Socialization in schools: Great goal, but not following through

There is often discussion about the purpose of schoooling. I believe one important goal of education is socialization. I found a definition on dictionary.com that I feel defines the process well: “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.” Socialization within our schools would ideally prepare students for the behaviors and social skills that are expected of them once they get out into the “real world.” It would create proactive individuals who are confident in their personal identity and the values and behaviors of their social position. Unfortunately, there are several factors in our school systems today that are decreasing the possibility of this socialization to occur. For instance, many schools are cutting the amount of time given for lunch and recess (some lunch periods down to 20 minutes!) What ever happened to sitting down, relaxing, and actually enjoying lunch while socializing with others? Yes, much stress has been put on meeting academic standards, but do we really need to cut down the time set aside for kids to play with one and other and to develop as a kid (part of their current social position)? I agree with Brighouse in On Education when he says that we must provide for our students the best judgement for their long term flourishing, not just our viewpoints or opinions for them in short term. Part of developing for long-term flourishing includes going through the stages of social development as a child (while they're still a child.) I don't know how to solve this issue, but here are a few ideas: 1) Evaluate our philosophy often, making sure it is fitting to the needs of our specific classes and the changing times. 2) provide opportunities for students to simply socialize on a deeper level whether it's in study hall, discussing the meaning of a song in choir, communicate in phys-ed and sports (sportsmanship. 3) Encourage the development of students' personal identities by not teaching to one level, but making accommodations and differentiating your instruction to reach each child.