Recently I wrote a blog post about some common misconceptions about homeschooling, and one of the biggest misconceptions was socialization. A lot of people think that homeschoolers do not socialize, but that is not really true. Homeschooling just means that you have to create opportunities to socialize instead of having those opportunities automatically given to you every day.
One example of creating those opportunities was YTS, a two week summer program held at Plaksha University. I recently attended it and wrote a blog post about the entire experience, but one thing I learnt from it was how socialization actually happens.
Since it has been a long time since I attended offline school, I got to observe how friendships often start in those environments. What surprised me was how random it can be. You sit next to someone at lunch, during a session, or while waiting for an activity to start, and you begin talking. Sometimes the friendships that become the most memorable start from something as simple as introducing yourself.
Another thing I noticed was that at camps like this, you are often put into situations where you have to interact with people. Whether it is a group activity, a workshop, or a sports competition, you have to communicate with the people around you. If you are on a sports team and nobody talks to each other, chances are you are not going to do very well. Socialization is not always about making friends immediately. Sometimes it is just working together towards a common goal, and friendships grow from there.
One thing YTS reminded me is that friendships can start instantly, but they do not develop instantly. Saying hi to someone might take five seconds, but building a friendship takes time. You spend time together, have conversations, share experiences, and gradually get to know each other better.
I also got to meet people from different cities, backgrounds, and experiences. Some people had interests that were completely different from mine, while others had lived very different lives. For example, one of my friends had lived in France for a long time. Since that is quite different from living in India, I asked him about it and learnt a lot from our conversations. That is one of the things I enjoy most about meeting new people. You get to learn things that you would never have discovered on your own.
And perhaps the biggest thing I learnt is that socialization does not only happen inside a classroom. Some of the friendships I made at YTS did not begin during a lesson or activity. They started while walking between sessions, sitting together during meals, or simply saying hello to someone. Many friendships begin from something small and random.
So if there is one thing YTS reinforced for me, it is that socialization is not tied to a school building. It happens wherever people are willing to talk, share experiences, and spend time together. Homeschoolers may have to create those opportunities themselves, but that does not mean those opportunities do not exist.
