skill' I learned in public school was how to fight."

I roger that. I also learned escape and evasion tactics quite well.

[Salvation]

**Can I just say something? There are three homeschooling families in my little pocket neighborhood here. We are all pretty close. Our kids do their school work in the morning, do some chores and they are GONE for the rest of the day, outside playing....where they should be! Kids don't have enough time to play anymore. This social skills argument is a crock. In fact, it's a real struggle to get my kids to quit working on their social skills and get some work done!!!**

Bingo!!!

[Salvation]

I like #1 better! LOL!

[staytrue]

about that wicked social structure within Middle- and High-Schools. I read about the normal, day-to-day dramas that play out in the emotional lives of kids in schools and thanked God that my children are being spared this.

The same social structures exist in real adult life with office politics, especially in the federal govt. Your kids should at least get a small taste of it and learn to work around all the bs that goes on as it continues in most work places.

[Paradox]

<"Homeschooling critics worry that homeschooled children don't learn the social skills to be had from interacting with other children."

Oh yeah, those much needed skillz, like how to properly "size" somebody when they disrespect you, like how to properly be a "player". Or how about the proper dress code for young girls, like belly shirts and pierced navels by 12 years old?

My kid could do without all that, thank you.

[staytrue]

In Junior High I invented a game called "name that drug". We'd stand around and try to figure out what people were on. I also learned wolf pack social skills like how to be an alpha wolf so that the others wouldn't pick you to pieces

Those are still useful social skills in adult life as possibly the most important thing to know is to be able to read your co workers and know what type of a person he/she is.

[SauronOfMordor]

Homeschooling criticsNEA communists worry that homeschooled children don't learn the socialism skills to be had from interacting with other indoctrinated children.

Actually, the parents in the article are "progressives" ( == Marxists), who probably decided that their kid would not get ENOUGH marxism in the govt schools

That's cool, though. My homeschooled kids will have read every work by Ayn Rand, Locke, Jefferson, etc I can feed them by the time they graduate

[staytrue]

The supposed social skills learned by attending public schools are considerably overrated, including cliques, bullying, snobbery, fighting and other forms of abuse. I'm thankful my home-schooled nieces won't have to experience that.

Most people live in or near cities. I live near Washington. Forming cliques, consolidating your office power base, manipulation, winding your way around people's egos, stroking the correct egos, these are all useful.

Do freepers on this thread not work with other people ?

It seems no one knows what I'm talking about. It is best to avoid office politics, but it is a game where you do need to know that it goes on, there are rules to the game, you are better off knowing about the game, and you need to play the game at least a little bit.

[Search4Truth]

Fernanda Rossi is a babe. :) Conservative women exude femininity. Very appealing. I'm going to have to take a trip to Argentina.

[Dialup Llama]

>Fernanda Rossi is a babe. :) Conservative women exude femininity. Very appealing. I'm going to have to take a trip to Argentina.

Take tango lessons while you are there. Argentina is the home of tango. Argentine women are 'a handful' as they say, alot of attitude, so be warned.

[Aquinasfan]

I did some clicking around and found this review of "Odd Girl Out" by an eighth grade student.

*****(Five Stars) I wish this had been written ten years ago., June 22, 2002

Reviewer: silver_birch_dryad (see more about me) from Blauvelt, NY United States
I happened upon this book in Costco and immediately snapped it up. After three years of the torture and abuse by other girls my age in middle school, I left with panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and depression. That was eighth grade and I was not yet thirteen. I am now twenty and still struggling just to drive to a local university each day because I cannot cope with leaving for a better school with the major I want. I still leave near in the same neighbourhood and literally gag when I see the girls who tortured me.

This book finally shows that the school itself-- not just the students, but the teachers and administration-- are at fault for letting us 'Odd Girls' (or as singer/songwriter Tori Amos refers to us 'Raisin Girls') fall through the cracks and sometimes become cracked ourselves. Perhaps we will not be the only ones to peruse this book, but those who can help us-- from teachers to psychiatrists. It's time to realise that hitting is NOT the only way someone can end up bruised.

[ppaul]

Socialization?

Yeah.
It sure helped expand my vocabulary: "freaks, dopers, ropers, greasers, juicers, sluts", etc.

[homeschool mama]

So true, Spookie.

I'd much rather have a civilized child than a socialized one. :o)

[Chemist_Geek]

Do freepers on this thread not work with other people ?

It seems no one knows what I'm talking about. It is best to avoid office politics, but it is a game where you do need to know that it goes on, there are rules to the game, you are better off knowing about the game, and you need to play the game at least a little bit.

Apparently not. You are correct, in that when in the Real World, people do not, repeat not, get along nearly as well as a family does. Perhaps the homeschool cheerleaders think that surviving sibling rivalry will be sufficient preparation.

I have my doubts, but, then again I don't have children to raise either.

[Aquinasfan]

The same social structures exist in real adult life with office politics, especially in the federal govt.

Government school survival skills are a lot like government bureaucracy survival skills, if that's what you want for your children.

Government school survival skills have been worthless in my line of work, and I would have preferred not to have lived in prison-like conditions for the first 13 years of my life for having committed the crime of being born, but maybe that's just me.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Children do not need to learn how to deal with outrageous behavior by other children who fear no consequences whatsoever, and they certainly don't need to learn it during adolescence. In most adult work situations (at least those where literate people work), it's mighty rare for anyone to be seriously taunting or threatening co-workers and/or dressing like a hooker or gangster, and the few people who do get away with such behavior get away with it because in their spare time they produce the results that the management wants. In public (and many private) schools, kids can be getting Ds and Fs and go right on raising hell with no consequences. But again, to the extent that some aspects of school misbehavior go on in real workplaces, children can prepare for this later, AFTER they have finished the emotionally difficult process of adolescence, when they are no longer in serious danger of being sucked into such behavior themselves and/or permanently damaged by it.

[AnnaC]

Those who oppose homeschooling first began yelling homeschooled children aren't doing as well in their studies as public schooled. After comparing test scores and the outcome being homeschoolers scored higher,it shot that out of the water. Then they yelled well the parents have to set structure within the home. After reviews after reviews homeschoolers had more stucture within thier home than public schooled children. Understanding, that most homeschooled children had a parent at home 24/7. Sounds like an old fashioned idea but it works atleast. Then they jump on the "children need to learn social skills". Funny as long as we've walked on this planet, before the dawn of reading books, now somehow over thousands of years we as children never knew how to socialize! Oh, dear, thank goodness to those who have figured out what socializing is and wish to teach it to our children. Save the children from our naive ways, please! Now their trying in Georgia to say we need to have social workers (former teachers) to come in the homes and set up away they should be taught with a good sound structure. Funny during the early Arabic, Greek, Roman, and Chinese history education was a great thing whether taught at home or in a university. In which many educational attributes in math, science, chemistry(which helped with medicines)and physicians(dr.s) training evolved. Don't recall the governing body declaring children being taught at home needing to have a learning and home structure. It must be set up by them (cause only they know how) and have their watch dogs on the homeschoolers in their homes everyday. This will ensure the children don't slip through the 'I was homeschooled and can't read,add, write, or get along with others'... crack'. I try to remind others that at one time this nation was homeschooled. And during those era's America was not socially nor educationally crippled. Can't see public schools pushing that. Whatever ideas the anti-homeschoolers wage, the facts are evident. There are no given proofs to why children shouldn't be homeschooled. Only established proofs why homeschooling works. It only scares the gee willy out of the states ...... funds for educators and educational purposes of all sorts. It is sad when money rules where and what our children should learn! All my children are homeschooled and I am very grateful to have the ability to have them with me everyday. They have a very balanced social, learning, and homelife. I have yet had a problem with them being mean nor disrespecting anyone.I know, soon, time will pass and these days will be memories. Atleast I and my children will have them. Children are very precious. The same they will grow into precious adults who have the right to have had their parents train them up in all ways. It's been that way before empires and constitutions.

[ladylib]

The only drawback to homeschooling (if parents do it well) is no snow days.