| Parents have every right to educate their | | | | |
| children at home, based upon knowledge | | | | - are motivated and with tremendous thirst |
| gathered throughout their lives. They should | | | | for knowledge; |
| and can do so, with a fair dose of | | | | |
| responsibility. I admire who is capable of | | | | - express a strong interest for the arts; |
| achieving such a deed, because the amount of | | | | |
| stress involved in the task is only | | | | - manifest an expanded view of the world; |
| comprehended by those who actually do it. | | | | |
| However, the results are unmatched by the | | | | - have happy, positive attitudes; |
| ones obtained by the public school system. We | | | | |
| have the example of the Villena Family, in | | | | - are friendly and charming; |
| Brazil. This case serves to show how a | | | | |
| country's educational system takes a long | | | | - have charisma for others, knowing how to |
| time to be updated in comparison to the | | | | deal with others, demonstrating good manners; |
| advances achieved in the world as to child | | | | |
| education and about the citizens´ right to | | | | - appreciate the success of other children; |
| seek the very best way to educate their | | | | |
| children. | | | | - aren't critics with other kids and have |
| | | | tolerance with each kid's rhythm, with their |
| In 2004, I was asked to give some theoretical | | | | individual differences; |
| support to the Villena Family, defending the | | | | |
| choice that they made to teach their 6 kids | | | | - don't become inhibited by outside opinions; |
| at home. In the occasion they had just | | | | |
| entered with a judicial order, (in | | | | - aren't exhibitionists and pompous; |
| Portuguese, "Mandato de Seguranca" (MS 7407 | | | | |
| DF) seeking the Superior Justice Tribunal of | | | | - are spiritually and mentally well adjusted; |
| Brazil to evaluate the demands that the | | | | |
| educational system had required from them. In | | | | - lead and are well succeeded, without much |
| fact, what the government was asking for went | | | | effort; |
| against the family's goals, since they wanted | | | | |
| to keep home schooling their kids. The | | | | - adapt easily to different situations; |
| educational system intended to obligate them | | | | |
| to enroll their children in the Brazilian | | | | - possess advanced logic and think |
| formal educational system. At the time, the | | | | analytically; |
| Minister Dr. Franciulli Netto, asked for | | | | |
| evidence in the legal procedure, and I sent | | | | - have a phenomenal ability to solve problems |
| (under their family name and at their | | | | and demonstrate different strategies of |
| request) a theoretical justification on the | | | | thought; |
| importance of educating children at home. My | | | | |
| intent was to aid in the Minister's decision, | | | | - believe that human relations are important; |
| thus helping the resolution of the case. | | | | |
| | | | - are independent and wish to try out |
| I began my defense of home schooling by | | | | everything; |
| claiming that it is what's scientifically | | | | |
| proven by all the modern education institutes | | | | - are responsible for their own learning; |
| of the world to be the most up-to-date. I | | | | |
| criticized the fact that the family had seen | | | | - like to teach what they know; |
| denied their right to educate their kids at | | | | |
| home, in the family's environment. I | | | | - ...Among many other positive |
| requested that the analysis of the legal | | | | characteristics! |
| procedure at hand should start from the | | | | |
| evidence that had been listed in the legal | | | | Aside from these theoretical arguments listed |
| proceedings, that contained documents proving | | | | above, I witnessed my experience with my |
| the initiative's success and that these legal | | | | three children, 24 years before then, in |
| proofs could, in little time, open doors to | | | | which they were objects to home schooling and |
| new legal courses of action to improve even | | | | that the Brazilian government had recognized |
| the quality of schooling in Brazil. This | | | | our efforts, giving them the right to be |
| evidence could help the country's educational | | | | accelerated in school, taking into |
| history to advance into consolidating the | | | | consideration what they had learned at home. |
| family's right to seek out what's best for | | | | I explained that we also had gone through a |
| their kids, acting as an initiation cell of | | | | judicial legal procedure and that the Federal |
| teaching in society. I claimed that his | | | | Council of Education of the period had |
| decision could promote education in the | | | | recognized my family's right to give |
| country and clarify as to a series of | | | | education within the home. The case could not |
| prejudice that clouds the thoughts of many | | | | have been characterized as the same, since my |
| jurists and educators, such as "the family | | | | kids went to school and were, at the same |
| doesn't educate", "the children do not belong | | | | time, helped at home, with specialized |
| to the family", and that "the education of | | | | attention. However, I added that the |
| the Brazilian is an obligation of the | | | | objective had been reached by both families, |
| constituted State". | | | | mine and the Villena´s. And that, in |
| | | | consequence, we were both examples of success |
| I argued that the Brazilian State at the time | | | | in the initiative of giving the best possible |
| wasn't responding for its obligations | | | | education for our children. I gathered that |
| regarding education, letting it be seen that | | | | my kids had entered early in the university |
| we had a crisis in higher learning and had | | | | and are, today, happy professionals well |
| data showing that we have millions of | | | | integrated in society. And, given the many |
| illiterates populating Brazilian territory. | | | | that went through the same process, the |
| And that, if a family was giving a great | | | | children of this family could also, and with |
| example of dedication to their kids, the | | | | absolute certainty, achieve much success and |
| Brazilian State should exalt them and take it | | | | be happily satisfied in life. |
| as reference and not, take from them the | | | | |
| right to exercise acts of citizenship. | | | | I argued that my testimony, along with |
| | | | information itself could avoid, with the |
| I argued that the success of the educational | | | | support of his positive decision, that yet |
| modality called home schooling throughout the | | | | another Brazilian family be discredited and |
| world, led us to assert that the children | | | | discouraged in their efforts and sincerity in |
| observed, in various countries, and that were | | | | trying to permit a better education for |
| submitted to this kind of specialized | | | | their children, an education which the |
| education, presented behavior and/or results | | | | Brazilian State still isn't capable of |
| that I would clarify for him with great | | | | providing. I also said that I expected a |
| pleasure. Based upon Dr. Neil Harvey, in his | | | | family not to be hindered by the official |
| book Kids Who Start Ahead, Stay Ahead (Avery | | | | institutions´ lack of information so that |
| Publishing Group, New York, 1994), I showed | | | | we wouldn't see this same family seeking |
| and argued, based also upon my personal | | | | alternative means for their children's |
| experience and that of other Brazilian | | | | education elsewhere, outside our homeland, |
| mothers, that most children that have | | | | thus causing the evasion of intelligent minds |
| experienced and/or experience Home Schooling | | | | to other scientific centers. I finalized |
| end up being or are: | | | | arguing that the Villena Family, like so many |
| | | | others like them in Brazil, and that hadn't |
| - interesting and imaginative; | | | | expressed themselves yet, mine included, and |
| | | | that believed firmly in their kids´ |
| - Comunicate well; | | | | talent, believe that we are a wonderful |
| | | | people. They believe that the right to have |
| - love language profoundly; | | | | their voices heard throughout all national |
| | | | territory should be a guarantee, a must! |
| - present advanced vocabulary and a vast | | | | Voices that will echo favoring new insights |
| knowledge regarding what they say; | | | | for the evolution of the human being's |
| | | | intelligence as a whole. Voices that know how |
| - never demonstrate to be out of ideas; | | | | to exercise the hope of better days for our |
| | | | nation and for the world. |
| - can talk to anyone about anything; | | | | |
| | | | My intervention didn't help much. The Villena |
| - are incredibly creative, inventive and | | | | Family, 14 years after my family had been |
| surprise us with interesting observations; | | | | authorized to educate the kids in the home |
| | | | schooling system, could do nothing but watch |
| - build their own toys; | | | | their kids be impeded, in the same |
| | | | (memory-less) country, of continuing to study |
| - rationalize beyond their age level; | | | | at home; and, were, by the legal means of |
| | | | force (the law had now been differently |
| - are disciplined; | | | | interpreted), forced to enroll their children |
| | | | in formal schooling; to accomplish, most |
| - are cooperative; | | | | certainly, many less interesting deeds than |
| | | | those they were accustomed to in the family |
| - are positive when establishing goals to | | | | environment. |
| accomplish; | | | | |
| | | | So here's my criticism to those countries |
| - concentrate on their work; | | | | that still don't value the power of home |
| | | | schooling. And my protest and legitimate |
| - are persistent and complete their projects; | | | | support to the families that have obtained |
| | | | success with the initiative throughout the |
| - are inquisitive; | | | | world. What a beautiful example we've been |
| | | | giving society as a whole! |
| - show great will to learn; | | | | |