Home is school and School is home

coffee break ver. 1.20 - What characteristics of a school are you looking for?

Goodbye, pool floats! Hello, school bags! Hopefully the bags don’t float when the floods come.

I actually do not know how to answer this question right now because, at present, our kids are not enrolled in a traditional school but as of today (while my sanity is still intact) they are being homeschooled. I actually don’t have the statistics of how many families in the Philippines homeschool their kids but I do know that the number is growing steadily.

What is homeschool? It REALLY IS school conducted at home. The next question would probably be WHY? Which brings me to Jan’s coffee break question. Let me put it this way. The decision to homeschool was a joint decision between hubby and myself. It is not something that will work for everybody but this was what we thought was best for our children. This is also not a decision that can be taken lightly because it requires a really strong commitment to see it through. This is what we agreed on and we will continue to do it as long as we are capable. We agreed on what we wanted our children to learn. We did our research on the different curricula and methods of teaching in different schools and what we were looking for is not part of or even if it was, the school itself is not accessible to us, logistically.

Hence, our house is not your typical house. It is filled with books, books and more books all over. It is where our children are educated. It is not a perfect school but I know that our intents for their best interests is the driving force that pushes us to persevere. Our aim is to educate and raise them to fulfill all their potential. This is what burns in our hearts. Our home is our school and school is in the heart of our home.

Here’s a wonderful definition I got from the 1828 Webster dictionary to inspire you all:

EDUCA’TION, n. [L. educatio.]

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations.

To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

Here are some famous people who were homeschooled:

Educators

Generals

Inventors

Artists

Presidents

Scientists

Statesmen

Composers

Writers

Religious leaders

Others

Charles Chaplin – Actor
George Rogers Clark – Explorer
Andrew Carnegie – Industrialist
Noel Coward – Playwright
John Burroughs – Naturalist
Albert Schweitzer – Physician
Tamara McKinney – World Cup Skier
Jim Ryan – World Runner
Ansel Adams – Photographer
Charles Louis Montesquieu – philosopher
John Stuart Mill – Economist
John Paul Jones – father of the American Navy
Florence Nightingale – nurse
Clara Barton – started the Red Cross
Abigail Adams – wife of John Adams
Martha Washington – wife of George W.
George Washington – 1st President of the U.S.
James Madison – 4th President of the U.S.
John Witherspoon – President of Princeton U.
Benjamin Franklin – inventor and statesman
William S. Johnson – President of Columbia C.
George Mason

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Tags: 1828 Dictionary, coffee break, FAMILY & FAITH, Homeschool

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 12:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.