Well, hey there bloggin' friends. How goes? It's been a while! Sorry about that. Well, actually, I'm not sorry. I've had a lot of time to think about a lot of things, so I think this little break has been good. Plus I don't know if anyone actually reads this. But I'm back and I am into this stuff! So let's start, shall we?
My life has changed a little since we last spoke. I am now unemployed and this didn't happen by choice. Yep, I'm a bum. And I hate it. I really, really hate it. But I'm job searching right now and it's going okay! I just have to be patient. I've also just joined a new choir and that makes me SO happy. It's such a refreshing atmosphere.
So I have been thinking about a lot of stuff, but what I'm going to write about today, I actually just thought of, like, five minutes ago. My opinions and thoughts on this are super underdeveloped, so please don't judge me, I'm just thinking out loud over here.
My best friend and I talk a lot about technology. It's amazing; the way we've progressed, the things we know now that we wouldn't have, the unbelievable connection between people all over the world, etc., etc. It's great and it opens up so many doors that wouldn't have been opened otherwise.
Now, take a second and think of homeschooled kids. We all know a few and maybe you are a homeschooled kid yourself (Hi!). I really don't want to overgeneralize and offend and say that all homeschooled kids are "weird" because that's rude. I think there's definitely a ton of benefits that come from a homeschooled environment. You have an endless amount of class options, school only takes about three hours a day, you can wear your pyjamas 24 hours a day without judgement; overall, it sounds like a pretty sweet lifestyle! But we all know that if you are homeschooled, there is a disadvantage that is pretty common throughout the population: social skills. Many (not all) homeschooled children lack social skills. When faced with this fact, I think of all of the things I've learned throughout my thirteen years in school but not in class: wrong facts about sex at the age of eight, being exposed to the cruelty of some of my peers' parents, learning that it was cool to use bad language and all the rest of that fun stuff. When I reflect on all of those things, I almost wish that I hadn't been exposed to so much social interaction. It made me really confused and I think it made me grow up a lot faster than I should have. But, it also made me the person I am today, and I think that having those experiences really shaped my worldview.
So! Back to technology. This is the main reason why I wrote this post at all (sorry if it seems a little scattered). More than anything, I really wanted to ask what people think about this: Is it possible, in our day and age, for homeschooled children to become socially adept with such easy access to technology? There are SO many opportunities for communication and connection with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Can these kids grow up being confined to their homes and still have the same kind of confusing, weird, uncomfortable experiences that I had in my public school days? I really hope so. I had never thought of this aspect of technology until today and I think it might end up being one of the most helpful. If these social media websites can bring these kids out of their shells, we might have a whole new, better, more free form of education to consider. Let me know what you think guys! Again, this is really underdeveloped, but I would absolutely love to hear your opinions and broaden my horizons. Have a nice day!
P.S. I'll be starting a food blog soon! If you like yummy vegetarian eats, it might be right up your alley.
I don't think that homeschoolers are at a disadvantage in regards to social skills. This is from my personal experience and the experience of others because I know a lot of other homeschoolers. I was homeschooled up to and including grade nine, and then attending a public high school was my own choice. I'm not even going to list all the benefits that being homeschooled granted me, there's far too many. What I will say is that I haven't noticed a real gap between homeschoolers and public schoolers in social skills (especially once they reach adulthood). People in all walks of life (homeschooling and other more "traditional" routes) are considered "weird" or "awkward", we are just presented with this idea of homeschoolers in media as being unusual. I know that it's a lot easier to join programs as a homeschooler because every homeschooled student receives a portion of the per student funding that the educational system gives to the school board. You are allowed to use that for educational fees, which can include gym classes, choirs, private lessons, soccer balls, drama club fees, and so much more. This opens up a wide range of opportunity to interact in situations where people will meet people who have similar interests. Sure, it's not all day, but most homeschoolers aren't only children so they have peers to socialize with. You can definitely have those uncomfortable experiences, I know I did while I was homeschooled. But if not, it's not a shortcoming. Being socially inept has nothing to do with being raised as a homeschoooler, but is really about personality.
ReplyDeleteIf the rise of the internet has done anything, I think it has lessened the chance of developing these social skills. I know that my younger brother (who is in grade 9 and is homeschooled) finds it incredibly easy to sit in front of a computer, rather than going to the same kind of classes I used to take. However, he has different experiences than I do. When he went into a different homeschooling program that I did for a year (part time school, two days a week - the rest is at home), he was bullied so much that he came home crying. Every. Single. Day. If not crying, bruised, either physically or mentally. So I completely understand that he doesn't want to think about people, he wants to shut off from that. And the reason his social skills are lesser is because of the basic cruelty of other children, not because he's homeschooled.
It's 2:30am, so I apologize for how disjointed my thoughts are right now. I'd love to talk to you about this sometime, Jenelle.
Hey Rianna!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting a comment. I really appreciate having the point of view of someone who was actually homeschooled, you know? That's really cool. The only other homeschooled kids I've met were supremely religious and hard to communicate with. You might have been raised with a certain degree of religion in your studies as well, but that not-withstanding, it's really nice to see another part of the homeschooled spectrum. I wrote this a while ago and I've had a few thoughts about it since then that I'd really like to discuss with you! I've been thinking more about the benefits of homeschooling and whether or not it's something I'd like to exercise with my own children (not that those are happening anytime soon), so I'd love to hear some more about how you feel. Also, I'm sorry to hear about your brother's experience - that's terrible. Just let him know that you love him and that it'll get better with time. Thanks again for commenting, sister! Have a beautiful day.