Tags: Child Health and Growth, Parenting
By Alexander Villafania
VALENZUELA CITY, METRO MANILA – My cousin Jun-Jun lives virtually anywhere in the country. Depending on his work as a project manager for an architectural firm, he and his family have to move quite regularly from one place to another.
Despite this, their five-year old daughter is still in school and is actually doing quite well. She is already on her way to attend grade school next school year. Surprisingly, the child is not physically in school but is taking up homeschooling instead.
As the name implies, homeschooling refers to getting education from home. It is considered an alternative distance education in the Philippines.
Homeschooling is primarily offered to children until secondary education. However, in recent years some colleges and universities have offered home schooling for undergraduate and even graduate degrees.
Homeschooling is nothing new in the country and many schools offer modules accredited by the Department of Education. Parents receive these homeschooling modules through mail or by getting them from the school and become the teachers themselves.
However, certain schools also train the parents on how to deliver appropriate and effective homeschooling techniques. During certain periods, the parent (or guardian) will submit to the school the assignments of the child, who will be given an exam to indicate how much he or she has learned during a given period.
Some of the schools that provide basic education homeschooling include The Master’s Academy (TMA), Homeschool of Asia Pacific (HAP), School of Tomorrow (SOT), Colegio de San Juan de Letran, among others.
The Department of Education, while advocating school-based learning, also supports homeschooling, particularly for students in far-flung areas and out-of-school youths.
In recent years, there has been a gradual growth in number of parents getting homeschooling modules and quite a number of learning institutions were put up specifically to address this growing need for home schooling.
In fact, it has become easier for many homeschooling providers due to the ubiquity of the Internet. This means paper-based modules can be converted to become interactive learning modules and delivered via the Internet.
There are several advantages of homeschooling, one of which is strengthening the bond of the parent and the child. Because of the affinity of the child to the parent, it would be easier for him or her to learn. And because of direct involvement in the education of the child, the parent would know the learning capabilities of the child, focus on his or her strengths and weaknesses, and using the appropriate learning material.
Inspirational speaker Bo Sanchez has a comprehensive article describing the right reasons that parents must know when they are to teach their children through home learning. Blogger Anton Diaz also has several points why he would choose homeschooling for his son.
Stephanie Asuncion of the Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote a beginner’s guide to homeschooling, which offers a lot of suggestions for parents who are opting for homeschooling.
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