What about Socialization?
This is one of the most asked questions about homeschooling! Our society has the idea that if kids are not in a classroom with other children their own age for several hours 5 days a week, then they will turn out to be social misfits. I have to admit that there are cases of homeschooled children who are socially awkward; but I also know of children who went through the public school system from K – 12 who are also socially awkward.
There have been many studies done on the topic and it turns out that the majority of homeschool children grow up to be well-balanced, socially acceptable adults. The studies show that homeschooled adults are also more likely to be involved in the community and politics then their public schooled peers. While growing up homeschool children are also more capable of socializing with people of all ages, instead of growing up only knowing how to socialize with their peers. Other than the school classroom, where else will you ever be in a setting where you spend the majority of your days in a room full of people your own age? Any job I’ve ever worked at my fellow employees were from all ages and walks of life. Besides that, just because we homeschool does not mean that we never leave our house. Sometimes I wish we could stay home more often! Our children can be found in Sunday school, as well as being involved in other events at church, like the Christmas play and the Sunday school choir. Our children have also been involved in activities like swimming lessons, dance, baseball, bowling, library programs and visiting at the local senior’s home. We also go on field trips with our local homeschool groups, as well as hanging out with our friends and their families. |
_So, if you homeschool and never leave your home, you might have a
socialization problem. If you’re like most of the homeschoolers I know, that
shouldn’t be a problem.
If you are interested in seeing some of the statistics about homeschoolers, you can check out National Home Education Research Institute. NHERI focuses on research involving homeschoolers, including the much asked question, What about Socialization?
Here are some posts I have written about socialization, or where you can see that my children are definitely not suffering from lack of socialization :)
|
Is Homeschooling Legal?
Yes, homeschooling is legal in Canada and the United States. There are some countries around the world where homeschooling is not legal, like Germany, but so far we still have the freedom to home educate our children in North America.
|
Each province in Canada has it’s own laws about homeschooling. Some are more relaxed about it, some have strict guidelines to follow.
If you are interested in the legal aspects of homeschooling, you can contact Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) to find out more. |
What About Curriculum?
Our approach to homeschooling is quite eclectic. Up until this year, I had preferred to use a variety of teaching tools, for less cost. The library and Pinterest are my favourite resources! But if you are looking for a curriculum, there are many great ones out there!
My younger children are using Math-U-See. It is very hands-on and the DVDs are great at explaining each lesson.
|
There are tons of great resources out there! At the homeschool convention I know I will probably end up buying something from several booths there. Here are a couple of my favourites:
|
Homeschooling in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Home Based Educators (SHBE) is the group that plans and puts on the Homeschool Convention. They work hard to help their fellow homeschoolers have a great time of learning and fellowship at Convention! They also have a website that is another great resource for homeschoolers, with news about homeschooling, links to Gov’t Resources (including the Notification Form to fill out when you are starting your homeschool program) and information about the committee members and who you can contact in your area if you have questions.
The laws for homeschooling in Saskatchewan are the same for everyone, but each School Division has their own, shall we say, interpretation, of those laws. Some Divisions are more strict, some barely seem to care. Some send out letters of confirmation when they get your paperwork, some don’t. Some will phone you once in awhile to check how things are going, others you will never hear from. It is nice to be able to check with other homeschoolers in your area to find out
what your School Division is like. A great resource for meeting
other homeschoolers in your area is Facebook. Most likely there is a
Facebook page for homeschoolers in your area. There is also a
page called I Homeschool in Saskatchewan.
These are great places to go to for support, encouragement and to
ask questions of other homeschoolers. It is also a way to get involved
in a local homeschool group and find out about field trips that are
being planned by other homeschoolers.
So far I have not heard of any serious problems with homeschooling in Saskatchewan. It seems to be one of the best places to homeschool! We are blessed to live in a province that seems to appreciate the rights of parents to educate their own children! I thank God for that and pray it can stay that way!
So far I have not heard of any serious problems with homeschooling in Saskatchewan. It seems to be one of the best places to homeschool! We are blessed to live in a province that seems to appreciate the rights of parents to educate their own children! I thank God for that and pray it can stay that way!