Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Homeschooling: Burden or Blessing?


Reflections of a Homeschooling Mama


It was the first Monday after the submission of grades and a week after we finished our homeschooling targets for the school year.  For the first time in months, I overslept!  That day, I woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed.

School is done! 

No more lessons to prepare! 

No more books to read! 

No more stressful days! 

Oooppss…did I just say stressful? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love homeschooling. I love teaching and learning with my kids. But due to some wonderful turn of events in our family, homeschooling became as exciting as ever!


I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

For most families enrolled with CFA, the school-year officially begins after the Anointing Day wherein every homeschooling family gathers together for a Eucharistic Celebration and it is usually followed by a special blessing from our CFA Founder, Bro. Bo Sanchez. The activity aims to empower every homeschooling family as they begin their homeschooling journey. 

Since I was preparing for the delivery of our third child in September, School-Year 2012-2013 began early for us. It was suppose to give me some time off homeschooling for a few weeks to focus on the needs of our little one. But it seemed that our little princess was such in a hurry to make her grand entrance to the world. And on the Feast Day of the Assumption and 2 days before the submission of grades of the 1st Quarter came our dear daughter, Victoria (God’s victory and our victory, too!). She came earlier than expected. Many would ask why? Stressed? Well, who isn't  But I would like to believe that it was the perfect day for Victoria to come out and say hello to the world! She is an expression of God’s love for our family and a gentle reminder of the importance of the Blessed Mother in our family life.


                                                              


 So two weeks after giving birth, we were back on track. In between feedings and burping, changing diapers and singing lullabies, we were homeschooling. Post-partum depression? Thank God it never was an issue for me. Maybe because I was too preoccupied with lessons, activities, dirty diapers, laundry, cooking and all, that at the end of the day, I was dead tired to even think about getting depressed! There is indeed a purpose for everything. 

                                            

Thank you Lord for keeping me busy.

















“Good works to do and we know He will help us ‘till the day is through.” – Philippians 1:6

I honor my children, Joshua and Isabela, for their willingness to adjust and understand our current situation. Since we do not have a helper, we make sure to help each other out in doing house chores and we take turns in caring for the baby. It has instilled in us all the value of teamwork and time management. Our present situation has taught our children to be more responsible and independent. I noticed how both of them are enjoying their new roles as Kuya and Ate to our dear Baby Victoria. On the other hand, it taught me and my husband to be more appreciative of our children. We give each other tight hugs and shower one another with endearing words from morning ‘til night. We are each others’ cheer leaders. These real life experiences are the lessons we value most. What they have learned from these experiences were more than what textbooks can provide. More than Math, English, Science, Filipino or Sibika, the real lesson in our home is being able to train not only our minds but our hearts as well to love, to understand and to be of service to others. 
                                             


For God is faithful to complete the work He starts to give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

When we first entertained the idea of homeschooling, we were convinced that it was the best educational option for our children. While it is rewarding and fulfilling, it is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work especially for the homeschooling parent (that's me!) The lesson planning (yes, I find it so important to plan for our lessons),  gathering of materials for activities/lessons, the never-ending search for the best material/exercises, websites to visit, books to read, mini-field trips, major field trips and the list just goes on and on. Some may be entertaining the idea that since we are homeschooling, we are more relaxed compared to those who send their kids to school.  Yes, it is partly true. In homeschooling, the kids are more relaxed. But the teacher?...naaahhh... How can I relax when I have 2 students who are so curious and eager to learn? I just love how their little eyes sparkle every time they learn something new and interesting and how encouraging words work like magic in making them flash that radiant smile on their cute lips. They would make me notes telling me how much they love me (well...it's not only me though, my hubby gets those notes too )and my heart is overwhelming with joy when I hear them say, "You are the best teacher ever!" A taste of heaven here on earth!


                                                     


                             

                                      

But of course we also have challenging days. Who doesn’t? Homeschooling for our family is like a roller coaster ride. It is full of ups and downs but despite of this, we still want to ride on it… again…and again…and again. 
Why? 
Because we are crazy! 
No, kidding aside, we love it because… 
it’s exciting! 
It’s fun! 
The entire experience is priceless. Nothing compares to that moment when we see our children blossom before our very eyes. 

We are truly blessed for the gift of homeschooling and for surviving another homeschooling year. We thank the Lord for sustaining us and for His grace each day. May we be able to continue our mission of educating, caring and loving our children.

As a parent-teacher, I am committed to give nothing but the best for my students. When I took on the role of being the homeschooling teacher, I also embraced the challenges, difficulties and victories that went along with it, for all its worth,...for the love of God...my children...my family. It’s tough… but I trust the Lord to help us get through each and every homeschooling day.

                                     






  

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Populasyong Umaasa at Inaasahan

More Sibika songs...


Populasyong Umaasa at Inaasahan
(tune: Twinkle...Twinkle Little Star)

Populasyon ang tawag
sa kabuuang bilang
ng mga tao sa isang lugar
o di kaya sa pamayanan
Populasyong umaasa o inaasahan
Ating pag-aralan ang kaibahan.

Sanggol at mga bata 
pati kabataan
ay karaniwang inaalagaan.
Sila'y pumapasok pa sa paaralan
umaasa sa magulang sa pangangailangan.
Matatanda naman ay mahina na
kabilang sila sa umaasa.

Naghahanap buhay at inaasahan
upang matugunan mga pangangailangan
sila'y may husto nang gulang
at malakas ang pangangatawan.
Nagbibigay serbisyo o produkto man
kabilang sila sa inaasahan.


Be blessed.

Happy Homeschooling!


Yamang Tao


Just a quick sharing about our Sibika lessons for the quarter.
We have been singing our "Sibika" songs to review concepts as we prepare for the quarterly test. 


Yamang Tao
(tune: Bahay Kubo)

Mga mamamayan
mahalagang yaman
talino at lakas
ito'y yamang likas.

Sa sipag at tiyaga
lahat nagagawwa
natutugunan 
mga pangangailangan.

Tanod, bumbero
pulis at sundalo
sila'y nangangalaga
kaligtasan ng bansa.

Magsasaka, mangingisda
pagkain ang biyaya
doktor at nars naman
sagot ang kalusugan.

Kartero, panadero,
minero, sapatero,
dentista, tindera,
at may mananahi pa.

Guro, abogado,
arkitekto, enhinyero,
mga manggagawa
tunay na yaman ng bansa.


Sorry for not being able to post the past weeks. I have been very busy with some minor renovations in our home and I must admit that it is disrupting our daily routines.Few more weeks to go and hopefully we will be back in full swing though I am trying my best to slowly get back to our "normal" schedule.

Be blessed.

Happy Homeschooling!


Friday, July 1, 2011

Mga Uri ng Pamayanan


This week's Sibika lesson is all about - "Mga Uri ng Pamayanan". When planning for this week's lessons, I thought that it would be easier now since Joshua is showing great interest in learning Filipino words. He asks for the Filipino or English translations of words he could not understand. Since the "Ako ay Pilipino" song was a hit last week, I thought of making another song for this week. I find the lesson for this week more challenging than that of last week.  The Filipino words are longer and much harder to pronounce and understand. 

And the challenge continues....

If you have more suggestions on how to teach this subject effectively, please feel free to send me a message. I really do need a lot of ideas to help me make Sibika lessons exciting and easier for my children to understand. :)

Here is another song that hopefully would help you in introducing or reviewing the concept of "pamayanan".

Rural at Urban
(tune: Leron Leron Sinta)

Mga uri ng pamayanan
atin ngayo'y pag-aralan.
Ito'y maaring ayon
sa dami ng naninirahan.
Takbo ng pamumuhay
atin din titignan.
Ano kaya ang kaibahan
ng rural at urban?

Masikip at siksikan
madami ang naninirahan
makabagong pamamaraan
pati na kagamitan
matataas na mga gusali
iba't ibang mga sasakyan
modernong pamumuhay
sa pamayanang urban

Pamayanang rural naman
kaunti ang naninirahan
buhay dito ay simple lang
layu-layo ang tirahan
dito naman ay makaluma
pati kagamitan
maaaring may taniman
o pangisdaan


At first, the kids seemed interested just with the melody of the song. They were more interested with the guitar than the lesson. Hmmm... I made an effort to post the words on the board not just for the kids to read but actually, it is for me to remember what I wrote. There was resistance at first, showing lack of interest in what we were doing (ouch....that hurts!) So while playing the guitar and doing my own "revival" of the song "Leron leron Sinta", I raked my brain for ideas as to how to make the kids interested in our lesson. Thank God that I spotted our box of musical instruments.  I asked the kids to close their eyes for a surprise ( I was crossing my fingers that they would actually be surprised....) I opened the box and asked the kids to choose an instrument that they would want to use. We first worked with a steady beat. When I felt that their excitement was slowly building up, I asked them to again sing the song with me while we play our instruments to a steady beat. We played a little game of passing our instruments to the next person after each stanza so the kids were able to experiment with 3 different instruments.


I also made paper strips where I wrote phrases descriptive of each community. I posted "Pamayanang Rural" on one side of the table and "Pamayanang Urban" on the other side. Both kids were holding equal number of paper strips and  while humming the melody of the song, they chose which "pamayanan" was best described by the paper strip they were holding.




We played another round of the same game and this time they did it individually given 2 minutes to complete the game. The kids had so much fun and was trying to outdo each other and they requested to play the game a few more times. Hurray!




Mission accomplished!
Thank you, Lord for another fruitful week.
Need to start planning for next week's lessons....

Until next week....

Be blessed!

Happy Homeschooling!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

And The Journey Continues....



It's been almost a month since my last blog post and  almost 2 weeks since we started School Year 2011-2012. So much has happened in the past weeks and one of the highlights of our journey was the beginning of another homeschooling year. So far, the kids are enjoying every homeschooling moment.  Aside from routines to be established,  daily chores to be done, the fresh scent of new books, assignments also need to be accomplished when their dad arrives home from work. Though we homeschool, we still see the importance of giving them with just  a page or two to answer either independently or with their dad or an activity they can do with dad that can help them review the concepts learned for the day. The kids excitedly show-off their accomplishments as they tell stories about what happened during the day.  

Sibika remains to be our waterloo. Much effort is needed in planning how to make the lessons interesting for the kids. This week's lesson is about Filipino Character Traits - "Mga Katangian ng Isang Pilipino" (Grade 2 Sibika).  I thought of teaching it with a song since both  kids respond to music positively and it is easier for them to remember concepts when there is singing/music involved. I also thought of adding a simple action for each of the character traits and... lo and behold...the kids had a blast singing the song (even if  it got me confused at first, if we were singing or  playing a tongue twister game) and memorizing Filipino character traits! It was also easier for them to understand what traits Filipinos are known for. We even played a game wherein they took turns in guessing the character trait being described. They even requested for us to sing the song before we started lessons this morning.

Sharing with you our song and hoping it would be of help to you, too.


Ako ay Pilipino
(tune: Building a Community)

Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino.
Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino
Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino.
Ako ay Pilipino.

la..la..la...


Ang batang Pilipino


ay matulungin



  
mapagmahal sa bayan



   
at madasalin.




Ang batang Pilipino



ay magalang din



mahusay makisama


  
at masayahin.




**you can also change ako to...
... ikaw
... siya
...sila
...tayo



Be blessed!

Happy Homeschooling!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Seven Years and ...Beyond!

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

Dear Joshua,

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."  It is truly a joyful day for us for today you are 7. We praise and thank God, the giver of life, for another year for you, our dearest son. God showed us His great love and mercy by answering our prayers for a child and giving you to us. You are one of our greatest blessings from heaven. Our God's gift!

I can still very well remember the anticipation and excitement we felt when you were about to be born. We prepared to go early to the hospital and everyone in the family were excited for your arrival. Daddy Nel and Ninong Jojo drove me to the hospital and they even let me have breakfast at Jollibee. No wonder, even if you can't eat anything from Jollibee, it still remains to be your favorite. I honor you for the discipline you are showing everytime we go to restaurants and you can't order anything for yourself except for "extra" rice and will have to eat daddy or mommy's homecooked meals especially prepared for you. I admit that it breaks my heart everytime we eat out and you can't have anything but happiness fills my heart when I see you being so contented with just being with us in the restaurant, eating your "baon" and happily looking at the colorful poster displays and collecting the store's flyers. I thank God for your self control and discipline.

Remember when we went to Ate Jill's party at Marquinton? We were happy that you showed interest to join the "pabitin". We were a little worried that you might grab other children's toys but how you handled yourself  made us so proud of you. You never grabbed, you never hurt but instead had your eye on that one toy that you really liked among the many toys hanging on the "pabitin". When you got what you wanted, you quietly walked away from the crowd and headed back to us happily showing us the toy that you got. We never expected you to act that way and what you did that day made us very happy and proud. In our hearts we know that you are indeed on your way to recovery. You were focused to get what you wanted and was contented with just one and allowed the others to have their share. Bravo our dear warrior prince!

I honor you for the love you consistently show us, hugging and kissing us and always saying how much you love us. I appreciate every word of endearment coming from you for I know how sincere you are when you say those words and it is a manifestation of the purity of your heart. I thank God for each and every single day for giving me the opportunity to love and to care for you and your sister and for blessing Daddy Nel with work which gives us the provision for all our family's needs. Thank you for making us happy with your effort to obey and follow what we ask you to do even if at times I know how frustrating or tiring it can be for you. Thank you for always trying your best and for never giving up for it gives us so much hope and energizes our hearts to continue fighting our battle to overcome your condition. Though there are times when I feel so physically and emotionally tired, looking back to where we started and seeing where you are now, allows me to refocus and gives me the inspiration to go on and finish the fight. You are an inspiration to us. Your obedience to us, your parents, and to the will of the Father will surely bring us to our promised land.

Today, I am affirmed that my vision for you to stand in front of people witnessing how the Lord has healed you and telling them how much love the Lord has for you and for everyone is happenning really soon. Continue to pray and believe in your healing and recovery. The Lord is merciful and kind. He surely listens to your every prayer. Please include in your prayers children just like you and their families who are also fighting the same battle as ours. They, too, need love and prayers.

We love you so much! Cheers to 7 years and ....beyond!


With so much love,

Mommy Jen