The Socialization Nightmare

As we've prepared to homeschool, we've run into the Socialization Red Herring.  However, it is nearly always other homeschoolers explaining the issue isn't an issue! But it is an issue, just not not the way most talk about it.

Most public school teachers and administrators want to fix things and get them right, but the system has gone so far out of control with bureaucracy, politics, statutes, and regulations that they cannot pull the reigns back in.  So sad, for everyone involved.  Hats of to the teachers and administrators that continue the good fight to help the kids get what they need.  Enough of the rant.

We believe Socialization is important.  In fact, it is so important that it is another critical reason why we believe homeschooling is the best way to go if you can.

Wait? What?!? One of the reasons you homeschool is because of Socalization. Yes Sir.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of Socialization:

"Socialization is the term used ... to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs, values, and ideologies, providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within their own society."

"inheriting and disseminating norms, customs, values, and ideologies"
Who is to do this? The teachers? Principals?  In reality, it is the kid's peer group that ends up doing this.  There is no child my child's age that can be entrusted to share norms, customs, values, and ideologies.   Period.

"providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within their own society."
It is my personal experience that the common school environment does not provide an environment that is like society and its professional working world, so the skills and habits acquired in navigating a public school are for a situation that doesn't actually exist in our society.  There are numerous points of deviation between school and the real world, but here are my top 3:

1. Segregation by age.
2. Weakest links dictate pace.  
3. Knowledge kept in silos 

1. I've never worked in a place that segregated by age, that would actually be against the law.
2. In offices where I've worked, the slowest person is ultimately the one who gets fired
3. At work, it is the fusion of knowledge across all domains that makes things possible.  Accountants, for example, use math and business and English and computer science and history.

So, if Socialization is important to you, find or create an environment where ages are mixed, weak links fall to the wayside, and knowledge is not artificially segmented into neat groups.  Find or create an environment where the norms, customs, VALUES, and ideologies match what makes our nation great. Oh, wait, that's homeschool. Cool.

A final thought.  Look around at society today ... are you happy with what you see in its behavior?  I'm not, so to me ... it isn't working.  As a society, we've screwed up big time. It is our fault, we citizens.  There are too many theorists pontificating ways of how things should be versus how they really are, and they inhibiting those undervalued public servants who have to everyday help get the kids ready for the real world.