Socialization again......

I was shocked yesterday to be given unsolicited advice about my home schooling. Never mind that unsolicited advice is always unwanted and always rude, it was the first time anyone had ever spoken to me directly in such a condescending manner about home schooling. I have found that most people are simply curious. Although they may have a bias one way or the other, in general they seem to want to know the answer to whatever question they ask. The person who was doing the speaking at me yesterday was a middle aged man who chose to interrupt an ongoing conversation that he had apparently been eavesdropping on. This person was a volunteer for the national wildlife refuge park that we were visiting with our home school group. Based on his personal experiences with home school students as a volunteer at this park and as a volunteer for a local living history farm he has made the conclusion that we don't have to be concerned about our education. We are doing just fine as a group in that department. However, we should be very concerned about our children's socialization. He has one young man who is almost 18 that they are still attempting to train to work with the public. It was on the basis of his experience with this ONE young person that he was making his observation. I suppose then, following his logic I could say that because my neighbor is a juvenile delinquent and goes to public school that all public school children are juvenile delinquents. Interestingly enough my mother has the same issue. When she was a child, she had a second or third cousin who was apparently being educated at home. This child in turn was some sort of a social misfit. I don't understand the situation of that family and my mother can provide no further details on it, except that we should be concerned about socialization.

I wanted so badly to ask this man what his definition of socialization was? The word itself is not in Websters 1828 dictionary. Under the word social the definition is
"2. Ready or disposed to mix in friendly converse; companionable. Withers, adieu? yet not with thee remove thy martial spirit or thy social love." Our students were having a spectacular day. They were interacting with each other, asking and answering questions from the guide, raising their hands, taking turns, partnering up for the scavenger hunt and as far as I could tell exhibiting not only social skills but exemplary social skills.

Dictionary.com defines socialization as "1. a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position." I am assuming that he would like my children to be socialized to the norms, values, and behavior of the secular culture. He wants to see them interact with their larger peer group by engaging in their behaviors and acting just like them. My job is to socialize them to learn the norms, values and behaviors of their faith! I don't want them to act like their peers of the secular world. I want them to stand apart and stand up for CHRIST!

Based on this, I am taking this mans unwanted comments as a compliment for all home school's everywhere. Congratulations, your children are not socialized to secular norms, values and behaviors! They are not socialized to the worlds standards, they are standing apart!