We're the last to judge.

Scratch that—we're the last to judge when it comes to homeschooling. We're the first to judge when it comes to taste in television.

Having said that, the first stereotype about homeschooled kids is that they're just a tad shy in the social skills department. Hey, different schooling methods work for different students, and that's important to realize. But when homeschooling parents get the question, "What about socialization?" there are some big (too big) assumptions going on there that need to be addressed.

First things first. Many people assume the first four letters in the word homeschooling are its primary descriptor, when in fact, the word "home" is primarily used to convey the idea that the education is taking place outside of a traditional school environment. Not that its practitioners never set foot outside the home.

Once that is understood, it's easier to see that homeschoolers, who indeed do leave their homes from time to time (gasp!), have plenty of opportunities to socialize. In fact, many homeschoolers would argue that their opportunities for positive socialization exceed those of their traditionally schooled counterparts. Why? Read on.

It's a Multi-Generational Thing

First, homeschoolers are less likely to find themselves in age-segregated groups, whether for a class, a field trip, or a social event. Instead, hsers (as the word is often abbreviated in homeschooling circles) frequently attend gatherings with parents, grandparents, and older and younger siblings in tow.

And that doesn't mean it's just in the family. This interaction with people of all ages, and in multiple situations, as many homeschoolers argue, provides a more complete and natural form of socialization than the opportunities afforded in a traditional schooling atmosphere.

The Real World

Many non-homeschoolers picture its practitioners huddled around their kitchen tables studying for hours on end with no opportunity to interact with people outside of their family structures. And people with that image in their heads wonder what will happen to those kitchen-huddlers when they venture into the "real world."

But according to a 1999 article in the Education Policy Analysis Archives titled "Homeschooling and the Redefinition of Citizenship" by A. Bruce Arai, homeschoolers may actually be spending more time in the real world on a regular basis than traditionally schooled children. Whodathunk?

As Arai writes, "For homeschoolers, participation in the public sphere is a more important component of their education. They are much more involved in things like volunteer work than schooled children, which also further offsets socialization criticisms" (source).

Let's throw in another quotation for good measure. Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Homeschool Education Research Institute, states in his research concerning homeschooling that "Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members. They are commonly involved in activities such as field trips, scouting, 4-H, political drives, church ministry, sports teams, and community volunteer work" (source). And we're pretty sure the list goes on, too.

What About Isolation?

Well, sure, just as a child attending school with 500 other students on a daily basis can sometimes feel alone, homeschoolers, too, can feel isolated. Homeschooling parents occasionally report that at times it can be difficult to find enough social outlets for children who crave them.

As stated in the Coalition for Responsible Home Education's article, "Homeschooling and Socialization," "Ensuring that homeschooled children have adequate social interaction can be a lot of work for homeschooling parents, and not all do it well" (source).

We'll reiterate that that's pretty much the same for children in traditional education models, too, but when the social side isn't built in like it is in schools, well, the debate makes sense. It's a matter of being aware of children's needs and finding outlets.

And the bottom line? Socialization can be achieved: it's just a matter of how you go about it.

In the End

According to Richard G. Medlin, professor of psychology at Stetson University, homeschooled children—and formerly homeschooled adults—show themselves to be as well adjusted and socially adept as those who attend (or have attended) traditional educational institutions. And so, he argues, "An alarmist view of homeschooling, therefore, is not supported by empirical research" (source).

Well, looks like that settles that.

Need more?

Check out PBS's article on homeschool socialization, or The Daily Kos's discussion of The "S" Word. There's plenty more where that came from, but these articles cover the bulk of the debate and give some ideas for tackling the issue in your home, your homeschool, and in general.