Popularity. It’s an interesting component of school. I still remember who was popular and in what grade…do you?
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A recent study revealed that age has a direct impact on popularity. Those on the older end of their class were more likely to be popular. Those who just made the cutoff age wise? More likely to not be popular. The study dove into class dynamics in multiple countries, too. Fascinating, right?
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I love that homeschooling helps break some of these weird age barriers and popularity contests that traditional schooling perpetuates. No where else in life do we ever spend time with people JUST our age. Homeschooling very rarely isolates children into such small age groups. Children often hang out in mixed aged groupings, sometimes with those 5+ years older or younger than they are.
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It’s not unusual to sign up for a co op class and be asked, “what grade are you wanting to jump into for this class?” The understanding that sometimes your best friend is in the class two grades up is considered. The understanding that maybe you are further ahead in math than you are in language is understood. The fact that you maybe just prefer hanging out with kids a little older or younger than you is acceptable. The fact that keeping you with kids your own age is not necessarily the best option for educational growth is understood.
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It’s interesting because as I read this article on popularity, I realized that I’ve never, not once, heard my children mention “a popular kid” in any of their homeschooling classes or co ops. NOT ONCE. And as someone who has taught homeschooling classes, the more I thought about this notion, the more I realized that I could not pick out who the popular kids might have been. Comparatively, I can still remember the popular kids from when I taught kindergarten. Interesting, isn’t it?
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Just another reason why I love homeschooling.