Social Studies are not for Homeschoolers

My husband and I returned home from taking Raena out to dinner and Allie, who had been babysitting asks, “So, Mom, what is Social Studies?”  Realizing that we don’t refer to our subjects as Social Studies, I explained to her what it was comprised of.

She says, “Oh, Ellawyn asked me tonight and I told her that it was studying how to be social.”

Ellawyn told her, “Oh, we definitely don’t need that.  We’re homeschooled.”

And I just laughed, because there’s this weird stigma that homeschooled children aren’t socialized.  I find often what people are really wanting to know is whether or not my children have opportunities to make friends.  And they do.  So much more I feel than their public school counterparts because they aren’t limited to who they got put in the same class with.  They have a wide age range of children they are friends with and are comfortable holding intelligent conversations with adults.  So the fact that my daughter found it completely absurd that she would need to learn how to be social, or that she lacks social skills, is perfect.  I think her reaction probably mirrors that of many homeschooling families when people ignorantly ask, “What about socialization?”

Yes, we all probably know that one weird homeschool family whose kids are incredibly awkward and socially inept.  However, there are just as many public school students, perhaps more, who are awkward and socially inept.  Some children are just social klutzes.  Some families are weird.  It doesn’t really have anything to do with the location of their learning.

Socialization isn’t sitting in an assigned class with a group of peers.  Socialization is knowing how to conduct yourself in social situations.  It’s knowing both how to converse with your peers and those who are not.  It’s knowing that you don’t behave the same way in the store as you would in the park.  It’s being able to interpret social cues from those around you.  In this way, I feel our homeschoolers actually have an advantage, because the very nature of homeschooling puts more of these opportunities in their path naturally.

Attending public school isn’t sufficient for a child to be socialized.  If it was, teachers would never have children with behavior problems.  And it isn’t just about having access to friends, although that is important.  However, I have known many lonely public schooled children, who despite being in a classroom full of children, could not find one they “clicked” with.  I have also seen those same children flourish in the social setting homeschooling provides.

So the next time you come across someone who homeschools, or have a friend announce they are going to start homeschooling their children, refrain from asking about socialization.  We socialize our children the same way other parents should–by teaching them manners, by providing opportunities to conduct themselves appropriately in social settings and by joining activities that interest our child and allow them to connect with peers with whom they share common interests and can forge bonds with.