Parents have every right to educate their children at home, based upon knowledge gathered throughout their lives. They should and can do so, with a fair dose of responsibility. I admire who is capable of achieving such a deed, because the amount of stress involved in the task is only comprehended by those who actually do it. However, the results are unmatched by the ones obtained by the public school system. We have the example of the Villena Family, in Brazil. This case serves to show how a country's educational system takes a long time to be updated in comparison to the advances achieved in the world as to child education and about the citizens´ right to seek the very best way to educate their children.

In 2004, I was asked to give some theoretical support to the Villena Family, defending the choice that they made to teach their 6 kids at home. In the occasion they had just entered with a judicial order, (in Portuguese, "Mandato de Seguranca" (MS 7407/DF) seeking the Superior Justice Tribunal of Brazil to evaluate the demands that the educational system had required from them. In fact, what the government was asking for went against the family's goals, since they wanted to keep home schooling their kids. The educational system intended to obligate them to enroll their children in the Brazilian formal educational system. At the time, the Minister Dr. Franciulli Netto, asked for evidence in the legal procedure, and I sent (under their family name and at their request) a theoretical justification on the importance of educating children at home. My intent was to aid in the Minister's decision, thus helping the resolution of the case.

I began my defense of home schooling by claiming that it is what's scientifically proven by all the modern education institutes of the world to be the most up-to-date. I criticized the fact that the family had seen denied their right to educate their kids at home, in the family's environment. I requested that the analysis of the legal procedure at hand should start from the evidence that had been listed in the legal proceedings, that contained documents proving the initiative's success and that these legal proofs could, in little time, open doors to new legal courses of action to improve even the quality of schooling in Brazil. This evidence could help the country's educational history to advance into consolidating the family's right to seek out what's best for their kids, acting as an initiation cell of teaching in society. I claimed that his decision could promote education in the country and clarify as to a series of prejudice that clouds the thoughts of many jurists and educators, such as "the family doesn't educate", "the children do not belong to the family", and that "the education of the Brazilian is an obligation of the constituted State".

I argued that the Brazilian State at the time wasn't responding for its obligations regarding education, letting it be seen that we had a crisis in higher learning and had data showing that we have millions of illiterates populating Brazilian territory. And that, if a family was giving a great example of dedication to their kids, the Brazilian State should exalt them and take it as reference and not, take from them the right to exercise acts of citizenship.

I argued that the success of the educational modality called home schooling throughout the world, led us to assert that the children observed, in various countries, and that were submitted to this kind of specialized education, presented behavior and/or results that I would clarify for him with great pleasure. Based upon Dr. Neil Harvey, in his book Kids Who Start Ahead, Stay Ahead (Avery Publishing Group, New York, 1994), I showed and argued, based also upon my personal experience and that of other Brazilian mothers, that most children that have experienced and/or experience Home Schooling end up being or are:

• interesting and imaginative;

• Comunicate well;

• love language profoundly;

• present advanced vocabulary and a vast knowledge regarding what they say;

• never demonstrate to be out of ideas;

• can talk to anyone about anything;

• are incredibly creative, inventive and surprise us with interesting observations;

• build their own toys;

• rationalize beyond their age level;

• are disciplined;

• are cooperative;

• are positive when establishing goals to accomplish;

• concentrate on their work;

• are persistent and complete their projects;

• are inquisitive;

• show great will to learn;

• are motivated and with tremendous thirst for knowledge;

• express a strong interest for the arts;

• manifest an expanded view of the world;

• have happy, positive attitudes;

• are friendly and charming;

• have charisma for others, knowing how to deal with others, demonstrating good manners;

• appreciate the success of other children;

• aren't critics with other kids and have tolerance with each kid's rhythm, with their individual differences;

• don't become inhibited by outside opinions;

• aren't exhibitionists and pompous;

• are spiritually and mentally well adjusted;

• lead and are well succeeded, without much effort;

• adapt easily to different situations;

• possess advanced logic and think analytically;

• have a phenomenal ability to solve problems and demonstrate different strategies of thought;

• believe that human relations are important;

• are independent and wish to try out everything;

• are responsible for their own learning;

• like to teach what they know;

• ...Among many other positive characteristics!

Aside from these theoretical arguments listed above, I witnessed my experience with my three children, 24 years before then, in which they were objects to home schooling and that the Brazilian government had recognized our efforts, giving them the right to be accelerated in school, taking into consideration what they had learned at home. I explained that we also had gone through a judicial legal procedure and that the Federal Council of Education of the period had recognized my family's right to give education within the home. The case could not have been characterized as the same, since my kids went to school and were, at the same time, helped at home, with specialized attention. However, I added that the objective had been reached by both families, mine and the Villena´s. And that, in consequence, we were both examples of success in the initiative of giving the best possible education for our children. I gathered that my kids had entered early in the university and are, today, happy professionals well integrated in society. And, given the many that went through the same process, the children of this family could also, and with absolute certainty, achieve much success and be happily satisfied in life.

I argued that my testimony, along with information itself could avoid, with the support of his positive decision, that yet another Brazilian family be discredited and discouraged in their efforts and sincerity in trying to permit a better education for their children, an education which the Brazilian State still isn't capable of providing. I also said that I expected a family not to be hindered by the official institutions´ lack of information so that we wouldn't see this same family seeking alternative means for their children's education elsewhere, outside our homeland, thus causing the evasion of intelligent minds to other scientific centers. I finalized arguing that the Villena Family, like so many others like them in Brazil, and that hadn't expressed themselves yet, mine included, and that believed firmly in their kids´ talent, believe that we are a wonderful people. They believe that the right to have their voices heard throughout all national territory should be a guarantee, a must! Voices that will echo favoring new insights for the evolution of the human being's intelligence as a whole. Voices that know how to exercise the hope of better days for our nation and for the world.

My intervention didn't help much. The Villena Family, 14 years after my family had been authorized to educate the kids in the home schooling system, could do nothing but watch their kids be impeded, in the same (memory-less) country, of continuing to study at home; and, were, by the legal means of force (the law had now been differently interpreted), forced to enroll their children in formal schooling; to accomplish, most certainly, many less interesting deeds than those they were accustomed to in the family environment.

So here's my criticism to those countries that still don't value the power of home schooling. And my protest and legitimate support to the families that have obtained success with the initiative throughout the world. What a beautiful example we've been giving society as a whole!

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