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From the Publisher
"Gathercole, who has spent 10 years homeschooling her three children, says what most people wonder about is whether homeschooled children can work and play with others, in other words, their socialization skills. She begins by noting that "once upon a time, all children were homeschooled" before more formal schooling and the development of "school culture." She notes that conventional schools offer "socialization" through peer pressure, the stress of choosing between popularity and academic performance, and excessive attention to appearance. Drawing on her own experiences as a homeschooler, she details the networks of other homeschoolers who provide opportunities for their children—and themselves—to socialize. Gathercole also points to research showing that homeschooled children have stronger self-concepts than children attending conventional schools. . . . She explores concepts of socialization, the importance of friendships with other children, strong relationships with parents, and how homeschoolers eventually integrate into the "real world. . . ."—-Vanessa Bush, Booklist, Sep 2007
"The book is broader in scope than simply socialization. By tackling such topics as what homeschoolers do, a definition of socialization, friends and peers, family relationships, safety and bullying, relationships with adults, diversity and minority socialization, citizenship and democracy, the teen years, and the homeschooling parent's social life, the author necessarily touches on many other positives of homeschooling."
—-Kathy Getzer, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Overview
Socialization may well be the single most important aspect of education today. With high and rising rates of divorce, drug abuse, youth violence, alcoholism, teen promiscuity, and so forth, we cannot afford to let this issue go unexamined.
To cling to the idea that what we, as a culture, are doing now is the right and best way for all children, simply because it is what we are used to, is to shut our eyes and minds to other ...