The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling

Rachel Gathercole's book, "The Well Adjusted Child-The Social Benefits of Homeschooling" sorely needed to be written. As a long time homeschooler, I have talked to countless parents who say that they would like to homeschool their children, but don't due to fear of social isolation. My anecdotes and assurances sometimes tip the scale, but not always. If you or your spouse or extended family are on the fence about homeschooling, please do yourself a favor and buy this book. The author builds a brilliant case for the positive social aspects of homeschooling, in a clear and logical manner. I also appreciate the fact that she does not actively bash schools, and appears sensitive to the tough demands that today's institutional teachers face. Home education is an incredible opportunity for children to learn at their own pace and in their own way. It is well known that homeschooled kids are often winners and finalists in national level competitions, such as the geo bee and spelling bee. Individualized education is quite simply a better fit for many children, and gifted children especially, who may be several different "sizes" at once. Would anyone care to argue that a tailor made suit would not fit better than one purchased off the rack? Sure, there are good schools out there, just as there are some people (both parents and children) who simply would not do well as homeschoolers. But for the great majority, homeschooling can be whatever it needs to be to fit the individual child. I believe that it is well documented that kids can benefit academically from homeschooling. The question then, is how do these home educated kids do with peers, and will they be able to interact well with people as adults? Ms. Gathercole answers this and puts to rest the image of the awkward and isolated homeschooler. She explains in detail how homeschooling socialization is not merely an adequate replacement for the social lessons of institutional schooling. It may be surprising to many, but homeschooling is often a superior lifestyle for learning positive social interaction. Homeschooling actually allows kids to have more time with friends, less time with bullies and those who don't play nicely with others, and the chance to really get to know people of all ages and from all walks of life. Homeschooled kids are more apt to follow their own hearts and consciences, and less likely to be swayed by negative peer pressure. Here's an excerpt from page 168, "A great deal of evidence supports the claim that homeschoolers end up very well prepared for the 'real world'. One study of adults who had been homeschooled as children found that none were unemployed, none were on welfare, and the vast majority believed homeschooling had helped them to become independent individuals and to interact with people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds." Gathercole interviewed homeschooled kids and parents from all over the country and included many of their co

This is a FANTASTIC book about squealching your fears of homeschooling. This book backs itself up with studies and statistics to make the public school crowd choke! I was VERY excited about homeschooling our children after reading a few books. But this one put me WELL over the top!!! It just talks about homeschooling kids not only being well-adjusted and out-going, but being MORE so than their public school peers. It breaks apart the myths and ill feelings about people who are thinking about home schooling. We're NOT freaks and we are doing it the way it's ALWAYS been done BEFORE the mega corporations needed cogs to fill holes with in order to get product out so that people can buy and consume and buy more and need to go to work to do their cog working in order to pay for consuming! This is the kind of book that I wish there were more and more of so that I could finish this one and KNOW there is another one JUST as good waiting for me to read... and hey, who knows... maybe there is!!!! The last chapter is GREAT! It sums the whole thing up and you can take it around and have people read it to calm them down when you tell them your "crazy" idea.

This book made me not only think about socialization in the context of homeschooling but made me rethink what socialization is and what it really does mean to be "well adjusted". For the potential homeschooler this is a book that should help put some fears and misconceptions to rest. For those that already homeschool its a welcomed chance to think more about what we want for our kids beyond academics.

It seemed like you could find a book about every other topic related to homeschooling, except the dreaded socialization issue. Not any more! This book was so helpful to me in dealing with the one subject that I didn't have great answers for when all those well-meaning friends and relatives asked bunches of questions about homeschooling. Rachel Gathercole has helped me to dig deeply into the notion that public school is the ideal model of socialization for our children. She has also helped me to really see all of the positive socialization that my kids get every day because we homeschool. If you're concerned about homeschooling because of socialization or you need bigger ammunition to fend off those relatives, get this book!