He doesn't understand why they don't do what they say they will do. Why some of them don't keep their promises or even seem to care that they are breaking them. This is a biggie. In our home, honesty and respect are foundations on which we build our family. So we teach him to be honest, sincere and considerate.
Another difference he's starting to notice is the aggression. Public school kids are much more aggressive. Much more. Perhaps it's their environment or boredom at school- who knows really. They are simply much more physical, aggressive and "handsy". There is a clear disregard for other people's personal space. Hitting, pushing and physically forcing other kids to do things is something I am witnessing more and more.
And perhaps the biggest difference of all is the lack of respect in general. We recently had a big party and there were a few public schoolers in my house. One hit William with a stick several times for no real reason and another colored all over my wall. Say what?!?
Now before you freak out- I realize not ALL public school kids behave this way. I was a product of public school and I would have never behaved the way some kids do now. So I get it. It is very much a result of parenting. But I don't think the issue really stops there. Because many of the public schoolers that we know are truly great kids. They have great, involved parents and come from a great family yet they still have some very clear behavior issues.
So here goes, I'm just going to throw my theories out there about the differences between public schooler and homeschoolers.
- Homeschooling parents are there to gently guide and encourage all day every day. Public school kids spend the longest part of their day away from this gentle, guiding hand.
- Food, sugar and overall diet play a key role in how kids behave. Sending your kid off to school with a bowl of Fruit Loops is setting them up for failure.
- Homeschoolers socialize with everyone. They know what's expected of them in pretty much every environment and how to properly behave. Public schoolers socialize with their peers. This does not model the real world.
- Homeschooling parents have more time to teach children and can focus on the whole child. Education, emotional well being, physical, spiritual etc.
- When a homeschooler acts out, the behavior is immediately corrected. Mostly because the parent is present at the time to do so. However, when a public schooler acts out- who knows when or if the behavior ever gets corrected. Again this comes back to the 1st item on the list.
Now I know these are generalizations. They do not apply to all public schoolers or all homeschoolers. And William does have some great public school friends who these issues do not apply. However this has been our personal experience as a homeschooling family.
Simply put- we think homeschooled kids are better behaved. They are more respectful towards others and act with deliberate consideration.
As William gets older, these differences are becoming more and more apparent. To the point where William is beginning to NOT want to socialize with public schoolers. As always I encourage him to have friends from all walks of life. These are teachable moments and I take every opportunity to show him and guide him to learn from these moments.
So what are your thoughts? Have you witnessed a difference in public schoolers and homeschoolers?
No comments:
Post a Comment