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Aug. 30, 2005
What About Socialization?
Today
followed a somewhat predictable pattern, and I feel more like espousing
my views on the frequently asked question, "What about socialization?"
than journaling. If anyone wants to know what we did today, email
me and I'll let you know, but it really was nothing worth preserving
for posterity. Also, if you would like my first installment of
Katherine Dang's seminar, scroll down to the next message.
This was started by a somewhat amusing post on a yahoo group. It
was asserted that studies show that homeschool kids do as well as other
children with socializing, so long as they remember to use smaller
words and shorter sentences.
It got me thinking about
socialization, however. I looked it up in my Webster's 1828
dictionary to find that it was not there. Hmm. New
concept. (Incidentally, a foster child and I had great fun
looking up words like 'compact disc, television, computer, and any
other word we could think of that would not be there.) So I
searched online and found this definition:
the process by which culture is learned; also called enculturation.
During socialization individuals internalize a culture's social
controls, along with values and norms about right and wrong.
My analysis of the definition:
Socialization means enculturation. I read there, 'indoctrination.'
One "internalize[s] a culture's social controls." So, again, we
are a product of our environment. Our 'culture' puts social
controls on our behavior, implying that 1) the individual is
subordinate to and inherently less valuable than the group and 2) the
individual is not responsible for his own actions.
These
'social controls' include "values and norms about right and
wrong." Whoa. Hold on a second. Norm-referenced
testing is bad enough. As the population is dumbed down, it is
easier to succeed. What 'progress' is that? And now the
concept of right and wrong is norm-referenced? So the little ten
year old girl I saw at the fair with the playboy bunny on her baseball
cap was acting in what was good and right and wholesome because a
significant portion of our society sees nothing wrong with that?
Next time someone asks me, "What about socialization?" I am going to
respond, "The process of socialization is the PRIMARY reason I choose
to homeschool." I will not have my children taught "values and
norms about right and wrong." They will be given a firm
foundation, a solid rock, an absolute measure of right and wrong to
stand on. They will be taught scriptural principles of right and
wrong. They will be held accountable for their own actions.
They will be encouraged to take dominion of their surroundings and use
their firm stand to influence our 'culture.' They will NOT be
socialized, if there is anything I can do to prevent it.
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Aug. 31, 2005 - great post ...
controls, along with values and norms about right and wrong." ... that's interesting and I had never thought of it like that before, but everything you said was right IMHO!
I, too, will say that socialization is a primary reason for our family's homeschooling!
Thanks for sharing!
~Heather