Salon: Home-schooled and illiterate - for some kids it means isolation with little education

[bvar22]

20. It is NOT just the narrow "Education Spectrum" that is important.

Some of the most important lessons I learned in Public School simply can NOT be taught
in the isolation of home under the protection of a parent.

*How to Stand Up for a personal value or opinion against Peer Pressure.

*Sharing

*Admitting mistakes and shortcomings in a group without falling apart

*The gray area between selfishness and taking care of yourself

*Dealing with taunting & teasing

*How to LOSE with dignity

*Personal Boundaries

*Empathy

*Where to Draw the Line, and when to Let it Go

*Sportsmanship

*Personal Bullshit detection

*The difference between an acquaintance and a friend

*Reasonable expectations from individuals and groups

*Not fearing someone who is different

There are a LOT of people in this World,
and learning healthy ways to interact with them is important preparation for LIFE in this World.
A great deal of Who I am today was discovered, sharpened, and refined on the School Playground.

A child can read about the above,
or be told anecdotes by a parent,
but the lessons are not truly learned until the situation is experienced.

Sadly, many parents choose to Home School in order to protect their children from the Learning Experiences listed above.
Those children will be ill equipped to deal with Life on the Outside.