ONE OF MY LEAST FAVORITE WORDS

I was watching a clip on the news about homeschooling and much to my dismay but certainly not to my surprise a representative from John Hopkins University stated he scrutinized homeschoolers applications more because of lack of transcripts and he wondered about their ability to get along with others at college because the lack of socialization. What? How did a chowder head like that get into such a prestigious and most likely high paying position? Wow.

First things first. Lets give good ol' Websters Dictionary a look shall we?

Main Entry: so·cial·iza·tion

Variant(s): also British so·cial·isa·tion /ssh-(-)l-z-shn/

Function: noun

: the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status

Most certainly public school doesn't begin in infancy and considering the problems that the public school system is brimming with these days even they do not fit this definition. Of course Mr. University Chowder Head did not have any specifics or evidence of this lack of socialization. He did not provide evidence anecdotal or otherwise of how homeschoolers do not function as well as they public schooled peers once in college. It is a myth, it is bigotry and it is really irritating. Homeschoolers don't have the peer pressure to act or dress a certain way, they are not bullied or offered drugs in the hallways. They do not fear another Columbine in their school and are not having sexual relationships with their teachers (there were over 2500 reported cases in a five year period!) There would be public outrage if any other group was targeted in this manner. Can you imagine how quickly they would protest or ask for his resignation if he had said this about Blacks, Gays , Southerners, Parochial School students? For now looking down on homeschoolers is a safe prejudice but prejudice is like a mirror and it isn't a very flattering reflection on him or the university he represents.