Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
To Homeschool or Not
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="bystander" data-source="post: 40460" data-attributes="member: 3614"><p><strong>3)</strong> <strong>Social exposure</strong>.</p><p>A HUGE argument against home schooling in any form is, "But he will miss out on all that valuable social interaction." This was really worrying me, too, and it almost tipped my decision back to normal school, until I stumbled onto the website of James Williams, a remarkable young man. This high-functioning autistic teenager gave HIS take on "social interaction" and pointed out that the school environment is very artificial - where else will you be assigned to a group of young people all around your age, with a much older authority figure out the front. How normal is this?</p><p>Contrast this with a shopping centre, for example, where we encounter a wide range of people of varying ages and abilities. It was an interesting point - difficult child 3 copes better in a more natural public situation, than he ever did in school.</p><p>Bullying is far more common in the school grounds and if you ever encounter it out in the real world, it's generally easier to walk away, easier to deal with and there are strict laws governing behaviour as well as legal strategies in place to resolve any conflicts.</p><p>And you can manufacture social interaction opportunities as needed - a lot of homeschooling groups organise meetings, get-togethers, study days and so on. You needn't be home-schooling in isolation. And when these groups DO get together, it is a much more 'normal' grouping of supervised children with a number of responsible, parental adults present along with a much wider age range of kids (smaller numbers, too) and a wider range of abilities. Some kids are home-schooled due to physical disability - your child gets the chance to get to know these kids at study days. There will be other kids with similar problems, anxieties etc and I've found friendships like this are very loyal and long-lasting, as well as generally valuable. Far less chance of bullying, far more chance of positive social interaction.</p><p>For difficult child 3, mainstream school was a place of horror where he was bullied every day, and not only by other students. He was learning to be afraid; to hit back because it's OK, other kids do it; that whatever he tried to do he would never be valued and would always get punished; and was getting to the "Why should I bother?" stage.</p><p></p><p>Wow. This is one of the best arguments I've heard against the whole - "but-he-won't-get-social-interaction" thing!</p><p></p><p>The only thing I might digress a little from is that the workplace can be <em>very </em>similar to a school environment. And the social interactions aren't necessarily better. Over the years, I've seen a LOT of adults act worse than kids I went to school with! And while there are anti-discrimination guidelines and rules, there's a lot of subtle stuff that goes on as well.</p><p></p><p>For now, homeschooling for me is a no-deal. DS and I don't get along very well when it comes to doing school work. He doesn't take me seriously all the time - and he <em>wants</em> to be in school. However, I know that a few years down the road this may very well change ... I'd certainly be willing to do it if he decided he wanted to homeschool instead.</p><p></p><p>I hope the OP is able to get the info she needs - it's not a bad idea at all for kids who have trouble coping with the school environment.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bystander, post: 40460, member: 3614"] [B]3)[/B] [B]Social exposure[/B]. A HUGE argument against home schooling in any form is, "But he will miss out on all that valuable social interaction." This was really worrying me, too, and it almost tipped my decision back to normal school, until I stumbled onto the website of James Williams, a remarkable young man. This high-functioning autistic teenager gave HIS take on "social interaction" and pointed out that the school environment is very artificial - where else will you be assigned to a group of young people all around your age, with a much older authority figure out the front. How normal is this? Contrast this with a shopping centre, for example, where we encounter a wide range of people of varying ages and abilities. It was an interesting point - difficult child 3 copes better in a more natural public situation, than he ever did in school. Bullying is far more common in the school grounds and if you ever encounter it out in the real world, it's generally easier to walk away, easier to deal with and there are strict laws governing behaviour as well as legal strategies in place to resolve any conflicts. And you can manufacture social interaction opportunities as needed - a lot of homeschooling groups organise meetings, get-togethers, study days and so on. You needn't be home-schooling in isolation. And when these groups DO get together, it is a much more 'normal' grouping of supervised children with a number of responsible, parental adults present along with a much wider age range of kids (smaller numbers, too) and a wider range of abilities. Some kids are home-schooled due to physical disability - your child gets the chance to get to know these kids at study days. There will be other kids with similar problems, anxieties etc and I've found friendships like this are very loyal and long-lasting, as well as generally valuable. Far less chance of bullying, far more chance of positive social interaction. For difficult child 3, mainstream school was a place of horror where he was bullied every day, and not only by other students. He was learning to be afraid; to hit back because it's OK, other kids do it; that whatever he tried to do he would never be valued and would always get punished; and was getting to the "Why should I bother?" stage. Wow. This is one of the best arguments I've heard against the whole - "but-he-won't-get-social-interaction" thing! The only thing I might digress a little from is that the workplace can be [I]very [/I]similar to a school environment. And the social interactions aren't necessarily better. Over the years, I've seen a LOT of adults act worse than kids I went to school with! And while there are anti-discrimination guidelines and rules, there's a lot of subtle stuff that goes on as well. For now, homeschooling for me is a no-deal. DS and I don't get along very well when it comes to doing school work. He doesn't take me seriously all the time - and he [I]wants[/I] to be in school. However, I know that a few years down the road this may very well change ... I'd certainly be willing to do it if he decided he wanted to homeschool instead. I hope the OP is able to get the info she needs - it's not a bad idea at all for kids who have trouble coping with the school environment. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
To Homeschool or Not
Top