Yeah, we got the socialization meme too. Jake had a conversation with a friend on an airplane when his soccer team was traveling to Holland & Germany. This is a paraphrase because unlike the DUmmies I don't know things word for word.
Friend: Do you like homeschooling?
Jake: Yeah, it's pretty cool!
Friend: How do you get any socialization?
Jake: We're socializing now aren't we?
We have a running joke in the homeschooling community that we don't homeschool, we car school. One of the big advantages is kids socialize with all ages. A 13 year old is just as comfortable conversing with another 13 year old, a 7 year old, or an adult. When they talk to adults they're actually respectful and will look you in the eye.
Here's a partial list of Jake's activities:
Destination Imagination with a homeschooling team. Went to world finals twice. Won first place one year, state finals two years.
Civil Air Patrol: Cadet Major, committee chair of Western Region council, organized summer camp for Oregon Cadets (they hadn't had one here for over a decade, I think), Oregon Cadet of the Year
Year round soccer, including playing one year on a Mexican team. He didn't speak a word of Spanish. Most of them didn't speak English. It was hysterical to see my lily white red headed boy with his Roberto Baggio hair with a bunch of Mexicans, some of whom I'm sure were gang members given their proclivity for 'do rags and the color blue. Played on the high school team, MVP
Homeschool Latin Club which had members from age 8 to adult
History Club, see above
Karate: Black Belt, taught a children's class
Cub Scouts (when he was old enough he joined CAP)
Monthly teen party held at one of the kids' houses
Community college math & science classes (I had no problem with the whole mold growing thing but drew the line at blowing shit up & I never made it past
first year algebra so when he wanted to learn calculus it was way over my head)
Homeschoolers tend to be overachievers because for the most part the love of learning hasn't been driven out of them. They also have more time because they don't spend an excess amount of time standing in line or raising their hands to go to the bathroom. Most tend to rush through their daily assignments so they can get to the fun stuff. However, I was one of those oddballs who did child-directed learning until high school when I insisted he study US History & Government. He was allowed to study a subject (chivalry, space, WWII, etc) until he exhausted it. He never exhausted the whole WWII thing.
I used to joke that we had to homeschool because he wouldn't have time for his activities if he went to public school.
Cindie
