Socialism and Schooling

"Do you think you are socially ready to go out into the world?"

This is a REAL QUESTION that someone asked me not to long ago. While I was at another meeting recently someone said that home-schooled kids were at a disadvantage because they don't get the same 'social' experience that public schooled kids do.

Ok, I'm game, lets talk about 'socialism and schooling'.

First of all, every time a homeschool parent explains why they left the public school, people usually respond that the child in question needed to stay in school for 'social' reasons.

My first question is, when and why did 'sociality' become so important in the public schools? I thought being social was what caused problems in classes. You know, passing notes, whispering, texting, etc.

While at the LeadershipPlenty facilitator training in Pierre SD, I was the only student in attendance (and I'm pretty sure I was the only one there under 25). At another LeadershipPlenty meeting there was only one other student there besides myself, and she was a home-schooler.

There really is no known cure for that question.

I have an uncle who believes that only private schools have an edge on how to educate our children.

I have a sister who home schools and her children appear to be normal despite the decision to home school. Yes, I think her children will be okay.

Then we have computerwhiz who has won an award for developing this website. Is part of the royalty for Ortonville and appears to be socially great.

One of the purposes of this site is to have intelligent debate so as to educate those who have not heard both sides to an issue. This topic is just another example of why we need to be open-minded and less judgmental.

Your response? A perfect example of how a well rounded 18 year old should respond. You were respectful, insightful and open-minded. Much more so than the person who asked the question.