Homeschooling Your Extraverted Child - Is It Wise?
Many people say they couldn’t possibly homeschool their child because he’s extraverted and needs social interaction. When we look closer at this argument, it really doesn’t hold much water. Public school is ideally set up for the introverted learner who can sit at a desk and work independently. Take a good look at the educational needs of an extravert and then ask, “Are they being met in the public school? Could I meet them better at home?”
Extraverts need to talk in order to process their learning. If you go into a typical public school setting, you’ll see that they are not really set up for the extraverted learner. Most of the time children are asked to sit and work independently and not talk because the constant chitchat will disturb other people.
It is true that your child is around other children seven hours a day, but they’re not interacting that much. There is a little time before school starts and then recess and lunch. Most teachers do employ some cooperative learning activities a couple of times throughout the day. But that’s not the majority of the day by any stretch.
In fact, extraverted children usually get in trouble because they exercise their learning style in the classroom. I believe what extraverts need is to be able to talk out the subject matter so they can grasp it. This means when they’re learning something new it’s important for them to have someone else with whom to talk and bounce ideas around.
Extraverts are also very active learners. Just sitting around contemplating what to do bores the socks off these kids. They want to jump in and just do it. So, hands-on learning activities suit them best. Public schools can offer some hands-on activities, but not on a regular basis. First off you have the issue of cost. As a teacher, there were so many hands-on activities I longed to do with my kids in the classroom. But I would have needed 25 to 28 of each item used in the activity. That would have blown my budget right there with one activity.
Then there is the issue of the teacher’s sanity. Hands-on activities are great, but with 28 children every day, Ms. Crabtree is going to end up a total Looney Toon. So, if you consider the two biggest needs of an extraverted child, you can see that the public school really doesn’t have the funds or the ability to meet the needs of extraverted learners on a regular basis.
Here’s the big question, how does a homeschool mom meet those needs? I’ll be honest; if you’re an introverted mom and you have an extraverted child, it’s a challenge. You’re longing for silence and they’re longing for conversation. But they’re not going to get this meaningful conversation in a public school setting. What can you do? You could set up activities that involve interviewing, role-playing, and interacting. Siblings come in very handy here. You can pair kids up and have them share the concepts they’re learning each day. And grandparents can get involved. Even if a grandparent lives far away, a child can call and share what he’s learning or interview the grandparent.
Another place that’s just wonderful to take children is the senior citizen center and sometimes nursing homes. How many older people would give everything they have to know someone is coming to visit and that they could actually share in a meaningful way and meet somebody else’s needs. We all need to be needed. And to have a child come and share his science experiment or read to an older person would just make their day. Really, here’s your child sharing the heart of Jesus through the interaction and making a difference in the other person’s life.
Beyond that there are multiple opportunities to get together with other homeschooling families. Many areas sponsor co-ops where parents or other teachers teach classes like chemistry, drama, videography, and technology. Basically, trying to homeschool the extravert alone could drive you nuts. So my suggestion is to utilize everybody you can find - from your local librarian to people you can call across the country. Schoolteachers use as many resources as they can find; you do too. It’s just all part of offering a quality education for your child.
To hear the audio interview Lisa did with Marnie Pehrson of Ideamarketers on the topic of homeschooling an extravert, go to http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=369194
