Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Homeschooling Affirmation from a Stranger, Bo Sanchez and Philstar.com ;)

Whether you're a seasoned homeschooler, a homeschool parent wannabe or a homeschooling newbie like me, I'm sure there will come a time when you will need some homeschooling encouragement. :) Well, let me share how I've been affirmed lately about our decision to keep homeschooling (or rather, God's decision to put homeschooling "in our faces"! LOL!)

1. Affirmation from a Stranger

Last Sunday, the kids, their Papa and I were browsing through a tiangge (OK, what's the English term for this?! LOL!) stall after hearing Mass. One of the ladies there, an elderly woman whom I shall refer to as Curious Lola from now on, overheard Tim talking to me.

Curious Lola (to Tim): Where do you go to school?


Tim (speaking softly): Homeschool. (I then prod him to speak a little louder.)


Me: Where daw? (Loosely translated: She said, "Where?")


Tim (raises his voice, almost shouting in a cheeky manner): Homeschool! 


Me (thinking, "Uh-oh! She might think we have socialization issues!"): Don't shout, Tim.


Curious Lola: Wow! Homeschool! (Turns to me)


Curious Lola: How do you do that?


Me: (I start explaining).


Curious Lola: That's wonderful, etc. etc. 

Well, we actually had a fairly lengthy conversation about homeschooling and one or two other topics (which even included her telling me that two kids was just right and it would be better for us to stop at that. Umm... feeling close much?! LOL!). Hubby even thought that the lady was someone I knew personally, since we talked for so long!

Overall though, I came away encouraged by our conversation. I also felt humbled and honored again that God used little ol' me to share about how awesome (and challenging!) homeschooling can be. Yey! Thank You, Lord!

2. Affirmation from Bo Sanchez

At our recent family outing with the rest of my co-employees, I had the great privilege of talking to Bo and Marowe Sanchez about homeschooling! (Yes, the Bo Sanchez, people! The one who founded Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA) and a whole bunch of other ministries and organizations, and is my "idol-in-a-non-idolatrous-way" when it comes to writing! He's actually one of our company's "big bosses" and, of course, its founder, too!)

So this is how our dialogue went (as far as I recall, haha!):

Bo (making conversation because I stepped into his path {promise, I didn't do it in person! LOL!}): So how are you doing? You're doing good?


Me (rejoicing that my plan to start a conversation with Bo by stepping into his path worked): Great!


Bo: That's good. 


Me: Can I just say that your talk at the Homeschool Conference was so inspiring? A lot of the parents there were really in tears!


Bo: Really? Praise God! (or something to that effect)


*On a separate occasion, right after we had taken a group photo (see below, in case you think I'm making things up, LOL!)
I just got this from one of my officemates. See the lady squatting, with two kids? That's me with Rysse (white hat) and Tim (blue hat). Bo is the one in stripes, with his hands on the little boy (their youngest, Francis) and beside him (wearing black) is Marowe. Hubby is the one to the extreme left, in blue. Hehe!

Bo (referring to our kids): So, are you going to homeschool them?


Me: Well actually, we already are. But we're not enrolled under CFA yet. It's kind of challenging with my work so we're independent for now. We're using CHC, along with other things to supplement it.


Bo: Oh, that's great! That's what we started with. 


Marowe: OK lang yun. Bata pa naman sila eh. (That's OK. The kids are still young, anyway). 


Bo: Yeah, just enjoy it. Make the most of these years! (or something to that effect)


Me: Yes, I know. Thanks!


(I then prompt the kids to say "Thank you" again to their "Tito" Bo. (feeling close, haha! "Tito" is Filipino for "Uncle." They do and we all go home happy.)


Thank You, Lord, for that affirmation! :)

3. Affirmation from Philstar.com


In my post about the 4th Philippine Homeschool Conference, I said I'd share my own thoughts on the conference. Yikes! It's been over a month since the event and I still  haven't done so! (Sorry!) I was reminded to do so when I read this article about it on Philstar.com though, which also affirmed me about our journey in homeschooling:
Home Schooling Produces Achievers 

Of course, aside from these, I've also been getting affirmation from my fellow homeschool parents in our Catholic homeschool support group, ROCKERs and homeschool sites, like this post on homeschool preschool from Simple Homeschool. :) I feel less pressured to do and inspired to just be with my kids. (Special mention here: Mariel of The Learning Basket, thanks for your encouragement!)


By sharing these moments of affirmation with you, I hope to encourage you, too, dear parent reading this! :) Or, if you have words of affirmation you'd like to share with me (and others), please feel free to leave a comment. 


Thank you and God bless you and your family! ;)

2 comments:

Levy said...

Hi Mommy/Teacher Tina, ang dami ko matutunan sa blog na'to :) mukhang madadalas ako dito. To answer your question on my blog: Yes I am a Catholic and I really need a support group, please add me to Rockers. Thank you so much! 

Tina Santiago-Rodriguez said...

Hi, Mommy Levy! :) Thanks for dropping by! :D Please feel free to subscribe to the blog if you feel it is helpful. :) I think I need to be friends with you on FB to add you to ROCKERs though. What you can do also is ask to be added to the group - just look for ROCKERs Philippines on FB. :D I'll add you na lang. 

Thanks again! Please feel free to visit din www.trulyrichmom.com when you can - hope it helps you, too! 

God bless!

Teachermama Tina writes about

" Jesus Tree 3rd Philippine Homeschool Conference 4th Philippine Homeschool Conference About Teacher Mama Achievements Advantages of Homeschooling Advent Advent Activities Advent Crafts Advent Traditions Advocacies Affirmation All Hallow's Eve All Saints' Day Angels announcements Archangels Arma Dei Articles Arts and Crafts Assumption of Mary Babies Baby Einstein Baby signs Back to School Beginning Homeschool Bible Memory Verse Blessed John Paul II Blessed Mother Teresa Feast Day Blessings Blog Giveaways blog updates Bo Sanchez Books Breastfeeding and Homeschooling Catechism for Kids Catholic Catholic Activities and Crafts Catholic Books Catholic Cartoons Catholic Comics Catholic Education Catholic Feast Days Catholic Filipino Academy Catholic Filipino Homeschooling Catholic Heritage Curricula Catholic Homeschooling Catholic Icing Catholic Lesson Plans for Preschool and Kindergarten Catholic Parenting Catholic Unschooling Catholic Vacation Bible School Celebrations Character Development Child Discipline Christian Cartoons Christian Parenting Christmas Christmas Crafts Christmas greetings Classical Homeschooling College at Home Common Childhood Diseases Confessions Conversion of St. Paul Crafts Creative Activities for Homeschoolers Creativity Daily Schedules Day of the Unborn Child Department of Tourism Different Schooling Styles Discernment Discipline Divine Mercy Drawing E-books Earning Extra Income Easter Easter Activities Easter Treasure Hunt Eclectic homeschooling Education Education for Parents Educational Toys Educational Websites Encouragement for Homeschoolers Encouraging Writing Epiphany Epiphany House Blessing Equipping Catholic Families Events Exaltation of the Holy Cross Expo Mom Family Family Activities Family Bonding Family Traditions Fathers and Homeschooling Feast Days Field Trips Filipino Holidays Filipino Homeschool Filipino Homeschoolers Finances for Homeschoolers First Day of Homeschooling 2012 First Friday meet-ups Five In A Row Forever For Always No Matter What Free Bible Stories Free Children's Online Bibles Free E-books Free Online Books Free Online Comics Free Resources Free Workshops Freebies Frugal Homeschool Ideas funny videos Giveaways God God's Call to Homeschool God's Provision God's Provisions Godly attitudes Grade Levels Gratefulness Guardian Angels Halloween HAPI Heaven Help for Homeschoolers Holidays Holy Days Holy Heroes Holy Week Activities Holy Week Tips and Reflections Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands Homeschool Benefits homeschool bloggers Homeschool Burnout Homeschool Conference Homeschool Curriculum Homeschool Dads Homeschool Domination Homeschool Events Homeschool Goals Homeschool Help Homeschool High School Homeschool Moms Homeschool of Asia and Pacific Homeschool or Not Homeschool Planning Homeschool Preschool Homeschool Providers in the Philippines Homeschool Resources Homeschool Routine Homeschool Schedules Homeschool Statistics Homeschool Style Homeschool Support Homeschool Tips Homeschool Updates Homeschool Vision Homeschoolers Association of the Philippine Islands Homeschooling Homeschooling and the Working Mom Homeschooling in the Philippines Homeschooling Infographic Homeschooling is a Call Homeschooling Solutions Homeschooling Styles homeschooling videos How to start homeschooling How to teach kids about Holy Week and Easter How to teach reading I Recommend Ignatian Imagination Importance of Play Independence Day Ideas Infographic Inspiration for Homeschoolers Is Homeschooling For Your Child January Feast Days Jesus Christ July to Aug 2012 activities June 12 June 2012 activities K-12 Curriculum Kids Kids and the Bible Kids Books Kindergarten Lessons Kingdom-seekers Academy Kolbe Kolbe Academy Language Learning Styles Learning through Play LEGO Pilipinas at SM MOA Lent Lenten "decor Lenten Activities Lenten Countdown Lenten Crafts Lessons Learned Life Lessons Life Skills Literacy Losing your patience Love and Relationships Love for Learning Making Up Stories Mama Mary Mama Mary's Birthday March 25 Marian Feast Days Marriage Benefits Mater Amabilis May Ideas Michaelmas Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Mommy Mundo Mommy Talks Mompreneurs Monster Mama Month in Review Mother Goose Mother's Day Motherhood My Masterpiece Movement Nagging Nanay Notebook Nanny National Holidays Nativity of Mary Natural Family Planning New Year's Resolutions Nursery Rhymes October Feast Days Online Resources Organization Orientation Our Catholic Faith Our curriculum for SY 2012-2013 Our Homeschool Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of the Rosary Outreach Activities Palm Sunday Parenthood Parenting Parenting Bliss Parenting for Eternity Patriotic Filipino Books Phonics Programs Planner Play Pilipinas Play to Learn Pope JP II Prayer Prayer for Protection Prayer for the Unborn Praying about homeschooling Preborn Jesus Preparing for Christmas Preschool Preschool Lessons Preschool Science Preschoolers and Reading Printables Pro-Family Pro-God Pro-Life Pro-Life Activities for Homeschoolers Pro-Life Crafts Pro-Life Philippines Pro-Poor Progressive Schools Read aloud Reading Reading Program Reasons for Homeschooling Reflections Religion Resources Resources. DIY Review Reviews ROCKERs Rosary Routines Rysse Sacraments Saint Cartoons San Lorenzo Ruiz Saul to Paul Schedule Scripture Memory Verse September Feast Days Service Activities Sibling Relationships Sideline Jobs Sign Language Simple Homeschool Simply Living for Him Single Parenthood Smart Parenting Social Interaction Socialization and Homeschooling St. Cecilia St. Faustina St. Francis of Assisi St. Gabriel St. Lorenzo Ruiz St. Michael the Archangel St. Padre Pio St. Paul St. Raphael St. Teresa of Avila St. Therese of Lisieux Stepping Out of the Grade Level Box Successful Homeschooling Super Saturdays Support for Homeschoolers Susan Lemons Teacher Mama's Mama Teaching Infants Teaching Kids To Be Grateful Teaching Nannies Teaching Toddlers Teaching Toddlers about God The Annunciation to Mary The Learning Basket The Mommy Journey The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Therese Thinking Out of the Book Timothy Toddler Signs Toddlers and Jesus Truly Rich Mom Truth TV-free Activities Unschooling Value of Children Videos about Saints What Kids Say Why Homeschool? Why WE Homeschool Wordless Wednesday Work with the Poor Workshops for Homeschoolers World Breastfeeding Week Writing Yaya