by rossanahead | Mar 9, 2011 | Education, Gina Abuyuan, parenting, woman
By Gina Abuyuan
On my Facebook account, I recently posted an old article we ran in the now defunct HIPP (Happy, Intelligent, Progressive Parenting) magazine. It’s about choosing between traditional and progressive schools, and how to find the perfect fit for your child.
Surprisingly (well, to me at least), it earned quite a response: parents who had already decided on a route, parents embarking on the new journey of school-hunting, even non-parents threw in their two-cents’ worth on the subject. It was clearly a much-talked about topic among the Gen X and Gen Y parents; this issue didn’t even exist during our parents’ (the baby boomers) time. All our folks knew was that their kids were going where THEY went to school—it was to continue a “tradition,” which may or may not have afforded their kids (us) the best environment where we could shine. It was a different time and world: kids were boxed in a certain mold of being “smart,” and sometimes assigned the label of “not-so-smart” if he or she didn’t fit in that mold or expectations of society. Excellence was measured by the ability to memorize facts and sticking to the rules without the added value of critical thinking. Learning was limited to the four corners of the classroom—and perhaps extended to the home, but under a tutor’s guidance.
But that was then, this is now.
Gen X and Gen Y parents have so much access now to so many different kinds of education and learning. There are so many different ways to make a child thrive intellectually, socially, psychologically, physically. Obviously, I advocate non-traditional schooling. All my kids attend progressive schools. My seven-year-old twins attend a blended program—I like to call it semi-homeschooling—which gives them two days of “school,” learning under teachers who teach them the regular required DepEd subjects, and one day of enrichment classes (art, nature appreciation, writing). The rest of the week is spent learning with me—not hunched over textbooks and quiz papers, but doing online math games, going on virtual tours of the MOMA, or plain going out on self-imposed field trips. Some can even call it un-schooling.
The point is that I get as involved as I can in their learning and am witness to the beauty of wonder in their eyes and their rapt attention as we walk through Intramuros or the Manila Seedling Bank or wherever. More often than not, I learn alongside them. I personally believe it’s a path every parent should try, at least for a year.
Of course, non-traditional schooling is not for every child, or for every parent. Deciding on the manner of education that you give your child will have to be in line with your values as a family, and your children’s personal inclinations.
More on that in my next entry.
Featured Photo by CDC on Unsplash
by rossanahead | Mar 9, 2011 | Education, Lyra Pore, parenting, woman
By Lyra Pore
“Mom, if 5 ¾ is ½ of a certain number, what would that number be?” That’s my daughter asking me from the back of the car. I’m driving with my three kids, aged ten, six and one– and watching other cars while trying to change lanes just isn’t the best time to work out fractions.
There’s hardly a “best time” though to help my children with homework. I’m a full-time editor in the Australian office of a multinational publishing company. I get home from my office in Sydney’s North Shore just in time for dinner and for a quick chat with the family before I put my youngest daughter to bed. That’s why we talk about school every chance we get: in the car, in the parking lot, in the playground, anywhere.
“Off the top of my head, I can tell you it’s 11 ½,” I reply to the fractions question, having just steered the car to the right when another driver gives way. “But there’s a correct way to do it. It’s important that you know the process, so you can work it out regardless of what fraction is thrown at you. We’ll talk about it later.”
It’s easy enough to calculate halves and quarters without pen and paper, but I admit I don’t always have a ready answer to all my daughter’s questions. Thankfully there are lots of resources on the Internet to help parents like me cope with challenging Math questions.
“There’s something I want to show you,” I tell her that night, turning on the laptop in her bedroom. I type the URL http://www.mathsisfun.com in the browser, which brings us to a Web site that explains Math in a language that elementary and high school students can understand easily. It provides simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on a variety of problems from numbers to algebra, data, and geometry to measurement. There are games and worksheets too. I click on the Fractions Menu and there we find a quick guide to working with proper, improper and mixed fractions and how to simplify, compare, add, subtract, multiply, divide and convert them to decimals or percentages.
“I’ll put this in your ‘Favorites.’ When you have a Math problem, we will look it up here.” Today when I can’t give a quick response to her questions, we save the discussion for when we get home–and out of the car.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
by | Mar 9, 2011 | Education, Mari-an Santos, woman
By Mari-An Santos
I was seven years old when I first set eyes on Baguio—and it was love at first sight. Though I do not remember this, my father would later recount that I told him then that one day, I would live in this city.
Fast forward to 20 years later, I was at a crossroads in my life trying to decide what to do next. I went up to Baguio with a friend after five years of not seeing the place. On a whim, I applied for a teaching post at the University of the Philippines Baguio and was accepted. I took it as a sign that I should live out my childhood dream.
It was not easy. I was very nervous and afraid of what lay before me. I did not know anyone there. My father knew two people who lived there, and one of them agreed to let me rent a room. I, who had never lived alone, had to live away from my family.
I bought a map and on weekends, I would pick a place and explore it on foot. Soon, I could answer competently when tourists ask me for directions.
Thanks to my friendship with fellow teachers, I got to know other people in the community. And soon, I was on speaking terms with various artists in Baguio.
I also got acquainted with some restaurant owners, since I would frequent their establishments. They are now my friends.
I knew how to cook but it had been some time since I went to the wet market. From experience and referrals, I found out where to buy organic vegetables and cheap fresh seafood.
Now, I even know more people and places than many local Baguio residents. That’s because I stepped out of my comfort zone and went from the familiar to conquer the unknown in my life. I never thought that at 27, I would still be able to forge new friendships and discover different talents and passions. As I so happily discovered, learning has no age restrictions.
by | Mar 9, 2011 | Education, parenting, woman
By Bubbles Salvador
The day I first brought home my baby boy from the hospital felt like the first day of classes.
When I was still single, I helped my sister, who is a single mom, raise all three of her kids. But I had no idea what to do with the baby whom I had willingly and lovingly brought into this world. What if he cried all night? What if he got hungry and I couldn’t breastfeed?
Fast forward to two years later: I am still no expert, and there are days that feel like it’s the first day of classes all over again. I have only been a mom for all of two years, but I know that raising a child is no easy feat. (Hats off to those who’ve been moms for longer.) I grapple with issues like discipline and TV time and toilet training and lola’s spoiling. Did I mention that I still have no idea if I’m doing it right?
The thing about being a parent is that there doesn’t seem to be any right or wrong answer to anything. Yes, you can rely on what books and experts say, but what seems to work perfectly for one mom may not work for me and my son. I think that’s when it starts to feel like the first day of school – I am constantly running to “beat the bell,” looking for the “right classroom,” and trying to “belong.”
But oh, I tell you, my life has never been this exciting. Every day I am amazed at how Luis is growing and learning things. (Of late, it is his ability to string words together to form a sentence that makes me go “Awww.”) Being in first-day-of-school mode can be scary, but I like it because the excitement doesn’t ever wear out.
I can’t wait for more amazing experiences to come.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
by rossanahead | Mar 8, 2011 | children, family, parenting, Ruth M. Floresca, woman
My name is Ruth Manimtim-Floresca, a work-at-home mom who contributes articles to Philippine print and online publications. I feel blessed that I am able to earn from what I enjoy doing and which come with flexible work hours. This allows me to spend more time with my family and primarily care for my son with special needs.
I have four boys aged 12, 13, 15, and 17. Daniel, my youngest, is in fifth grade; Joshua, my second son, is a high school junior; and Geffrey, our firstborn is a college freshman taking up Digital Media Arts. James, my third child, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He can’t talk or walk but he has already taught our family so much about love, patience, and faith for the past 13 years, and counting.
Although our household can be noisy at times, they are mostly happy sounds. Sure, the three boys argue over computer schedules and who’s going to wash the dishes or feed the dog every now and then. But when we ask them to take care of their brother while their dad and I go out to do errands, buy groceries, or attend meetings and media events, they can be trusted to do that job well.
We have been maid- and yaya-free for the past three years and we’re doing fine. Honestly, I feel more confident now when leaving the house with only the kids there than having someone else look after them. I believe our circumstances have taught my boys to be more resilient and independent. Like their dad, whom I so appreciate for being hands-on, I hope our kids would also become thoughtful husbands someday who won’t expect their wives to do everything around the house.
I may feel overwhelmed and utterly exhausted with house chores and writing deadlines most of the time, but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone else. I am grateful for where, and who, I am now.–Ruth Manimtim-Floresca
Photo by Joshua Harris on Unsplash
