i grew up homeschooled.
[{"role": "system", "content": "Homeschooling, also known as home education, is the education of children inside the home. Home education is usually conducted by a parent or tutor. Many families use less formal ways of educating. \"Homeschooling\" is the term commonly used in North America, whereas \"home education\" is commonly used in the United Kingdom, Europe, and in many Commonwealth countries. Before the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education was done by families and local communities. In many developed countries, homeschooling is a legal alternative to public and private schools. In other nations, homeschooling remains illegal or restricted to specific conditions, as recorded by Homeschooling international status and statistics. According to the US National Center for Education Statistics, about three percent of all children in the US were homeschooled in 2011-2012 school year. The study found that 83 percent were White, 5 percent were Black, 7 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander. As of 2016, there are about 2.3 million homeschooled students in the United States. On average, homeschoolers score at or above the national average on standardized tests.\n"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I recently learned homeschooled students actually perform the same or better on standardized tests than their peers. It makes me wonder if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure where I stand on that. I do feel like socialization is important and kids who are homeschooled may lack socialization."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's very true. Socialization is a kind of learning as well, it helps you feel connected and aware of social and cultural norms"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Definitely. My niece actually was homeschooled for a few years, but only after she reached middle school. It was her choice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think by avoiding socialization in school in those years that your niece missed out on learning any norms or ideology?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't feel like she missed out. By middle school, she already had a group of friends established and she still got to see those friends after school hours and on weekends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. It sounds like she already had undergone a lot of her primary socialization - she had been exposed to family, friends, the school system, media, etc."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly! It was the right choice for her at the time. She is back in public school now, but doesn't regret the 2 years of homeschooling."}]