David Kirkpatrick defends homeschooling

David W. Kirkpatrick of US Freedom Foundation makes a strong arguement on the silliness about critizing homeschooling on the basis on socialization in Socializing Homeschooled Students:

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One objection to homeschooling is that the students don't get the chance to socialize with others. There are several things wrong with that view.
For one, it isn't really an argument and is usually presented as a dogmatic statement with the implication that it is to be taken at face value. Not only is specific evidence lacking, there isn't even a pretense in that regard.
The major problem is that this view suggests that the only, or at least principal, place for youngsters to be socialized is in a formal school. That, of course, is incorrect. Most people throughout history, and even today, have limited or nonexistent formal schooling but they are still socialized.
More to the point, even public school students spend most of their time outside of the classroom. Even the establishment likes to point this out when they are making excuses for their failure to educate millions of students. They sometimes point out that students spend less than one-eighth of a calendar year's 8,760 hours in school
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Later in his column he makes this strong point:

"Those who emphasize socialization within the public school framework further imply, but never state, that such influences are unfailingly positive. In fact, for millions of students, socialization experiences in public schools are predominantly negative, sometimes heartbreakingly so."

And this is a point Janine made awhile back:

"Largely unrecognized are studies that show youngsters who spend more time with their peers are more likely to develop peer standards than adult ones, and the earlier they begin peer-dominated experiences the more dysfunctional their values and attitudes may be."


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