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Summary
Summary
Socialization may well be the single most important aspect of education today. With high and rising rates of divorce, drug abuse, youth violence, alcoholism, teen promiscuity, and so forth, we cannot afford to let this issue go unexamined.To cling to the idea that what we, as a culture, are doing now is the right and best way for all children simply because it is what we are used to is to shut our eyes and minds to other possibilities-possibilities that may well afford greater happiness, success, peace, and safety to our own children.At a time when people feel more disconnected than ever before, we cannot afford to overlook or allow ourselves to be blinded to an option which offers great benefits, including a rich, fulfilling, and healthy social life, that our children may well need for the future. Homeschooling offers great social benefits to kids and parents. And when we understand them, our children are the ones who will win.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
In his sociological study Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement, Mitchell L. Stevens divides homeschoolers into two groups: those from the Christian day-school movement and those from the alternative school movement. First-time author Gathercole seems to be one of the latter and has here assembled the most common questions regarding the social aspects of homeschooling (e.g., "Don't the kids miss out on socialization?") and answers based in opinion, fact, and personal accounts from homeschoolers and their children. This formula works-Gathercole persuasively argues that homeschooling is not isolating but can be a sophisticated approach to socializing and educating children. The personal accounts especially challenge our cultural construct that school life is synonymous with childhood. While considering the social benefits of homeschooling, Gathercole also illuminates contemporary problems with public education. With a short list of web and print resources, this is not a how-to book, however. It is a successful albeit repetitious and elementary consideration of the topic intended for families in the initial stages of investigating homeschooling. Suitable for public libraries with large collections on the subject.-Fran Mentch, Cleveland State Univ. Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
It seems intrinsically obvious that homeschoolers must be socially deprived. After all, while others are in school, they are not. While schoolchildren ride the bus, homeschoolers, in general, do not. While the conventionally schooled spend their days with large groups of peers, homeschoolers, it may seem, do not. But research shows that homeschoolers are not socially deprived. Personal contact with any representative sample of homeschoolers will confirm this. And many experienced homeschoolers consider socialization one of the greatest advantages of homeschooling. Why the discrepancy? One reason is that homeschooling is not what people generally imagine it to be. It is not, as many imagine, essentially school transplanted into the home without the other kids. So just what is it instead? In this chapter we will dispense with common stereotypes and instead peer into the lives of some real homeschoolers to see what they really do with their time. One definition of homeschooling is that it is simply the education or teaching of a child or children at home, usually by the parent or guardian. To some extent this is true, but for understanding what the life of a homeschooler is really like, this definition is wholly inadequate because in truth, Homeschooling is much more than that. It doesn't necessarily take place at home and often has little to do with school. It goes by many names that reflect a variety of approaches and philosophies--homeschooling, unschooling, home-based education, world schooling, life schooling, life learning. I have even heard it jokingly termed "car-schooling"! The reality is that homeschooling is more than just a home-grown imitation of school, more than an educational method or choice. It is a total child-rearing choice, sometimes a philosophical or religious one, and for many it is nothing short of a way of life. Excerpted from The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Foreword | p. ix |
Preface: Why This Book? | p. xii |
Acknowledgments | p. xix |
Introduction: A Story | p. xiii |
Chapter 1 The Socialization Question | p. 1 |
Chapter 2 What Do Homeschoolers Do? | p. 11 |
Chapter 3 What Is Good Socialization, Anyway? | p. 33 |
Chapter 4 Friends and Peer Contact | p. 47 |
Chapter 5 Independence and Strong Family Relationships | p. 71 |
Chapter 6 Safety, Adversity, and Bullying | p. 103 |
Chapter 7 Freedom and Time to Be a Kid (Before Having To Be Grown Up) | p. 117 |
Chapter 8 Being "Cool" | p. 129 |
Chapter 9 Relationships With Other Adults | p. 139 |
Chapter 10 Diversity and Minority Socialization | p. 151 |
Chapter 11 Preparation for the "Real World" | p. 167 |
Chapter 12 Citizenship and Democracy | p. 183 |
Chapter 13 Teenagers, Identity, and Sense of Self | p. 193 |
Chapter 14 The Homeschooling Parent's Social Life | p. 207 |
Chapter 15 Socialization and Success | p. 217 |
Appendix A Practical Matters: Resources, Tips, and How-To | p. 227 |
Appendix B Famous and Important Homeschoolers Throughout History | p. 241 |
Index | p. 255 |