What Is Our Focus?

This homeschool week has been more of "home" and not "school" for the kids, much to my dismay and disappointment. Where has the week gone? It just flew by so quickly! Already, it's Saturday and I still haven't even planned what we're going to do for next week! :( AND we haven't done most of what I had planned for us to do this week either!

However, I am still thankful for the things God has allowed us to experience this week (including my birthday — by the way, I'm giving away a super inspiring book by Bo Sanchez as my "gift" to you all, you can join the giveaway here if you like!). 

I also thank God that I was able to attend the Manila International Book Fair with friends and fellow homeschool moms/book-lovers from The Learning Basket — I was able to get some great books and inspirational CDs for the kids AND something which we have always wanted to add to our homeschool (since Tim was three, I think!) but couldn't afford to before — a Logico Piccolo set and Fun Thinkers set from Grolier! (We have to pay for it in installments but still, I am quite happy about it! Especially when I see the kids having fun using them!) Thank You, Lord, for providing for our homeschool, as always! :)

Also, I thank God for using Karen of Simply Living for Him to remind me about what is essential in our homeschool — to focus on eternity and on making heaven the ultimate "goal" for our kids (and ourselves, too): 

"Are we focused on making our kids look good, which in turn makes us feel successful? Or are we focusing on their hearts? God knows our hearts and our children’s hearts, and no test score can override that. We must start with their hearts and ours. We must not be caught up in what others think is success. Our goals come from the Lord and what He has called us to do. We work for an audience of One."  

~excerpt from Karen's new ebook..."Called Home."

May you and I remember this always, especially during difficult days! + AMDG +

Homeschooling is a little bit like baking bread.

I saw a link to this article on one of my homeschool groups on Facebook. :) Titled, "Homeschooling Can Work for Everybody," I think it is a good read for all of us — newbie homeschoolers, wannabe homeschoolers, veteran homeschoolers, curious-about-homeschooling non-homeschoolers... :)

Here's an excerpt from the article / blog post that I can SO relate with right now:

Source.

I suppose homeschooling is a lot like making fresh, homemade bread.   Bread made at home is, without question, much better for your family’s health (and taste buds) than store bought replicas.   But it’s up to you whether you want to do the work to make bread at home.  Bread from the store is more convenient – faster, easier, cheaper, less messy, and you don’t have to do the work.   A no-brainer choice for many.  

But a handful of folk, who are willing and able to work for the very best for their family, will learn how to bake bread.  They will ask experienced bread makers for advice.  They will gather the ingredients, lovingly mix them, pound and knead them when necessary and sit back and watch it rise and bake, careful not to let it burn.   They will take the time to make bread for their family consistently each day.  They will experiment with and vary their recipes so their family doesn’t grow tired of the bread.  They will work tirelessly feeding their family the best bread they can provide.  Bread making will become a part of their daily life, continuing on whether they are busy, ill, or troubled.  The act of bread making will become a habit and a loving ritual. 

You see, homeschoolers either make the great effort and many sacrifices to homeschool, or choose the supermarket version of education.  Homeschooling doesn’t ‘stop working’ for any family.   It is a tool which we choose to stop using or a goal which we choose to stop valuing.

(Click HERE to read the entire article / post.)

It's a good reminder for me, too, especially on days when we don't seem to do any "school" and focus more on the "home" part... Or, on the days when "lesson time" is just reading a book or two or more and having a short discussion about it before TeacherMama has to go to the office. Or work on meeting her {long-overdue} deadlines. LOL!

A Must-Read for Homeschoolers: Stepping Out of the Grade Level Box

I read an article on Simple Homeschool last week and felt that it MUST be shared and read by other homeschoolers (and even those who are NOT homeschooling their children)! In fact, I think anyone involved in the education of children should read it. :) Here's the link:

Stepping Outside the Grade Level Box

Go ahead and read it and let me know what you think, too! (Just leave a comment below.) :) I've been "struggling" with this for quite some time now — our little boy is "supposed" to be in Kinder 2 (Prep) by Philippine standards (if he were enrolled in a brick-and-mortar school), and his skills are "just right" for his age, according to the preschool teachers who assessed him during our discernment period.

However, since we're enrolling him in Kolbe's K-12 program, it means he'll be in Kindergarten by U.S. standards (they don't have Kinder 2). So does that mean he'll be in a lower grade than he's "supposed" to be in?

We all need to step out of the "boxes" that we've been "placed in" along the course of our lives, doncha think?
(Photo source.)

For a while, I was a bit bothered about this (I have a LOT to unlearn still!) BUT reading the article above just affirmed what I/we have been thinking lately... the need to focus more on building character (for our kids AND ourselves, too!) and letting our kids enjoy being kids. Academics are important, yes, but I don't think God will ask what grade level we finished when we meet Him in heaven — our final destination! :) After all, aren't we "parents for eternal life," as described in the article here? :)

Happy homeschooling, everyone!

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! ;)

Author and illustrator in the making? ;) Only God knows!

Tim had some workbook time last night, or, what he calls "homework." I was at the office the whole day Thursday and Friday, so I thought we'd get in some writing and reading practice before bedtime. We decided to use the Summer Skills Daily Activity Workbook for Grade 1 that we got (for P99!) at National Bookstore last Independence Day.

Do you see little Therese's foot?! Haha!

Yes, I know summer is officially over for us here in the Philippines, but the workbook is really nice! :) Tim enjoyed choosing which pages he wanted to do and I was amazed that his handwriting has improved greatly (by my standards anyway, LOL!) EVEN IF WE HARDLY DID ANY WRITING PRACTICE THESE PAST FEW MONTHS! :) God, You're amazing!

One of the pages required Tim to draw something and he ended up being SO EXCITED that he asked for a separate piece of paper so he could draw some more.

Tim usually doesn't like drawing or coloring, so I let him go crazy drawing up his own characters and making up his own story — even if it was a little bit too "violent" for my taste! You know, fighting and zombies and monsters and whatnot! :P

He got SOOO excited that he even asked for my help to make a book. I tried to recall fellow homeschool mom Mariel's tips for encouraging story-writing among young children as we went along.

I had Tim write the page numbers for our book. :)

This is what our book cover looks like:

The Adventures of Timothy and Friends
Written and Illustrated by Tim and Tina Rodriguez

Can you tell which words Tim wrote and which ones I did? LOL! :) I helped draw the picture but asked Tim to do the details. :) So what do you guys think?

P.S. I am overjoyed that Tim has started enjoying writing and thinking up his own stories and characters. He's been doing this from time to time with his toys and this isn't the first time he's made up his own stories BUT it is the first time we've actually tried putting them in "book" form! :) Perhaps we have an author / illustrator in the making? Only God knows His plans for our kids, and whatever they are, they're certainly the BEST! :D + AMDG +

A Palm Sunday Reflection: Are We Crazy Enough To Homeschool?

This super inspiring blog post by Ann Voskamp, entitled, "Why Be Crazy Enough to Homeschool?," comes at a perfect time — Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday), the official start of Holy Week.

Photo from Fr. Stephen Cuyos, msc

Since we're still undecided whether or not to continue homeschooling, we hope this special period of reflection, prayer and fasting this Holy Week will enlighten us in terms of this decision (and so many others!).

For everyone out there who is homeschooling, thinking of homeschooling, thinking about stopping homeschooling (is my grammar correct here? LOL!), I highly recommend Ann's post. The following excerpt from her post left me in tears actually:

... homeschooling is this magnificent crucible, to reveal impurities and sinfulness and brokenness. 

It keeps us on our knees. Homeschooling often hurts and disappoints. 

You cry and wonder if you are insane to try to educate these children, to disciple these little hearts, while laundering, cooking, cleaning, managing a household, and still being a wife, a sister, a daughter, a missionary in your community, a servant to Christ and in your faith community. And He smiles and say that He walks with you, has grand and glorious purposes, and He understands radical and crazy!
Homeschooling is about going higher up and deeper in, for you learn to sacrificially love in ways you have never loved before. You come to know your own heart in ways you never imagined, the souls of your children in intimate, very real ways.

For you will be together, making memories together, laughing together, crying together, praying together, and asking forgiveness together. Throughout your day, you worship God, together. And you learn to die-to-self together. It’s about doing hard things… together. And there will be no fragmentation of learning, home-life, friends, work, God. 

We keep homeschooling to weave a one-piece life – hallowed threads of parenting, love, pain, education, growing, stumbling, creativity, forgiveness, wonder, sacrifice, and God all woven together. 

We wear it, and it’s not perfect and it’s messy — but oh, it’s a good fit for us!

Praying for you this Holy Week and beyond,

Tina 

A Timely Reminder About READING from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (and a Freebie!)

I receive regular e-mails from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOSH), and this most recent one helped me remember why we are homeschooling. I'm having one of those weeks when I am questioning our homeschool journey, and feel like I'm not doing "enough," and am half-tempted to enroll Tim in one of the local Catholic progressive preschools! 

Thank God too for fellow ROCKERs mom Maricel of Medela Moms, who was very assuring and encouraging too during our online conversation yesterday!

This is JUST what I needed, Lord! Thank YOU! ;-)

P.S. Don't forget to scroll down for a freebie especially for TOSH subscribers! If you aren't one yet, it's super easy to subscribe! Click here for more details.

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At what age do children learn to read? It depends . . . your 5-year-old may read sooner than your 7-year-old and some kids don't read until they're 11 or 12. Kids are different and not everyone learns at the same speed. For example, we've probably used a different phonics program for every kid. What works for one doesn't always work for another. Some kids are ready to read in kindergarten; some kids aren't ready to read until later. Homeschool isn't a factory where we turn out cookie-cutter students (grin).

Homeschooling A Reluctant Learner

What a beautiful inspiring post from one of my favorite homeschool sites: Simple Homeschool! :-) This Sunday morning, I am led to reflect more on why we are homeschooling and what I am doing "wrong" which may be more harmful than helpful to Tim (and Rysse)! :-)

Thank You Lord for articles like these, which help bring me back to the right path! I am sharing it below for you all. :-) You may also find these activities helpful: http://webmama-blog.blogspot.com/2010/05/activities-for-relunctant-learners.html. God bless us and Mama Mary, please continue to pray for us!

Teaching a Reluctant Learner

by TONI on SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

in INSPIRATION

Ihave a child who hates school.

This is hard for me to admit because it feels like I failed. I failed my son, my family, and the homeschool community.

Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom (the original post can be found on Simple Homeschool.)

Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Heart of the Matter virtual homeschooling conference. My topic? Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom.

The talk went well, and afterward I had the idea to turn it into a series for you here. So over the next few Mondays, I’ll share tips that set a homeschooling mama (or papa!) up for success in the homeschooling lifestyle.

When I use the word “secrets,” I don’t mean they are necessarily earth-shattering ideas or principles you’ve never heard of before. In many areas of life, often the most profound truths are also the most simple.

I’ve called them secrets because they encompass ideas I wish I would have known at the beginning of my homeschooling journey–ideas I’ve had to figure out and stumble across along the way. If I would have known these from the beginning, I think it would have helped me approach homeschooling in a more relaxed, pressure-free way.

Warning: Monster Mama alert!

I was a very, very, very mean mom to Tim yesterday. Taking from the words of fellow homeschool mom Jen, I was a "monster mama."! Literally! (Believe me, I won't describe what happened in details for fear of you not reading my blog anymore! haha!)

I was so distressed by what happened that I posted about it on the ROCKERs Facebook page:

Tina Santiago Rodriguez

was a really really really really really mean Monster Mama today. Praying for the grace of healing, forgiveness, patience and selective memory loss (for my kids). Haay, pray for me please fellow ROCKERs! This Teacher Mama lost it today! Huhuhuhu

Why Homeschooling is Best for Your Preschooler

The preschool years are a precious time, not only for children but their parents as well. It is a time of wide-eyed wonder, discovery, gaining independence and learning life skills that will help one survive the sometimes-stormy years of adulthood.

It is no wonder then that for many parents, sending their children off to preschool during the tender years has been replaced with another option: to homeschool preschool, or, in the words of homeschool preschool mom, writer and advocate Susan Lemons : “homepreschool.”

Quoting from Jane Claire Lambert, founder of Before Five In A Row, a homeschool preschool “gentle learning” curriculum: 

 “Now is the only early childhood you will ever be able to share with your child. These are golden years. It might be worthwhile to once again thoughtfully consider how you really want to spend your time. What could you put off until later in order to maximize and preserve these few precious years with your child? Your sacrifice today will mean a stronger academic and emotional future tomorrow. Your love, time and attention mean so much. In a child’s world, there is simply no substitute for you!” 

If you are considering homeschooling your preschooler, let me tell you now based on my own experience, it may be the best decision you could make for your young one! (Check out some of the benefits here).


To read the rest of this article, please go to Smart Parenting Philippines' website here.

Homeschooling Your 6 to 7 Year Old

Photo from ascplcl.wordpress.com

Homeschooling is gaining more and more popularity in the Philippines and many parents are becoming curious about how it works. I personally have received a lot of inquiries from parents about homeschooling preschool, mostly because of my blog. 

I don’t claim to be an expert on homeschooling, but I have been able to learn a lot about it through my own research, reading other homeschoolers’ blogs, as well as linking up with other homeschooling families, and homeschool groups like the Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) and the Catholic Homeschool in Asia Pacific & the World yahoogroup. 

There are actually quite a number of parents who home educate their children even beyond preschool, some even going on through elementary school to high school. For those who are interested in knowing how homeschooling their 6 -7 year old kids can work out, get tips from these real homeschool moms:
(To read the rest of this post, please go to my article on Smart Parenting Philippines' website here.)

A "holy" start to the new school year

Homaygash!!! ;-) September is already HERE next week (in a few days!!) Waaaah. Thank God for this E-newsletter from CHC!

Time to get our routine and schedules in order! Dear St. Monica, pray for us!

+ August 27, 2011
St. Monica, pray for us!

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints….

-- Col. 1:11-12

With what eager anticipation we begin the school year, knowing His presence in our homes; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  Our happiness is not based on the ups and downs of one day, but rather on the quiet certitude that He Who revealed to us this great gift of homeschooling will also guide us on the Way.  

Ideas for beginning the school year with a 'holy start':

~ Surely, begin with Holy Mass; you may even inaugurate the school year with a celebratory dinner or party, inviting your parish priest and asking his blessing on your school room/area.