There was a time when I had a list in my wallet of 20-30 advantages of homeschooling. I carried this list tucked in my pocket everywhere for years and used it when confronted by the critics of homeschooling. Occasionally it would come in handy with reporters (especially in telephone interviews when they couldn't see it). But the list was too long, people would not listen to a lengthy treatise.

Over time, after consulting with hundreds of families in my office, after attending support group meetings around the country, and after hearing speeches by supporters, I concluded that reporters and the general public really wanted to hear the simple advantages, and they fell into four broad categories.

(1) The advantage of religious/philosophical convictions
(2) The advantage of socialization
(3) The advantage of academics
(4) The advantage of "time as a family"

From an unscientific point of view, I sense that when a homeschooler is asked why they homeschool, one of these advantages rises to the top of their list. If the conversation expands, they will eventually touch on all four. Let's look briefly at each advantage separately. (I could write a chapter on each of these, but this capsule is about all I'd ever have time for in an interview with a reporter or a holiday argument with the in-laws!!! Well, I might indulge in a few illustrations as I go along...)

(1) RELIGIOUS / PHILOSOPHICAL CONVICTIONS
Nothing goes deeper to the core of our motivation than our personal convictions. We all have some deep conviction, something that has changed our lives, something that is carved on our soul. Some of us can articulate it, some of us have never put it into words, but we all have it. And when that "something" is engaged, we demonstrate a direction and passion that is unexplainable. For some it is their religious convictions, for some it is a way of life. These people make great homeschoolers. Their sense of purpose and their passion keep them going through the tough times. Their purpose & passion keep them reaching higher, their purpose & passion sustain them in their drive.

The best teachers I ever knew had a sense of purpose and they radiated "passion" when they taught. They generated a contagious enthusiasm about whatever it was, and they motivated me. When a family has strong religious or philosophical convictions, they radiate passion that energizes them and others. Homeschooling allows a family to weave these convictions into every aspect of their "curriculum." They are now in control of the subject matter and in control of the who's in charge of the topics. This is a clear advantage for homeschooling.

(2) ADVANTAGE OF SOCIALIZATION
The homeschooler has a community-based socialization, rather than a classroom-based socialization. This advantage removes them from confinement with their agemates. In the traditional classroom, you and I did not have "class-mates," but we did have "age-mates." (You see, classmates are those who are functioning on the same academic level; e.g., all those who have mastered multiplication & division of fractions are in a class together, whether they are in the 3rd grade, 5th grade or 7th grade -- those are classmates. The traditional classroom promotes age-mates -- keeping children segregated into age groupings -- 2nd graders are 2nd graders because they're all 7, not because they have all reached a certain level of academic mastery.)

When I want my 10 year-old child to pattern appropriate behavior, I do not confine him with 10 year-olds for 6 hours a day away from his family. Better I should have him with those of more experience who have behaviors which have proven appropriate over the years, and I should expose him to a younger child for whom he can now act as a model (for when I see my child teaching another child, I am assured that my child has "gotten it").

Further, the socialization for homeschoolers is real. It is not the artificial, contrived, false socialization of the classroom. In the traditional classroom the variables are controlled by an unknown adult. The environment is controlled by people who have been hired to maintain the control of those variables for a defined agenda in classroom management. In the homeschool, students are exposed to all the variables of real life in the real world. They actually see adults they know, love, and trust solving the problems of daily living -- academic study balanced with real schedules, caring for the sick neighbor and getting her walkway shoveled, having the car inspected, doing the grocery shopping, changing the diapers while on the phone with Uncle Harry while turning down the heat on a boiling kettle, etc. etc. The never-ending balancing act that real people experience in the real world, not the spoon-fed phony regulation of the classroom. [Note to the reader: Forgive me here, please. I have prepared a major workshop on the topic, "10 Myths of Socialization" and I could get carried away in this area. For now, enough said.]

(3) ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The most easily defensible aspect of parents teaching their children at home is academics. Such results can be measured quickly, compared to others, easily, and are understood by nearly everyone because we've all been through it. But why do homeschoolers excel?

(A) CUSTOM-DESIGNED CURRICULUM: Homeschooled children are allowed to work at their own level of mastery, rather than at the level of the graded curriculum outline. Few 5th graders are perfect 5th graders -- instead they may be reading at the 7th grade level, spelling at the 4th grade level, doing science at the 6th grade level and doing math at the 5th grade level. In a homeschool, the program can be constructed around the child's real level in each course. This advantage provides for real progress and assures success.

(B) MOVING AT THE CHILD'S OWN PACE: If the homeschooled child has completed the project or page or chapter assigned, then she can move on to another topic. She does not have to wait until the bell rings before digging into something else. Or, if the child is excited about the topic and really getting into it, she doesn't have to "change her mind" when the bell rings. (I remember being intrigued with a project in science, but when the bell rang I had to "change my mind" and go down the hall to read Shakespeare !) Conversely, if the child is slow to master a concept, the homeschool program allows for the flexibility to take it slower, or come back to it another time.

(C) WORKING WITH THE CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE: Each child has a certain "learning style," a particular way they process in-coming information best. Intuitively, parents seem to know what will get the point across, and what won't. And with a day of training, a parent can find keys to unlock more doors to the child's learning style. This is quite different from what happens in the traditional classroom where the child must conform to the teacher's "teaching style." Students of average ability who are allowed to in-put and process information according to their natural learning style can become great learners. The traditional classroom is teacher-driven, whereas the homeschool can be student-driven, and the child allowed to master areas in the best way at the best time for the best results.

(4) TIME AS A FAMILY
In America when the average child is in the traditional school setting by the age of 5 or 6, they begin spending more waking hours of the day with the peers than with their parents. Yes, more awake time with their peers than with their parents. Now consider this simple statement -- children become adults. No dispute with that, is there ? I believe 5 elements contribute to that process of moving from childhood to adulthood: morals, values, ethics, problem-solving, and decision-making.

(Morals: defining what things are right and what things are wrong. Values: identifying what's important to this family, what we value. Ethics: behavior and how we conduct ourselves based on our morals and values. Problem-solving: the ability to identify issues and outline the steps to solve them. Decision-making: the highest level of maturity showing readiness for adulthood -- choosing directions for action based on my morals, values, ethics, and problem-solving ability.)

Children move from childhood to adulthood. Period. They do, and they will do it with you or without you. They will do it by spending time modeling the parents or modeling the peers. They will either bond with the parent or band with their peers. The advantage of homeschooling is clear.

Oh yes, I've heard the critics. They say we're protecting the child, sheltering him. Yes, I certainly hope so. When I want to grow a tomato plant, I do not take the seed and put it directly into the garden. I carefully cultivate it in a special growing pot. I control the light, water, temperature, and nutrients. When the roots are deep enough and the stem strong enough, I then put it in the garden to be exposed to the elements. Timing is everything. A good start means everything. Let me further illustrate.

When my son, Stephen, was 4 years old I was a social worker at a state institution for the severely mentally retarded. During a day off, I had to return to the institution to retrieve some papers from my office, so I took my son along. As we got out of the car, a colleague met us and said there was a little parade planned on the grounds, and she invited Stephen to go with her. Stephen was excited and we knew the lady well, so I granted permission. When I arrived at my office I pondered what it would be like if I brought Stephen with me to work everyday. I wondered -- what would my 4-year-old be like if he spent 8-9 hours every day with his age equivalent peers at the institution for the severely retarded? What would he be like after 3 or 4 years of this, day in and day out ? I believe he would have acquired the behaviors of the peer group -- he would act retarded, talk retarded, walk retarded, and generally take on the mannerisms and behavior of that peer group. However, when my son was 14 years old -- just 10 years later -- he was 5'11" 198 pounds, and had been homeschooled for 5 years. At fourteen I could have dropped him off at that institution, and even if he stayed there for 20 years, he would not have acquired the behavior of the residents there. The point is, there is a time for exposure to the influences of peers and there is a time for being very selective with that exposure. And with homeschooling, those elements are under the parents control, not the institution's control.

Well, that's how I've "condensed" the advantages of homeschooling. I still carry 3X5 cards in my wallet outlining major areas of homeschooling. I have different cards for different topics. Really, I do. When asked to speak on any related topic, I actually have my outline in my pocket, ready to go for a reporter's interview, a radio talk show, a debate, or just a motivating talk with homeschoolers. In fact, if you see me at one of our conferences or in the BOOKMOBILE, ask me if I have my cards on me. I'll take them out and show them to you ! (They're even color-coded !)