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March 20, 2015 , , , , , , , , ,
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It's not what you think, it's just not traditional anymore.

In 2013 Mr. D and I started to play around with the idea of homeschooling our eldest, Miss Artsy. The topic about homeschooling has been a controversial one, both here and abroad. I know when I suggested it to my now 89 year old grandma, she was so opposed to it that I thought she'd get a heart attack. It's safe to say that I won't be telling her that much about it in the future since she can't handle not conforming to the norm in any way. Admittedly, it wasn't a simple choice to make so we did what Mr. D and I do best, a ton of research on the matter. The pros, cons and actually talking about it at length with real parents who homeschool their own kids (local and international, thank you parenting forums!). It was the discovery of the decade for us, we definitely struck gold on this one. I know I say this again and again, but I just can't help myself, "Doing a ton of research with an openmind always pays off." 2 years and here we are, finally, joining the homeschool bandwagon! Here are some of the reasons why we ended up choosing homeschool:

  • Rote (defined as mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition) learning, the usual approach in majority of private and public schools today doesn't inspire free, critical, or creative thinking. Rote memorization will never lead to true understanding of any subject matter. You can teach your children to think critically, rather than teaching to the test which, for obvious reasons, will better equip them to navigate the social, financial, food, and energy crises, which is currently looming our future.
  • There is more than enough undeniable evidence which indicates that home schooled students have superior social skills and are better able to adjust to new situations because of being exposed to a wider variety of people in different age groups and situations in different environments. Making the social misfit belief popularly linked to home schooled kids, totally debunked on all levels.
  • One's parent is the best teacher any child can ever have. Hands on parents who are fully involved in their child's life know perfectly well what approach to take for each of their kids when it comes to education. Each child is unique when it comes to learning, parents who homeschool have the freedom to take different strategies for each of their kids' education unlike some teachers who are limited by their traditional methods and mainly rely on their syllabus and textbooks. You can tailor your school day to your child, whether he/she is a slow learner or gifted academically. They won't be taught by the world, they will be taught by you. Who better to teach them but us, right?
  • The 1:1 student-teacher ratio or at the most 1:5, in some homeschooling households is definitely something to take into account. The parent can provide ample individual attention to each of her students/kids.
  • More family time since the whole family gets to share even school together, at home.
  • For safety reasons in more ways than one, no more worrying about what our child ate at school other than his/her packed lunch and snack or getting into fights with other kids over nothing. It eliminates the still trending subject of bullying all together too.
  • Freedom, parents get to teach them whenever they want and wherever they are. 
  • Builds a stronger and better parent-child relationship. To kids, TIME is love. And the fact that you will be spending a lot more time (not to mention a whole lot of effort to pull it off) together will only intensify the strong bond you already have with them.
  • There are more resources to help home school than we think, just research, it'll be more encouraging that way.
Those and the slightest chance of taking part in producing individuals who possess an ability to think independently, have obtained the academic tools to reach their goals, have a positive outlook on life, have a creative and an enthusiastic approach to life, and possess initiative and a sense of responsibility, all this achieved at home, is just something we couldn't pass up. Some of the perks from homeschooling include:

  • No more uniforms
  • No more school service
  • No more traveling time to school and back 
  • No more huge school bags 
  • Sleeping in
  • Tailored to family field trips, and more
Again it wasn't an easy choice to make, it involves a great deal of sacrifice, a ton of work and dedication on the part of the parents. It's not for everyone, but it is definitely an education option that should be considered for families like us, who feel that the traditional educational system doesn't meet their child's needs. Don't get me wrong, I am not in any way against the traditional education system, I just prefer homeschooling more. 

Here are 2 of the schools we've looked into so far, you might want to check them out:

  • TMA (The Master's Academy)
    Facebook Page
    Official Website
    2nd Floor Fun Ranch, Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue 1604
  • Peniel Integrated Christian Academy
    Facebook Page    Phase I, 42 Burgos St. Vista Verde Executive Village, Cainta, Rizal, Philippines
    Tel. No. 682-7941
If you don't think you are capable of teaching your own kid/s, then welcome to the club. I don't think anyone, in this day and age, has ever thought right away that they could do this. Taking on the task of educating your own children is a huge responsibility to handle, that's for sure. But even veteran homeschooling parents have insecurities about their ability to teach their own kids as well. But this insecurity can be easily turned into motivation to learn and study how to best educate your children. 

Any thoughts?




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Article published on March 20, 2015

 
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