Anthony Thamer, 11, was pure energy as he explained his hopes and dreams. "I've always been home-schooled, and I like it." He methodically ticked off the benefits of this type of education on his fingers: "You get to stay home, you do your schoolwork and you don't ever get bossed around by any other kids," he said with a grin. His favorite subjects are spelling and English, and he is a devoted reader.

"I really like to read books about hockey and soccer, and I like mysteries, too. One of my favorites is 'The Boxcar Children.' They always have to figure out who did it, and they always do."

The home-school day has certain benefits, but the student must still pass certain educational criteria. "It's not easy to skip grades in home schooling – you have to do everything they do in regular school. Sometimes we take field trips. We go to Selby Gardens. I like the goldfish ponds and the butterfly gardens the best."

The life of a home-schooler may seem a little light on the social side, but Anthony is a very resourceful and very likeable guy. "I have a lot of friends on my block, there's this one kid named Travis and he called me and came over and now we're really good friends. There's Tony, too, and I have friends at my church. We go to Englewood Bible Church, which is very spiritual."

Anthony plays on the 12-and-under Competitive Team with Englewood Youth Soccer. He has been playing for "four or five years," so he is quite comfortable on a soccer field. "Soccer is not really that hard – you just have to know where off sides is," he explained. "I only have a couple of friends in soccer. I like to play either goalie or midfield, and I'll get to be goalie all day this Saturday," he grinned excitedly. He has played basketball in the past, and also studies tae kwon do at the Englewood Sports Complex. "It's good – I made new friends there and actually two girls like me," he laughed.

For the future? "I want to be a pro-soccer player or an FBI agent or on the SWAT team. I will live in Boone, N.C. It's like an old-fashioned town." He said he and his father like to go there.

Anthony is the son of Victoria and Sonny Thamer of Englewood. -- Amy Hibberd