Written By Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon
Photography by Jojo Buizon
The Teaching Nanay's Note: Here is an article by Ms. Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon, a veteran homeschooling Filipina mom who is also my sister in Christ & fellow church member. Originally published in Metro Working Mom Magazine, some of the information may be old & outdated, but Felichi's insights are timeless! All italicized & bold portions are for emphasis, by me. May you be blessed, as I was when I first read this. =)
In 1992, my husband and I were invited to an orientation on home schooling. The couple that invited us had five children, one whom was still in high school and the other, attending one of the prominent universities in Manila. My husband and I were impressed when the couple told us that their kids – who were homeschooled – did well when they shifted to a traditional school setting. They excelled academically, were well liked, and were elected to leadership positions by their peers.
Homeschooling is an alternative form of education where a child learns at home through individualized instruction by the parent instead of in a formal school setting. It is most popular in the US where over a million kids are currently being homeschooled. Prior to the 20th century, homeschooling was the most common and accepted mode of education. Prominent prople like Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, and C.S. Lewis were all homeschooled. Even our national hero Jose Rizal received homeschooling from his mother, Teodora Alonso.
In June 2000, Time Magazine ran an article on George Abraham Thampy, that year's Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee Champion. George, who was homeschooled, also placed second in the National Geography Bee just two weeks prior.
At that meeting, my husband and I were introduced to a form of education that encouraged not only the development of a child's intellect but also his spiritual, social, and moral upbringing. Success was defined not as academic excellence or high grades, but rather, the pursuit of a life that pleases God. This was the thing that impressed us the most. We wanted to rear children whose aim was to please God, rather than themselves or their peers. We knew that if they learned to put God above all, the character and excellence needed to face life's many interruptions would follow. We realized that a homeschool setting would give us countless teaching opportunities that would develop in them a thirst for God.
My mom, who is an educator, always emphasized to us that the first seven years of children are their formative years. After that age, they are pretty set in their ways. And so, this is the ideal time to instill in children values such as God-consciousness and others-centeredness. It would also be the best time for us to curb wrong behavior. We cannot nip it at the bud if we are not around to nip it. Our society's morales are fast being eroded; even cartoons require parental guidance. As parents, we need to take bolder steps to develop strong children who can wait and who say “No”. This made the option of homeschooling even more attractive.
This is why, in 1996, after further research, prayer, and yes, trembling, my husband and I decided to homeschool our daughter Talitha, then three and a half years old. I belong to a generation of kids that stayed home until age five, before enrolling in formal school. I grew up in a happy home, endowed with a rich childhood experience. Now that I am a mom, I want the same for my children.
Taking responsibility for their training would require commitment from us. We were ready to give it. Since we no longer needed to work long hours to earn enough to put our children in select schools, we would have time for them. I shifted from full time to part time work to be able to give my child 45 minutes to an hour of uninterrupted fun learning, three days a week.
My husband and I were one in our goal. Agreeing as a couple was important, so we could handle the occasional feelings of inadequacy. We welcomed the eager support of other homeschooling families that have been an endless spring of inspiration and creativity and have introduced us to a variety of curricula to use.
The Rewards
After almost five years of homeschooling, what rewards have we seen in our children?
Family bonding. Learning together has made us closer. As we get to know each other more, we learn to love each other better. We find more time together since we do not have to rush each morning to beat the traffic, or leave the children when we go out of town because they will miss school. As a matter of fact, what could have gone to exorbitant tuition fees was instead used for travel and countless field trips. My children have been to more places than I have when I was their age, enriching their concept of the whole world they live in.
Love for learning. Applying the I. I. (individual instruction) method, we are able to tailor our teaching style to correspond with their dominant learning abilities. Through time together, we have discovered these abilities. Homeschooling has an advantage of being delight-directed. Talitha enjoys music and loves storytelling (she delights in the rise and fall of an expressive voice). She learned her phonics through music and began reading at age four. It is amazing to watch her memorize the different atmospheres, the continents, and the different food groups through songs.
Our son Joshua enjoys music, movement and the use of his hands. Music has made math concepts easy for him to grasp. At age five, he can read a list of words while being tickled. He has no qualms about kneading mud and handling large earthworms. He will be open to learning fractions for as long as you bake with him. I am intrigued by his fascination for writing numbers 1 to 100 on several sheets of paper. Both enjoy working on their lessons outdoors, so we make it a point to schedule visits to parks or public libraries. As we incorporate their delights into their studies, learning becomes fun, as opposed to being a chore, and we are able to capitalize on their enthusiasm.
Being “little helpers”. Homeschool is not “school at home” where a child puts on a uniform, and for the most part, sits behind a desk within the confines of a room for six hours a day. Learning at home takes less time and provides a three-dimensional environment that allows a child to learn by doing. This develops independence early in life.
The home environment is such a rich venue for lessons on practical life. Here they are trained to make their beds, feed their pets, apply first aid, set and clear the table, fold their clothes, refill the water containers and ice trays, shine their shoes, wash their tea sets, vacuum their rooms, operate a computer, help Dad change tires, or simply put things back where they belong. With the goal of learning, we also take them with us when we go to the grocery, bank, car shop, market, etc. Many of these lessons I only learned later in life since there was not enough time after school or the helpers were there to rely on. I am delighted at how my little tykes can be such big helps around the house.
Enhanced social skills. Talitha, at five, was invited to play a role in a training video for a commercial bank. At the taping, her role called for her to talk with a man in his 40s. They got along so well that my daughter asked me if she could sit with him for lunch. When the actor was called for a take, she sought out the two-year-old son of the makeup artist and spontaneously took on a caregiver's role. After some time, an eight-year old Indian talent came, and she did not hesitate to make friends.
I was amazed at how instinctively Talitha adjusted her social behavior to correspond with whomever she came in contact with. Could this be a result of being homeschooled? At home, she does not need to compete for the attention and affection she needs. This encourages a high self-esteem. At home, praise is immediate and so is discipline. When her selfish tendencies are caught, she is corrected. At home, she has opportunities to relate to elders, older ones, peers and younger ones alike. Unlike school, students are age segregated where high schoolers have little to do with the first graders.
The current trend towards early education bewilders me. I feel it is premature to take very young children away from what they need the most: the personal guidance, constant care, and comforting presence of their parents.
God-consciousness and others-centeredness. Once Talitha asked me why children would line up to talk to Santa Claus, I told her that children believe that Santa has some kind of magic to make their wishes come true. To this she replied, “I want God's magic more than Santa's.”
Or the time Joshua asked me if a spaceship could come close to the sun, I told him that the sun was like a fireball and nothing could possibly come near it without melting. To this he replied, “Jesus can.” I was also touched when Joshua asked me to pray that his older cousin would stop teasing his younger sibling. I was thankful for his compassion and sensitivity.
In the Bible, there is a specific charge to parents where we are called to teach our children in God's ways by talking about them when you sit, lie down, and walk by the way (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). It is God's desire that we make it a daily preoccupation to acquaint our children with the Lord. I count it a blessing to watch them grow, affirming and applying their faith. These rewards motivate us to pursue this alternative path of education. The journey can be arduous at times, but the experience has been a tremendous source of joy and inspiration.
So how long do we intend to homeschool? My husband and I have chosen to commit a year at a time. Covered with prayer, at the end of each year, we assess our children, the times, and ourselves, then we decide on whether to proceed or not. And for as long as the Lord, who holds our children's future, wants us to homeschool, we will continue to enjoy the benefits, make the most of our responsibility, and look forward to releasing in this world, children with character, prepared to meet the challenges of life God's way.
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