Sunday, January 10, 2016

The single story: Homeschool kids don't have social skills

Everyone knows that all the shy and awkward kids that are in your college classes were home schooled when they were growing up.  Why else would they be shy?  Why else would they not have any social skills?...NOT!  

Growing up I never was personally home schooled and always went to public school, but that was not the case for all of my friends and some of the cousins on my Mom's side.  I had some really good childhood friends of mine who were home schooled and they were totally normal.  At church they seemed to know all the answers and were constantly being told to quiet down and listen.  They were always very social and had a lot to say.  I remember my teacher telling my friends that she was very surprised that they were being home schooled because they were so social.  "Most kids that are home schooled don't ever talk" she would say.

There is a big stereotype that kids that are home schooled usually have a problem or are too slow to keep up with the regular kids.  Many think that being home schooled doesn't equal a real education.  Some believe it to be detrimental on a child's social skills. 

Some of my cousins were home schooled throughout their education up to college.  They went to BYU and definitely saw a difference in the way that they were being taught, but still excelled in school and participated in all the social activities that they can.  Many of them have married great people and have successful and prestigious occupations.  

According to school.familyeducation.com homeschooling is becoming more popular everyday.  There are a lot of benefits to being home schooled.  There is more educational freedom within the walls of your own home, physical freedom, emotional freedom, and religious freedom are also great benefits.  Many times, children that have been home schooled have very strong and lasting relationships with their parents and siblings. Home schooled children often avoid busy work and are able to work on things that are relevant to their learning.  


7 comments:

  1. Great points! I've been guilty of single storying homeschooled kids for awhile. Homeschooled students often excel here at BYU.

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  2. Great points! I've been guilty of single storying homeschooled kids for awhile. Homeschooled students often excel here at BYU.

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  3. I agree! I was homeschooled in high school, and people are often surprised when they hear that because of how home schooled kids are single storied.

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  4. This was a great choice for a single story. I am one of the guilty ones that has only seen home-schooled kids one way - socially awkward. It's obvious that that is not always the case!

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  5. This is a great thought! I've definitely met awkward home-schooled kids, but I've also met plenty of awkward kids in public schools too. For the most part, the home-schooled kids I grew up knowing were really outstanding and charismatic. They tended to be the kids who were involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and had insane amounts of talent.

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  6. One of my best friends growing up was home-schooled but he was totally normal. I've definitely known a few awkward home schooled kids but like Saul said, there are awkward kids everywhere! I especially like the point that home-schooled kids get to avoid busy work and do actual learning. I would've loved that growing up!

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  7. This was a fun single story to read. It would have been cool to see if there were any published articles or news stories about it.

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