this is my dilemma right now and i think this remains as one of my major concerns until next year when iñigo is ready for a formal schooling. i should be thankful though and consider myself lucky as i have other options now other than sending my kid to a traditional school. but the downside of having many choices--i can't figure out which one is the best for the little boy and for us too as parents should also be 100% involved in their kid's education.
allow me to tackle these two modes of learning and the potential benefits we're banking on, alongside my concerns and the setbacks i foresee:
homeschooling
it was jude who introduced me to the idea of homeschooling as he was fascinated on how some millionaires in the US homeschool their kids instead of sending them to private schools, which they can greatly afford. i have faint recollection on why i entertained the idea and researched further but it's this link that made me convince that homeschooling is a good, if not, a better option for our son's education:
http://catholicfilipinoacademy.com/cfa/10principles.php
though we are not equipped with 18 units in education, we have what his future teachers lack and that is full knowledge of our son's capacity. i bet it would still take time for them to know that iñigo is more "words smart" than "numbers smart". but more than anything else, my son is "body smart". i am making this assessment because i don't want to end up like the other parents who put pressure on their kids to excel on academics when in fact, their kids really can't because their intelligence doesn't dwell in science or math but in arts or sports. both the parents and the kids just end up frustrated. but hopefully, with the help of homeschooling, i can gauge my son's strengths and weaknesses and try other teaching approach so i can deal with the latter more effectively.
also, i see homeschooling as a medium to discipline me or jude (take note: it's us and not the kid) to set aside real quality time for our kid for two to three full hours a day. that's a lot of real bonding moment for us, don't you think?
and how can i forget... homeschooling is the cheapest as there's only a little tuition, no uniforms, no school bus, no baon, etc. we can have the flexibility on where to put our money for iñigo's development/
my only concern with homeschooling is, "can i do it?" (i will definitely be the teacher here) or do i have the mastery of the subject to teach my son the lessons infallibly. aside from this is my patience is also questionable and i can be really mean to iñigo when he's acting up or becoming extra-naughty. it may just defeat the purpose i have mentioned a while ago and instead of becoming closer to me, iñigo may see me more as the "tyrant mom". hehe.
waldorf school
i learned about waldorf or steiner education from the n@w group as someone brought it out for discussion. i became more interested and followed the thread on this topic. for some of you who are clueless on what's waldorf schooling is all about, here's a little backgrounder i got from wikipedia:
"The Waldorf approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning,[3][4][5] developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component.[6][7] Studies of the education describe its overarching goal as providing young people the basis on which to develop into free, moral[8][9] and integrated individuals,[10][11][3] and to help every child fulfill his or her unique destiny (the existence of which anthroposophy posits).[2][12] Schools and teachers are given considerable freedom to define curricula within collegial structures.[13]
Waldorf schools approach learning in early childhood through imitation and example.[27][28] Extensive time is given for guided free play in a classroom environment that is homelike, includes natural materials and provides examples of productive work in which children can take part;[21] such an environment is considered by Waldorf pedagogues to be supportive of the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of the child through assimilative learning.[28] In Waldorf schools oral language development is addressed through songs, poems and movement games. These include daily story time when a teacher usually tells a fairytale, often by heart.[22] Waldorf kindergartens and lower grades discourage exposure to media influences such as television, computers and recorded music, as they believe these to be harmful to cognitive development in the early years.[24][29]"
what i like best about waldorf education is it doesn't push the kids to learn everything at an early age. it enhances first the kids' love, ar at least the curiosity to learn. the pace of learning is more relaxed than in any other school. i also like it's principle regarding electronic media exposure particularly television and dvds, as i believe that nothing beats the mother-kid interaction when it comes to learning.
now here goes my concerns...
as you can see some of waldorf school's principles seem to be a tall order for us and i don't think we can adjust with the lifestyle it offers. i already visited the waldorf school near our place and i admit everything is ideal--the ambience is so serene, teacher-student ratio is only 1:10 at the most, no tv and other electronic devices for the students, the toys are all made of wood or indigenous products, the clippings in their bulletin board are encouraging the parents to eat non-fat foods and use only organic products in their households--and we are not sure if we have a place on this kind of system.
jude winced on the idea that he can no longer watch tv and eat junkies as we must set an example to our son if he's already enrolled in that school. so there's the question again, "can we do it?" tuition is no longer an issue as we think that the rates of other progressive schools in manila are 50-100% pricier. it's the change in lifestyle that we think we are not yet ready to take.
so which one of these schools? mini mini mini mo... =)
hi marie! the sons of my officemates go to waldorf here in qc. she and her hubby are not 100% waldorf parents, i mean, they do not follow the waldorf principles by heart (they're still watching tv and eating junkies i suppose) but they're trying rin naman. their kids are doing great in waldorf. i'm also thinking about it though.
ReplyDeletegoodluck ha!
really? i'm glad to know that although i already entertained that idea na rin. they can't force us naman talaga d'i ba if we do not really like to adhere to their lifestyle... pero my only concern is baka ma-confused lang yung bata... sa school he should be like this pero sa house okay lang na hinde. good luck sa atin mommy rhea and i hope we can come up with the best decision for our kiddos. =)
ReplyDeleteHi Marie! Hi Rhea! Lumalaki na babies nyo. napagiiwanan na ata talaga ako. hehehe
ReplyDeleteNi-report ko Waldorf last 1st sem 2007-2008 sa MA class ko. Montessori yung subject na yun pero inaral din namin ang iba pang schools na meron dito sa Pinas. Ok naman ang Waldorf. Pwede nyo naman siguro itago sa mga bata yung panonood ng tv at pagkain ng hindi organic food e. para lang hindi ma-confuse ang bata.
May isa pa akong nakitang problema sa homeschooling, walang bagong kalaro/kakilala/kaibigan ang anak mo na kasing age nya. baka mag-suffer ang kanyang social development. Pero syempre depende naman sa inyong mag-asawa kung paano nyo mababalanse yun.
:-) Good luck sa pagpili ng school! :-)
hi aileen! tell me more about waldorf, please? include na rin your point of view on this type of education. it's also good to have feedbacks from those who have no kids studying in this school as it's unbiased. thanks.
ReplyDeleteGirl, just reading this things you wrote, mukhang okay yung waldorf school. I haven't seen it but by the way you describe it, that one looks interesting. And as far as changing lifestlye, why don't you try it? Kasi it is going to be a healthy lifestlyle and you'll contribute to a clean and green environment. Yun nga lang, dapat lahat ng kasama nyo sa bahay committed with it, pati maid! (Sa office or online ka na lang manood ng TV, hehehe).
ReplyDeletesige marie. pahiramin din kita ng book ko on waldorf ed. sa monday na lang ha kasi pauwi na ako province ngayon eh. :-)
ReplyDeletegusto ko yung clean living lifestyle ng waldorf. ok din yung no tv kc sa experience ko, college na ako nakapanood ng tv - nung mag-dorm ako. pinagbabawalan kasi kami sa bahay simula elem hanggang high school. ok naman sya kasi naranasan kong maglaro sa labas ng bahay, umakyat ng puno, etc na hindi magawa ng batang addict sa tv at computer. hehehe.
hindi ako makapagbigay ng setback kasi hindi ako nakapag-observe noon.
review ko din muna notes ko. di ko na gaano tanda eh. hehehe
i also wanted to try (ewan ko lang kay jude.. hehe) pero para kasing overwhelming and intimidating yung sudden, not to mention drastic, changes. what i mentioned are just some of their practices pero marami pa like they encourage that everything is natural or organic... gosh, limited supply n'yan sa pinas! =) feeling ko nga if we're 100% waldorf parents kalahati ng laman ng bahay namin mawawala. hahaha.
ReplyDeletenaku aileen, yan din ang masasabi ko sa childhood ko though once lang ako umakyat ng puno at hinde ko na inulit... hehe, kaya i should say na i enjoyed my childhood. but i admit i was also a couch potato when i was a kid pero i managed to play outdoor games too with the other kids in the neighborhood. this is the childhood that we also want our son to have kaya good thing na rin that we moved here to laguna... may mountain, may trees, may birds, may fields, etc. kaya sorry he can't have a playstation. hehe.
ReplyDeletesame concerns na naman tayo girl...pero from the looks of it parang we will end up sending Benedict in a Montessori school pa rin eh...as you have said nga in our exchange of emails, iba pa rin to see our little boys in a uniform, with IDs and hand stamps...hehe
ReplyDeletesayang we saw a Waldorf school pa naman dito sa min...kaso di ata namin kaya change of lifestyle ni Marlon...haaay, wish ko lang!
as to homeschooling naman, medyo doubtful naman me sa capacity ko sis...baka nga masigawan ko lang yung bata.
but then again, baka naman mag-change mind pa rin kami..hehe
let's exchange notes pa rin ha ^_^
p.s. enjoy your vacation guys...
i wish I can homeschool too, but I am so busy! gahd!
ReplyDeletehi, tanya! yeah, time is one of the major concerns for some but i think homeschooling may work to our advantage as it would force us to set aside a few hours everyday to spend with our kids and know them better. so whether we have other things to do or none, we must be home with them at a certain time of the day for their schooling.
ReplyDeleteDid you go to the mom expo? Waldorf was there.
ReplyDeleteIt really is my dream to stay home with Chino and teach him the basics - but when I'm it I get bored and frustrated at the same time. Hahahaha! Nanny is teaching him colors now (he's 11 months) and once Chino masters them, Ill give Nanny bonus na lang for a job well done :-)