Homeschooling debate
Posted on December 4th, 2006 by Jackie Danicki
The comments on my post about homeschooling make me glad I brought comments back all those months ago. Peter Cuthbertson and Alice Bachini-Smith going ten rounds is something I could only have hoped for back then…
Filed under: Blogging, Children, Education, Individuality vs Collectivism, Life
I don’t know how you made me do that, Jackie. Gotta laugh though! :lol:
I dunno if it’s rude to reopen a debate after a mutual pat-on-the-back from a third-party but the last post in the thread leaves me confused as to whether she and I actually disagree. I certainly wasn’t making a semantic point - I’m happy to concede ‘homeschooling’ can refer to regular classes outside the home with other children.
The point I was making is that there is a price to be paid in social skills for the absence of regular schooling with other young people. Do you agree with this or not? You have only said that the way you homeschool is to make sure your child does get that social interaction. Great! But is that (a) because you acknowledge it would be bad for his social skills to be receive education in isolation from lots of other people or (b) in spite of the fact that you see no problem with that, and you simply send him to classes for other reasons? The former, not opposition to all homeschooling, is my position.
Sorry, Peter, but I already addressed that all below.
The valuable social skills I was taught by being forced to spend my days with people I didn’t like were to shut up, to be withdrawn, never to trust anyone ever, to crave my own company, to be standoffish, to project as unapproachable an air as possible, always to assume the worst in everyone, and not to share anything. It took me years to unlearn these “skills”.
These wonderful social skills you’re talking about, Peter… they’re gained by some people at school at the expense of others. The homeschooled acquaintances you mention who aren’t brilliant at dealing with other people are still a thousand times better at it than those who lost the social competition at school, many of whom are so withdrawn that you will never know about them because they will simply refuse ever to say anything to anyone. That’s the ones who haven’t topped themselves yet.