I was homeschooled until high school. It turns out that when I didn’t spend all my time watching TV and learning to fit into all the latest fads, I ended up being “weird” too. I wasn’t just going through the motions of education. I found I questioned things naturally unlike the majority of those I met, who treated the objective of classes as just getting the answer. I had to learn to trust the things I learned outside of the school system instead of thinking I was inadequate for the things I missed. There was a small percentage of people who questioned things and created things, most of them went through public school, so it’s not just homeschooling that is the answer. But it certainly helps to not have all that pressure to conform. All those people were classified as “weird”. Looking at my life’s trajectory I’d say being “weird” has really paid off.
No doubt there are introverted homeschooling families that can be a bit strange. I'm not sure that kids like that do any better in public school though, because they implement damaging social coping mechanisms and tend to get bullied badly.
The majority of homeschoolers I interact with are more socially capable than other kids. They are used to being in the actual real community with typical adults. They speak up for themselves, can navigate playing with a mix of ages and have better foundational emotional attachments so their overall levels of anxiety, depression etc. are far lower.
There are plenty of public school kids who are weird too though. The problem is, they have to spend the whole day surrounded by bullies who like to target them. They don't learn to interact with people when they spend their days in fear, when they're anxious of every movement or word lest they make a "mistake" and get targeted again. Even trying to fit in and do what the cool people are doing will earn them special contempt. For 12 years, if they tried to speak to the wrong person, or sat too near someone, they were verbally abused and humiliated. You never know what the trigger is going to be, and what will set the entire class against you again. That fear and anxiety doesn't just go away when they're finally released from school. How can they know how to talk to people?
As a rep for homeschooling, how do you think being considered weird affected your socialization later in life. For example, do you work in a solitary field such as coding where social interaction doesn't matter or in a marketing or corporate capacity where social skills are necessary.
I was homeschooled until high school. It turns out that when I didn’t spend all my time watching TV and learning to fit into all the latest fads, I ended up being “weird” too. I wasn’t just going through the motions of education. I found I questioned things naturally unlike the majority of those I met, who treated the objective of classes as just getting the answer. I had to learn to trust the things I learned outside of the school system instead of thinking I was inadequate for the things I missed. There was a small percentage of people who questioned things and created things, most of them went through public school, so it’s not just homeschooling that is the answer. But it certainly helps to not have all that pressure to conform. All those people were classified as “weird”. Looking at my life’s trajectory I’d say being “weird” has really paid off.
Excellent, insider response! Just because society views drooling over a screen and dopamine addiction as normal, does not mean it’s best!
Top comment! ^
Some of my friends home school their kids and I've found the complete opposite to be true.
They're definitely not normal, but that's because they are encouraged to focus on their passions and the things that make them unique individuals.
They are able to communicate very effectively and participate in athletics (gymnastics, soccer, swimming) so they're not completely isolated.
No doubt there are introverted homeschooling families that can be a bit strange. I'm not sure that kids like that do any better in public school though, because they implement damaging social coping mechanisms and tend to get bullied badly.
The majority of homeschoolers I interact with are more socially capable than other kids. They are used to being in the actual real community with typical adults. They speak up for themselves, can navigate playing with a mix of ages and have better foundational emotional attachments so their overall levels of anxiety, depression etc. are far lower.
https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/summaries/homeschooling-socialization/
There are plenty of public school kids who are weird too though. The problem is, they have to spend the whole day surrounded by bullies who like to target them. They don't learn to interact with people when they spend their days in fear, when they're anxious of every movement or word lest they make a "mistake" and get targeted again. Even trying to fit in and do what the cool people are doing will earn them special contempt. For 12 years, if they tried to speak to the wrong person, or sat too near someone, they were verbally abused and humiliated. You never know what the trigger is going to be, and what will set the entire class against you again. That fear and anxiety doesn't just go away when they're finally released from school. How can they know how to talk to people?
As a rep for homeschooling, how do you think being considered weird affected your socialization later in life. For example, do you work in a solitary field such as coding where social interaction doesn't matter or in a marketing or corporate capacity where social skills are necessary.
spez: upvote for you're anticipated answer.