What about socialization (from another angle)

I read this on the yahoo home educating group - liked it, so thought would share....

Its not at all intended to suggest that home schooling is superior to traditional schooling - rather just to serve as a myth buster I guess you could say, for those who have pre-conceived ideas that home education equals isolation from the rest of humanity!

Two women meet at the park, they start talking........
W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts --helps me keep track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot?
W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
W2: Wow. Where do you find the time?
W1: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.
W2: Some of my neighbours home school, but I send my kids to publicschool.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with thekids every day after school and stay real involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about thembeing cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting theopportunity for natural relationships?
W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.
W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worryabout all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they'reso isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world islike -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with alldifferent kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bringreal people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman anda doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we'rehaving a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week,and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo . My kids wereabsolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet hiswife and their three children.
W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day
.W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.
W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two otherschools to visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.
W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting inthe grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.
W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store --certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?
W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it.Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he wasgoing to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W2: Your child talks to strangers?
W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's withme, he can talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children nevertalk to strangers.
W1: Not even when they're with you?
W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking tostrangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meetinteresting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the realworld, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tellwhen a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their healthcourses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you mynumber--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meetyou.--

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