Diana Asberry

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Webb Crew" <wmcjwebb@...>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: <Undisclosed.Recipients@...-net.net>
Subject: [coreknowledge] What about Socialization (x)
Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 12:20:28 -0500

From: "Webb Crew" <wmcjwebb@...>


What ABOUT socialization?
Two women meet at a playground, where their children
are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting
on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.
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 neighbors home school, but I send my
kids to public school.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and
work with the kids every day after school and stay
real involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried
about them being cooped up all day with kids their own
ages, never getting the opportunity 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 worry about all the opportunities they're missing
out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life --
how will they know what the world is like -- what
people do to make a living -- how to get along with
all different kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a
fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last
month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk
to every class. And next month, we're having 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 were absolutely
fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet
his wife 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 other schools 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 in the 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 was going 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 with me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My
children never talk 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 to strangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could
get to meet interesting people and still be safe.
They'd get a taste of the real world, in real
settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell
when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in
their health courses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me
give you my number--if you ever want to talk, give me
call. It was good to meet you.
--Author unknown



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