Unlike many students, my first year of schooling was spent at home rather than among my peers. My next years of schooling were spent in a normal classroom environment; However, I often felt that this year at home, characterized by far fewer interactions with my peers than I would have had if I had been enrolled in a traditional school, had left me in a socially awkward situation. disadvantaged, or slightly behind other children in terms of their level of achievement. level of socialization. I was much shyer than other kids who had already developed groups, friendships, were much better at interacting with each other, and generally seemed more outgoing than me. I often felt like an outsider, with feelings of embarrassment and a lack of self-confidence. Additionally, around the middle of my elementary school experience, I began to develop general anxiety issues as well as separation anxiety from my parents, which only exacerbated the feelings that I already maintained. Drawing on Chapter 4, Socialization, and Chapter 16, Education, of the text, I will attempt to analyze the extent to which homeschooling affects children's socialization. This will be conducted through an exploration of the arguments presented both by those who believe that homeschooling is detrimental to children's socialization and by those who believe that it actually provides benefits over conventional methods of schooling. Before the opposing arguments regarding the effect of homeschooling on children are discussed, a broader explanation of the interaction between children, school, and socialization, as gathered from the text, will be d first presented. As Murray, Linden and Kendall (2011: 87) note, there is growing awareness of how ...... middle of article ...... rent J. Langness, Sarah S. Pietig, Nicole L. Stoffel and Jamie L. Wyttenbach. 2002. “Socialization Skills in Homeschooled Children Compared to Conventionally Schooled Children.” » Journal of Undergraduate Research 5: 469-474. Lopez, Denise Haugen. 2005. “The Social Competence of Homeschooled and Conventionally Schooled Adolescents: A Preliminary Investigation.” » Psych. D., George Fox University. Martin, Margaret. 1997. “Homeschooling: Parents’ Reactions.” » US Department of Education. Medlin, Richard G. 2000. “Homeschooling and the Question of Socialization.” Peabody Journal of Education 75(1/2):107-123. Murray, Jane Lothian, Rick Linden, and Diana Kendell. 2011. The Sociology of Our Times: Fifth Canadian Edition. Scarborough, ON: Nelson Thomson Learning. Romanowski, Michael H. 2006. “Revisiting Common Myths About Homeschooling.” » Clearing house 79(3):125-129.