a matter of teys.t

Last summer, I got the chance to chat with a few mommies while we were waiting for our kids at Kumon and we got to talk about the cost of sending kids to school. I had a little bit of an idea on how much sending kids to school costs nowadays but I didn’t realize that even preschool, kinder or even daycare would cost as much sometimes more (gasp!) than the older kids. One mom was sending her little girl to an authentic Japanese school at the Fort in Taguig even if they lived in Sta. Rosa because the father who was Japanese wanted his daughter to grow up knowing Japanese traditions. As far as I remember the tuition was really quite expensive not to mention the gasoline expense as well. Of course, as parents we want to give our kids the best opportunity to equip and enable them to be useful citizens when they grow up so no amount is too high as long as we have the means to do it. Sometimes even if we do not have the means we still try to do what we can to give them that opportunity. Fortunately for us, since we homeschool, no school girl costumes for our little girl is needed and no long commuting hours to and from school is required. No uniforms and no traffic jams in our school. LOL

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Dito ko po inilagay ang aking lahok sa linggong ito sapagkat mayroon na po akong mga maikling akdang naisulat nang nakaraan tungkol sa pag-aaral na pandagdag kaalaman na din po sa inyo.

Ang aming eskwelahan ay wala pong uniporme, walang school bus, walang baon at puedeng mag-recess kahit anong oras. Ito po ay sa kadahilanang kami po ay nagho-homeschool. Kaya ang aming bahay ang eskwelahan ng aming mga anak. Hindi po biro itong gawin, may mga araw na tinatanong ko ang aking sarili kung bakit ko ginagawa ito dahil hindi naman po ako isang gurong propesyonal.  Ngunit sa bandang huli kahit ito’y mahirap alam ko na ito ay isa sa mga kayamanang maipapamana ko sa aking mga anak na hindi matatawaran ng kahit anupaman. 

Ang mga libro sa larawan ang  ginagamit namin ng aking kabiyak sa pagturo sa aming mga anak. (Akin po yung Filipino kasi Bisaya si mister, eh baka mag-iba ang talasalitaan ng aming mga chikiting kung siya ang magturo kaya akin po yung subject na iyon). :D

Here’s an excerpt from a previous post I made about homeschooling. This isn’t the literal translation of the above but the sentiments are the same.

“… 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… “

You can read more about the above excerpt and the rest of our homeschool journeys from my previous posts here:

The Well-Trained Mind- A guide to classical education at home

Home is School and School is Home

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Some famous people who were homeschooled:

Educators

Fred Terman (President - Stanford) 
William Samuel Johnson (President Columbia) 
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton) 

Generals

Stonewall Jackson 
Robert E. Lee 
Douglas MacArthur 
George Patton 

Inventors

Alexander Graham Bell 
Thomas Edison 
Cyrus McCormick 
Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright 

Artists

Claude Monet 
Leonardo da Vinci 

Presidents

George Washington 
Thomas Jefferson 
John Quincy Adams 
James Madison 
William Henry Harrison 
John Tyler 
Abraham Lincoln 
Theordore Roosevelt 
Woodrow Wilson 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 

Scientists

George Washington Carver 
Pierre Curie 
Albert Einstein 
Booker T. Washington 
Blaise Pascal 

Statesmen

Konrad Adenauer 
Winston Churchill 
Benjamin Franklin 
Patrick Henry 
William Penn 
Henry Clay 

Composers

Irving Berlin 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Anton Bruckner 
Felix Mendelssohn 
Francis Poulenc 

Writers

Hans Christian Anderson 
Charles Dickens 
Brett Harte 
Mark Twain 
Sean O’Casey 
Pearl S. Buck 
Agatha Christie 
C.S. Lewis 
George Bernard Shaw 

Religious leaders

Joan of Arc 
Brigham Young 
John & Charles Wesley 
Jonathan Edwards 
John Owen 
William Cary 
Dwight L. Moody 
John Newton 

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

Proud to be a homeschooler and a Litratistang Pinoy!

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We just got back from a homeschooling meeting today and it’s amazing to see how our motley group has increased. I was particularly encouraged by one of the dads who gave a little talk on his experiences as a homeschooling dad. One thing that he said that really made an impact on me was the fact that the Industrial Revolution changed how families interacted. Fathers were no longer as visible in their homes because they were called to work in offices and factories.

Why the impact on me? because in a previous post I made about homeschooling, I included a list of luminaries who were homeschooled and a good number of them belonged to the era prior to the Industrial Revolution. It makes me feel so blessed to have a husband who is passionate about teaching our kids in this day and age. So here’s a little bit more about our early homeschool beginnings.

Years ago before our first child was born, while my husband and I were in the US we explored the possibilities of homeschooling. Taking advantage of a local homeschool fair in Chandler, Arizona, we bought several books and resource materials for us to help us make that crucial decision… to homeschool or not to homeschool. One of those books that we bought was this book, The Well Trained Mind. It remained in our bookcase and gathered dust for a while until the time came for it to resurrect and ever since, it has been the book I always go back to, to check if we are still on track when it comes to homeschooling our kids. 

“This book provides you with the techniques, curriculum, and resources necessary to ensure that your child’s education is the best it can be.” - The Well Trained Mind website.

My husband and I have homeschooled our son for three years and he is now entering grade three. Soon our youngest will be ‘officially’ homeschooled as well. As far as homeschooling is concerned we are always trying to assess and regroup, junk what doesn’t work and keep what does and bring in something new to take it to the next level.  I already know which book to grab to help me go back to my basics. There are guide books and there are GUIDE books. In my opinion this belongs to the last group. It is not THE ultimate resource book but it blends quite well with the rest of the resources that we use for our kids and what suits OUR lifestyle. A Classical Method of Education with a Principle Approach using Literature based materials and Real Books that present a Biblical World view - this is our goal.

So if you do get a chance to find it while you are browsing in a bookstore, check it out. I saw a copy of this book just recently at Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street in case you hang out there or you can also get it online at buy.com

Authors : Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer

I give this book 4 Got teys.T smacks!

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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

Fred Terman (President - Stanford) 
William Samuel Johnson (President Columbia) 
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton) 

Generals

Stonewall Jackson 
Robert E. Lee 
Douglas MacArthur 
George Patton 

Inventors

Alexander Graham Bell 
Thomas Edison 
Cyrus McCormick 
Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright 

Artists

Claude Monet 
Leonardo da Vinci 

Presidents

George Washington 
Thomas Jefferson 
John Quincy Adams 
James Madison 
William Henry Harrison 
John Tyler 
Abraham Lincoln 
Theordore Roosevelt 
Woodrow Wilson 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 

Scientists

George Washington Carver 
Pierre Curie 
Albert Einstein 
Booker T. Washington 
Blaise Pascal 

Statesmen

Konrad Adenauer 
Winston Churchill 
Benjamin Franklin 
Patrick Henry 
William Penn 
Henry Clay 

Composers

Irving Berlin 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Anton Bruckner 
Felix Mendelssohn 
Francis Poulenc 

Writers

Hans Christian Anderson 
Charles Dickens 
Brett Harte 
Mark Twain 
Sean O’Casey 
Pearl S. Buck 
Agatha Christie 
C.S. Lewis 
George Bernard Shaw 

Religious leaders

Joan of Arc 
Brigham Young 
John & Charles Wesley 
Jonathan Edwards 
John Owen 
William Cary 
Dwight L. Moody 
John Newton 

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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My eight year-old son (he’s homeschooled and in grade 2) asked me a question while he was having breakfast this morning. Quite honestly, I don’t know the answer and I don’t want to scour Wiki for it so if you have the answer, just let me know.  Maybe I’ll come up with a badge that says - Congratulations, you are smarter than a 2nd grader! lol ;)

Do you know the answer to this?

When the queen of an ant colony dies, does the colony go to the colony next door and join them? 

 Think… think… (esep-esep)  

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I need this and I need it now! :)

PATIENCE, n. pa’shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]

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