Socializing those who learn at home

Parents all over the city of Virginia Beach are choosing to home school their children instead of sending them to public schools, “because the family’s religious beliefs are not followed in the public schools, they fear for their children’s safety, or their children are physically or mentally different” (Downs 18). Most parents, including my own, feel keeping “Homeschooling has become increasingly common in the last 15 years” and with the growth of this practice came “concerns that home schooled kids would be socially stunted, but that has not been the case.” Contrary to the belief that all of the home schooled do not obtain adequate social skills, because they do not attend public schools, children who learn at home in Virginia Beach have a surplus of opportunities for socialization outside the public school system. Socialization for home schooled children can be found many places, including Young Men’s Christian Associations, YMCA’s, and churches, but local recreation centers and neighborhoods are the best option for obtaining socialization equal to that found in the public schools.

The home schooled students who are kept out of public schools for reasons such as the public schools being unsafe, have other places to go and people to socialize with, including the closest people to them, their neighbors. Making friends in his neighborhood is what helped a friend of mine, Jared Mohney, from becoming an unsocial home schooled student. He found a friend in almost every house on his street in Virginia Beach, all of whom attended Indian River High School, a public school. With these neighbors he was soon influenced the same way he would have been if he had gone to public school, but still had the one on one attention for school work at home as he and his parents preferred. Of course, once he made friends with his neighbors these friendships lead to games being played and even trips taken as they got older, which made up for the socialization Jared may have missed out on by not attending public schools.

For children who do not find anyone in their neighborhood, there are local recreation centers scattered around the Virginia Beach area. These facilities offer almost ever sports team imaginable, including swimming, basketball, softball, baseball, bowling, tennis, and much more. There are also summer camps sponsored by these local recreation centers for kids of all ages and any educational background. There are also after school programs available, meant for the public schooled children, but open to anyone in the community. Through these programs, even though the home schooled are not allowed to participate in public school sponsored extra curricular activities they can still socialize with public school children at these recreation centers. In one of these after school programs is where my neighbor, There is a surplus of such community activities in the Virginia Beach area, so home schooled children will not ever be denied the opportunity to become social in their community.

For the special cases of home schooled children who are physically or mentally challenged from average students there are more community programs in addition to the ones I have already mentioned for them to develop their socialization. First of all, there is Make the Point, “a collaborative effort between Special Olympics Virginia, a life enrichment program through sport for persons with mental disabilities, and the Virginia High School League.” (VA Special Olympics) This program allows high school kids, in all forms of education, including home schooling, to come meet others with the same problems they have and to participate in a group event. For the home schooled children with physical differences, such as disfigured limbs, or other birth defects, there are programs for them as well, including wheel chair races and related events at local recreation centers, such as YMCA’s. With these programs available to them, all these Virginia Beach home schooled children and their unique needs are satisfied without the public school system.

In order for the children, such as my friends who I have mentioned, to obtain a socialization as in the public schools these community organizations need to have the same diverse groups of children to influence them. In youth groups there are dominantly republican kids who are very moral in their ways, especially when around other members of the youth group. Home schooled kids involved in such a youth group would not get the same social skills out of it as they would going to public school, because of the similar up bringing of all the children there. At local recreation centers home schooled children would acquire the same socialization as a public schooled child would by getting involved there, because a lot of public school children attend there. At the YMCA, on the other hand, there would be more high class or well off people, because it costs a lot more money to go there than local recreation centers. Even with this class structure present though, home schooled children who attend YMCA’s still obtain very similar social skills to those that attend public schools. In conclusion, the best way for a home schooled child to gather the equal social skills as a public schooled child and still learn at home would be to get involved in a local recreation center, whether it is a sports team there or just going there and meeting people.

There are so many people in Virginia Beach alone, who think these children sit at home all day not knowing anyone and leaning in complete isolation and that is simple not true. With all these organizations and community activities to participate in, home schooled children acquire just as many social skills as children who attend public schools.

Deciding My Stand on Gay Marriage

Homosexual marriage is a very big controversy today, especially in the United States. The media has made homosexual behavior seem as common as a stop sign on a street corner. This however, is not true. Sure, homosexuals are portrayed in tons of movies and television shows, but are there really that many out there? Well however many there are, they are still, without a doubt, a minority. Should this minority have the right to marriage? I personally do not think so because of my religious beliefs and because of what marriage truly is. President George W. Bush agrees with this, but to a more drastic point. He wants to add an amendment to the constitution not allowing homosexuals to marry. This may sound extreme and to many a form of discrimination to a certain group. This may seem true, but if this is the only way, and looking at this issue it is, then it has to be done.

God always intended marriage to be between a man and a woman, using the example He set in Adam and Eve. This man and woman are to come together and have a life together and potentially reproduce. Homosexuals are not a “man and woman” couple and they are also not able to reproduce. This shows that two people of the same gender who are married would never be what God intended a married couple to be.

On the other hand, what about the issue that started all of this? I am speaking of the hospital issue. In a homosexual couple, one of the partners would become ill and even lying on her death bed in the hospital and because of hospital rules the partner would not be able to see or visit with her sick loved one. This helped start and lead into the entire controversy that is homosexuals being legally married and having the same marriage rights as other couples; this includes seeing each other in hospitals. To me though, this does not call for a new stand on marriage, but for new hospital rules. Someone should try to change the procedures of hospitals and maybe allowing all immediate family along with anyone the sick person requests. This would have helped solve this part of the issue anyway, instead of having a new amendment to the constitution as a result of such a controversy that was stirred up.

As I mentioned homosexuals do not follow God, but of course I am not trying to point at just this one group, it was just a random topic for this journal entry. Other people such as prostitutes, alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers, and compulsive liars, and more are also not following what the God of the Bible intended. All these people, including homosexuals, if not even trying to follow God’s Word do not need to be involved in his great institution unless they decide to. This great institution I speak of is marriage. Marriage is the most religious tradition I can name and therefore should be participated in those who believe. Those who believe are not perfect or without sin, but at least believe that all the above sins, and more, are wrong, and strive not to do them as much as possible. In conclusion, homosexuals do not need to be married to be together and there is not purpose in being involved in a religious ceremony when you do not have the beliefs it represents. What is needed is for more laws to be made about roommates, homosexual and not, to have a better understanding of each other and what is to happen if one was to be hurt, died, etc. Along with this is the need for different hospital rules and anything else restricting the homosexual couples. I do not agree with homosexuality, but no one can force them to do other wise; these people must come about that by themselves, with the talks of friends, and with God, so marriage is not needed and Bush’s proposed amendment would make no difference if all I suggested was followed.