This is the part 2 of the Homeschooling in the Philippines post.
Socialization. This is one of the foremost questions that people ask to families who decided to go the non-traditional way of educating their children.
I want to ask one question: How many of you here are still friends with or in touch with your elementary or high school friends? I would even like to proudly say that our batch was a closely-knit batch for we have been classmates from Kindergarten to High school. We are still in touch with each other. We communicate through our Google group, we see each other during holidays in the province or maybe once or twice a year for reunions. But that’s about it.
Through it all, I have learned to socialize, learn manners and unwritten friendship rules and just be myself and enjoy the company of friends.
Socialization does not just limit itself to one’s peers. It goes beyond dealing with other people. Socialization in my case is not a real problem since I bring my children with me to work, twice a week. They have seen and met my husband’s friends and my friends. They are learning to (even briefly) socialize with people from different walks of life, like those food servers in the mall where we wait for my husband to pick us up before we head for home, the Kuya and Ate at work where they are being asked to request for things that I need and even socialize with my colleagues.
There, in my workplace, they have forged friendships with other children and they look forward to seeing them and playing with them. They do not really mind if at times they have difficulty having conversations with some of them.
Interactive. Learning should be interactive. Questions should be asked and answered. Answers can vary too, and the way these answers were found should vary too, for there are different sources where answers to questions can be found.
How?
Try simple experiments. This is especially true with Science and Math concepts. Teaching about the different tastes? Try a taste test.
Teaching about weights and measurements? Try weighing and measuring different things around the house using different instruments. What about “How many paper clips does it take to measure different books?”
I remember when I was a preschool teacher in a traditional school setting. During one of the quarter tests in Science, one of my students answered differently, meaning his answer was not a part of the lesson I taught. Pondering about his answer made me realize he has a point and so I asked him to explain. He explained well and I was convinced so I checked his answer. Imagine my horror when the preschool coordinator questioned why I checked the answer when it was not a part of the lessons, because it was not the answer in the answer key. Oh my!
Discipline. People think that homeschooled children lack discipline: waking up whatever time they want to wake up, not following a schedule, not being able to deal with other people, no beating of a deadline and a host of other things that entail discipline.
The way I see them, homeschooled children are more self-disciplined for me. They are most of the time at home, where the television, toys, computer and favorite books and games are waiting to be turned on, opened and played with.
In our case, we do our lessons in the morning. After lunch, they get to do what they want, mostly to play with their toys, practice writing, write stories, do art work, watch an educational DVD based on the lessons being learned, play the synthesizer or listen to music. When the weather is good we stay outside and I let them play for a while or they can take a bath in the little pool (read: big palanggana/basin) that we have.
Manners. There is a subject in the Philippine curriculum called GMRC, Good Manners and Right Conduct. This teaches the children about respect, about good manners, about the appropriate way to deal with other people.
Manners can be taught, yes, but essentially, in real life dealings with other people and not in books. Sure, good manners should be taught and put to practice but practicing these is more important. Since homeschooled children deal with other people, like people in the supermarket or at the bills payment centers or other workers in the neighborhood, they learn manners, or learn these manners from the way their parents deal with others.
In my case, with my colleagues who are mostly speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, my children are able to interact with them, see how they work and see how they deal deal the the children using different methods of teaching.
They also observe me as I deal with children who have developmental problems. Through their observations and interactions with the children I work with, they are able to understand that other people have different learning styles and responses to the different teaching methods that we use.
In the case of manners, parents-teachers learn too, to mind their manners, for the children are watching and observing them.
Responsibilities. Teaching responsibilities in both the school and homeschool setup are given high priority. In school, children are taught to be responsible not just to themselves but with the school properties too. They also learn responsibilities with other classmates.
For homeschooled children, responsibilities extend to the home. They can be taught to pick up after themselves and put back the things they have used. They learn to responsibly manage their time so that they can do the activities they want to do. They can be taught to do simple house chores to help them live without depending on others to do things for them.
Family Bonding. This is one of the most rewarding things for parents and their children. They spend time to learn not just about new things about about each other, they learn to appreciate each other and at the same time develop their talents in a warm and loving atmosphere.
Spending quality time with our children in one of the most treasured moments we can have. Young as they are, children will remember these special moments of family bonding.
Homeschooling is not for everybody, that is for sure. It takes a long process to be able to understand its dynamics and decide if it is the right choice for the children.
Before deciding on doing homeschooling, it is best that families think about what they want to do and how they can be involved in the education of their children.
7:37 am on September 18th, 2008
Socialization is one of hub’s concerns. For him, “social networking” is important daw, esp for business..
The other concern is baka ma-stress daw ako if we home-school V. I don’t think I will be stressed, since there will be a lesson guide naman. And there is no pace that we need to keep up with. No unreasonable teachers (depende nalang sa akin!) haha.
Thanks, Julie for sharing these. Saan naman kaya ako pwedeng mag inquire on homeschooling programs? I hope nasa part 3 ito.
9:06 am on September 18th, 2008
Question: Is there such a thing as a “blended” school? Yung part time sa home, part time sa school? Would there be a school that can accommodate that kind of setup?
5:35 am on September 19th, 2008
[...] that prompted starting the vegetable garden was initiated by a Science activity about plants of my homeschooling son. He needed to plant mongo (mung bean) seeds in disposable cups. I didn’t think twice about [...]
8:12 am on September 19th, 2008
hi! i used to be a grade school teacher in one of the premier schools for boys. right now i am finishing my masters. i enjoy reading your blogs. my wife and i don’t have kids yet. re home schooling, if i remember it correctly, paul tanchi who played for ateneo men’s basketball team was home-schooled together with his siblings. he graduated cum laude (management honors).
also, may i suggest, if home-school teachers can gather once in a while to share ideas with each other on how they can improve their teaching skills or how they can best teach certain concepts. we usually do that in my former school.
12:34 am on September 25th, 2008
i homeschool my two kids. newbie in this field but they are enjoying the “relaxed” way to learn and very open communication - bec they can be very inquisitive. since i am the one handling them most of the time, topics can be very well discussed and shared. they can also learn in the most varied way since i can supervise online access as well as books suited to the topic. it was a wise decision to shift from regular school to homeschooling.
thanks for sharing this.
10:48 am on September 26th, 2008
Hi Julie, I still think homeschooling is the best method as long as one parent is available to teach the kid. I’ve noticed with Pio, the more he’s asking so much questions when I was homeschooling him. Now naman, he can’t ask his teacher kasi no one’s asking daw. It’s always the teacher who talks daw, di sya makasingit, he he.
2:11 pm on October 7th, 2008
Hi.
I’d like to speak as a homeschooled student. I was homeschooled through high school, using a US-based curriculum, and I have to say that I value that experience. I wasn’t made for traditional school, and so the mold of homeschooling really was “home” to me. It’s not for everyone, but for those who flourish in it, I feel it is a detriment to put them in a regular/traditional school just because local society dictates it.
For jun: Yes, there’s such a thing as “partially homeschooling,” or something like that. I know, I work with people who do it: Dads and moms who want to home educate but still need to work. Students come to a place - like an old-fashioned school room - to do tutorials, academic lessons. Then they have a choice how many days they want to spend at the center or spend at home. There’s no one way to homeschool, that’s why support groups are available for homeschooled parents who want to find out more than one way to learn. The place I mentioned is the place I work in, and it’s called the Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center. We have a location in Manila as well as in Cebu. We normally work with parents who want to homeschool but need resources such as a study hall, tutors, resources (books, science equipment, field trips), excursions, and PE/sports programs. Click my link to find out more, I posted an article about it in my blog.
9:21 am on October 9th, 2008
Another note to Jun: “Partial homeschool” is a term used by Kimberly Hahn and Mary Wesson in their book “Catholic Education Homeward Bound.” I encountered that term through this book, which I have as part of my personal library on homeschooling. Anyway, I guess the structure of a homeschool really depends on the parent. Perhaps “partial homeschool” may mean that the parents decide to delegate certain teaching of subjects to trusted friends, even tutors or experts in a field. In a way, it is still the parents’ prerogative to say how their homeschool is “run.” It’s not partial per se, only that they might choose to delegate the teaching to others. This doesn’t mean they’re homeschooling part time, but that they want to expand their resource team (or form a faculty of their own, if you may) for their kids.
Just a thought.
2:21 pm on October 10th, 2008
“I want to ask one question: How many of you here are still friends with or in touch with your elementary or high school friends?”
That’s one thing I thought about when my officemates were criticizing my idea of homeschooling Lex. Anyway, I am still leaning towards homeschooling. At least I get to decide how it’s “run”, as Matine put it.
8:39 am on October 12th, 2008
imom, we use a Catholic curriculum sine the kids are RC. Re socialization, these homeschool service providers have these socialization activities, plus you can choose to enroll your child to different activities like sports and musical pursuits.
8:42 am on October 12th, 2008
Jun, blended can happen even if the children go to school since it is up to the parents to nourish and enrich their children’s learning needs. Our setup is something like blended since I bring my children with me to work and my son has a class with some other boys his age. My daughter too has a group with a boy her age so I don’t think they miss interaction with other children.
Do you plan to home school?
8:49 am on October 12th, 2008
Zaldy, thank you very much, your comment warmed my heart.
Contrary to belief that home schooled children are lacking in some aspects of their development, I think they are as well adjusted as their peers too for they are more independent learners and have devised ways to learn things differently, not just relying on books.
Re gathering of teachers who home school, most of our parent-teachers help in the preparation of activities and tests, under the supervision of parents who are licensed teachers too.
Maybe it just made sense that I decided to do this thing because I am a teacher myself.
Thanks
8:53 am on October 12th, 2008
Hailey, so you decided to home school your kids na pala.
hat is a wise decision. I remember teaching about historical places, land and water forms and we had to rely on images from the internet to further explain these concepts. One can not learn from these by just discussing and looking at the pictures in the books. We even took time out to visit some of these places, took photos and discussed later on.
For the math concepts, I try to teach the basic math operations using real situations.
Its taxing for us but its fun and we do not only teach, we connect with the children.
Thank you ad I hope you will continue what you are doing for your children.
8:57 am on October 12th, 2008
Wenchie, regular schooling is good as long as the children are not afraid of their teachers. The children in my daughter’s school are “friends” with their teachers but they also show respect to them and do not cross the line between the roles that divide them (I hope).
9:09 am on October 12th, 2008
Martine, thank you very much.
I was supposed to have a US based home school curriculum for my children (Calvert) but because it was a bit expensive and the lessons still have to be revised to suit our Filipino heritage, we decided to get Catholic home school services using materials written by Filipino authors.
9:18 am on October 12th, 2008
Lisa, in my experiences as a parent-teacher, I have learned to know my children better.
Julian is an excellent thinker but won’t work well when he knows he has the whole day to work. So I set limits, I set a time table to challenge him to deliver more, to work faster for if I don’t he will just lag behind. He likes cars so he can watch his DVDs after he has finished his work. At night, he discusses this with my husband, using technical and sometimes mechanical terms.
Tania works faster but tends to overlook details so this is what is needed to help her finish her tasks. She is also a budding writer so I have to set aside time to just let her draw and write her stories.
So may things to do, so little time. Even I have to discipline myself so that I can make time for them.
Thank you
5:52 pm on November 5th, 2008
Hi. Our only child, Thiel will be turning 4 on May of next year. My husband and I think that he should be starting school around that time. I’ve been reading a lot about homeschooling and I’m now considering that as one of our options. I am particularly interested about the Catholic Filipino Academy of Bo Sanchez. However, my only concern is that since Theo is an only child, homeschooling might deprive him of the social life that he can experience in and benefit from a regular school setting.
11:34 am on November 18th, 2008
Homeschooling is a good idea for our children to learn and for parents to personally monitor the performance of their children. In that way, parents-children relationship will become closer.
Though children can learn from their parents, it is also good to send them to school and let them experience to socialize with other people and learn things that homeschooling can’t provide. As the saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher.”
8:00 pm on November 18th, 2008
Taur, I suggest you and your husband try to learn more about homeschooling. There is by the way, a seminar about homeschooling on November 22 at the St Francis Square at the back of SM Megamall.
My children are enrolled with CFA.
8:09 pm on November 18th, 2008
Thank you for your input, Joy.
In these two posts that I have written, I spoke about my experiences and wrote that my children do not lack the socialization skills since they get to interact and have sessions with children their age, my students, because I am a teacher myself. Yes, experience is the best teacher, that is why I am letting my children experience life lessons that can’t be taught in the school setting.
4:08 pm on November 21st, 2008
Thanks, teacherjulie. Yeah I guess we do need to learn more about HS. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can attend the seminar tomorrow. But thanks for the info. I’d appreciate though if you keep us, your readers, posted for other upcoming seminars.
11:31 am on November 26th, 2008
I’m thinking of homeschooling my 2 sons next school year. My eldest is 13 and is in grade 7 and the youngest is 8 and is in grade 2. My sons often tell me i’m a perfectionist and i’ve higher expectations than their classroom teachers. Is homeschooling my 2 sons a good option or will it just stress them because of their impression of me? what are required of parents like me who want to homeschool our children?
8:12 am on December 26th, 2008
[...] is scheduled and the little ones help in doing so by putting their toys away, at times they sweep the floor or help mop the floor. [...]
1:52 am on March 5th, 2009
Hai.. I am from indonesia. I want to know more about homeschooling cause we will move to filipina. I just want to know about how much it cost and where i can get the information in filipina? For the info, my daughter is 8 years old. And i will be in Makati, Manila. Please answer it as soon as possible. Thanks for help.
6:13 pm on March 5th, 2009
Shita, we use a Catholic curriculum and if you are interested you can check out this site:
http://catholicfilipinoacademy.com/cfa/10principles.php
6:14 pm on March 5th, 2009
Letty, perhaps you can talk to the personnel over at CFA where we are enrolled, just move your cursor below since link can’t be seen
http://catholicfilipinoacademy.com/cfa/10principles.php
3:01 am on March 6th, 2009
Teacher Julie, thank you for your mail to me.
But, I’m really sorry. We are moslem.
Perhaps you know about moslem curriculum.
Regards,
3:51 pm on March 12th, 2009
teacher julie, how about if you’re a working mom and would like to homeschool your child…is this possible? Thanks in advance!