Homeschooling? What's that?

SCHOOL AT HOME

by Karen Galarpe

Good Housekeeping, Philippine Edition

January/February 2003

Two families share what it's like to have your children go to school right at home.

The Teaching Nanay's Note: This article will help inform Filipinos who are curious or interested about homeschooling in the Philippines. A concerned father was referred to me by a member of our small group, inquiring about homeschooling, that's why I'm posting this now. To all homeschool-parent-teachers-to-be (that was long!), may you find this informative & useful.

School Fun at the Tan-Chi home

The sound of Mom's school bell a few minutes before eight a.m. meant classes would start soon in the Tan-Chi household. And so Carolyn Tan-Chi would race downstairs with older siblings Peter Jr., Joy, Paul, and Candy. the children would take their seats and, after a short prayer, each would open the booklet containing their respective lessons for the day.

For four hours, their mom Deonna would teach them subjects like Science, Math, Reading, etc., and check on their work, which were on different levels. At times dad Peter, a pastor of Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF), would teach Bible and Math. There was recess and then dismissal at 12 noon. "After that, we had the time to play basketball, table tennis, and golf. We'd swim, ride bikes, and do other things like practice the piano," says Carolyn.

That was how life went when the Tan-Chi children attended grade school in their homeschool. Today, all of them are achievers:

• Peter Jr., 28, a management engineering graduate of Ateneo, works in the family real estate development company, Asiatic Development Corporation.
  
• Joy (now Mendoza), 28, finished English in Ateneo and during her college days was captain of the soccer team that played in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) games. She is now director of The Master's Academy homeschool program based in CCF.
  
• Paul, 24, finished business management at Ateneo and is now taking his master's degree in computer studies, also in the same school. Back in college, he was a member of the basketball team, which played in the UAAP games. He also works for Asiatic Development Corp.
  
• Ruth, 20, nicknamed Candy, is now in the US studying dentistry. At Faith Academy where she finished high school, she was named salutatorian, Most Outstanding Senior Female, and Most Outstanding Senior Female Athlete.
  
• Carolyn, 18, is a B.S. Psychology freshman at the Ateneo. She is also a member of the basketball varsity team that competed in the recent UAAP games.
  

"They're all achievers by God's grace. We have taught our children a sense of responsibility, and this included being responsible in their studies," says their mom Deonna. "We never forced them to study. As homeschooled children, they just developed a love for learning." Now how did she do that?

Why homeschool?

Deonna's eldest child Peter Jr. was in sixth grade at Jubilee Christian Academy in Quezon City when she heard about homeschooling from a missionary friend. "I went to her house and saw her homeschool room. I saw the impact of homeschooling on her children. And I felt I wanted to do that because my children left home early in the morning, were gone the best hours of the day, arrived home at five p.m., then had tons of homework. I was like a drill sergeant when they were home: 'Hurry up! Shower! Study!' I didn't want that kind of life for my children."

Besides, she says, in a class of 45 children, the kids still do most of the work at home. Deonna felt she could teach the kids herself. She was also uncomfortable whenever her children would question what she would say, telling her, "But teacher said..." She felt she was losing her authority.

Her husband Peter also realized that the benefits of homeschooling far outweighed the concerns. "Parents are supposed to be teachers. What happened was parents have become just providers," he says. "We don't impact our children because we don't teach them. And I was entrusting my children at the best time for them to learn to teachers I didn't even know."

Easy as 1-2-3

Deonna then went to Faith Academy, a missionary expatriate school near their home. She got their scope and sequence list---what a child is supposed to learn---and then went to National Bookstore to buy textbooks. She got a blackboard, transformed a room in their home into a homeschool classroom, made lesson plans, and started teaching.

"I was excited to study at home. I remember enjoying it. I don't remember missing friends. I was with the most important people to me---my family," says Paul. Carolyn also enjoyed the experience and became "best buds" with Candy. "Mom was a fun teacher. We were excited---not pressured---to learn," adds Joy. Peter Jr. had trouble adjusting in the beginning. "At first when I told him to open a book, he would groan, 'Oh, mom...' Later on he would study on his own," says Deonna. "He was transformed from a tired student to a student who was hungry to learn."

She adds, "Research for homeschooling has shown that homeschooled kids gain confidence by being with parents so they become leaders." The proof: When the children got to high school, they were all accepted at Faith Academy, with some even getting accelerated. And they all excelled in both academics and sports. Getting along with schoolmates was a cinch as they had mingled with other families who homeschooled.

Now that they are all adults, Peter Jr., Joy, Paul, and Carolyn are one in saying that, in the future, they will also homeschool their children.

School Days at the Buizon Home

Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon was newly married to dentist Jojo Buizon and not even pregnant when she heard Peter and Deonna Tan-Chi talk about homeschooling in CCF. What really impressed her was hearing the Tan-Chi children share their experience. The children seemed different from other kids---they appeared to have a real passion for learning and a desire to live good lives.

Intrigued, Felichi did research on the Internet. "I got so excited as I discovered many things," she gushes. "For one, I learned that in the U.S., the homeschool in itself is an institution. And the homeschooling community there is known to excel academically. Research I came across showed that it doesn't matter what the mother has finished academically; children thrive and flourish in a homeschool setting."

Of course, there were fears initially---that of rejection and the lack of moral support, given that Filipinos put much importance on formal education. But to Felichi's surprise, she met a number of parents who were homeschooling their children and found the support she needed. Husband Jojo also backed her.

Felichi cherished what her own mom used to say: The first seven years of a child's life are the important formative years. "I said, 'Sige, kahit for the first seven years, we'll teach them what we know and pass on the values we want them to have."

Years at it

It's been six years since Felichi started homeschooling in the two-story Buizon home. Her eldest daughter Tahnee, nine, is already in grade four, while Joshua, seven, is in grade one.

Using the curriculum developed by the School of Tomorrow in the U.S., which she got from the Living Heritage Academy in Las Pinas, Felichi relates academic lessons to everyday life. When they were studying constellations in Science, they laid out a mat in the garden and gazed at the sky. For math lessons in fractions, they baked. (Joshua proudly says that he can bake a pineapple upside down cake. Tahnee can cook corned beef.) Just recently, they did a science experiment on the kitchen counter, adding vinegar to soda to make carbon dioxide.

PE classes means swimming in their grandparents' home in Antipolo, football at the University of the Philippines campus, and rollerblading inside their house.  Josh says school is fine. "What I like about it is I get to stay home." His favorite subjects are Science, Writing and Reading.

Tahnee agrees, saying she gets to stay home and play a lot. After the lessons for the day are over, she and Josh play house using chairs, pillows and cushions.  She also sometimes helps out Josh with schoolwork, and relishes affixing her initials on his papers as "Supervisor".

Confident children

Homeschooling enabled the Buizon children to learn at their own pace and in their own style. For instance, Tahnee loves music. Mom then used a preschool curriculum that taught phonics through song. "that helped her read at age four," says Felichi.

The children have also become more independent. They work on their assigned lessons independently unless parental supervision is recommended. Josh has even become a little handyman of sorts, even learning to clean the inside of a VHS player.  "I feel my children have grown very confident because they received the attention they needed. You see, in a classroom setting, they would have to compete for the teacher's attention. In homeschool, when they raise their hands, they get called," says Felichi. When last summer Tahnee joined Trumpets for an acting workshop, her teacher, actor Carlo Orosa, was very impressed with the child's confidence and attitude.

The Buizon children thrive and look forward to homeschool every day. In a few years, Kyla, their youngest sibling, will be joining their daily lessons. Well, she's actually sitting in already even if she's just one year old.

Inset: What Educators Say

Homeschooling is a nontraditional way of education. We asked two educators what they think about it. Rose Aligada is working on her Ph.D. in Reading Education (University of the Phils.) and holds an M.A. in Special Education (UP). She is president and co-founder of Learning Inn and is a parenting speaker of the Center for Family Ministries. Maricar G. de Ocampo has Ph.D. units in Counseling Education (De La Salle University), and an M.S. degree in Teacher Education (Bank Street College of Education, New York). She is an education consultant.

Q. What can you say about homeschooling?

ALIGADA: As a special educator, I am open to all alternatives to regular schooling. This will allow more people to be educated, especially in areas where there are only a few schools, or it is difficult for children to go to school for some reason, such as when children are sick or are in a war-torn area.  It's very attractive because it encourages bonding among family members and enables children to learn values directly from their parents. The homeschool program may also highlight the spiritual component, depending on the curriculum. In homeschool, learning is individually paced depending on how fast or slow a child learns.  The Department of Education (DepEd) would have children who homeschool still go to a regular school to get modules and exams. The base should still be a regular school.

DE OCAMPO: Homeschooling is one of the answers to many parents who are looking for alternatives to traditional education. It has been practed for a while (abroad) but only quite recently in the Philippines. I highly recommend it to students who have difficulty in adjusting to a regular school schedule. The DepEd has a curriculum and modules to be followed. Parents have to be committed to follow through with the education of their children.

Q. In your experience, how do students who have homeschooled fare compared to their peers who attended regular school?

ALIGADA: It's quite common in special schools like Learning Inn. Some children get sick for a while and cannot go to a regular school. Other children may have parents who travel for work; education gets disrupted. Homeschooling becomes an option for them.

DE OCAMPO: There have been students who have been homeschooled and are doing well in regular schools. They may be children who have been sick for while and have had to stay home. They are taught at home so that they will not be delayed for the next school year. Then there are children who have a hard time in transition situations like from a preschool environment to regular schools, or children coming from abroad going to regular schools here. Children who develop school phobia because of a traumatic experience in their previous school may be homeschooled. That also goes for children who cannot really adjust to regular or traditional schools.

The most important thing to remember in homeschooling is that the parent is the teacher---he or she is the consistent mentor and tutor of the child.

Q. Would you recommend homeschooling? If so, under what conditions?

ALIGADA: For as long as the child is unable to go to school, I'm for homeschool. That is better than doing nothing at home. But parents should make sure the child does not lack opportunities to interact with his peers.

There should also be regular supervision given by a teacher in a regular school. The homeschool program should be approved and accredited by DepEd. One cannot move up the ladder of grade levels without DepEd approval. Parents should go through the proper channels.

DE OCAMPO: I would recommend homeschooling to parents who have really thought about the commitment and the work it takes to teach their children. They have to research thoroughly about homeschooling and its effects, and see if their children will benefit from this experience or not.