I wrote this article in my personal blog, as we didn’t have The Filipino Homeschooler site yet, after I attended the first homeschool conference in 2013. Gab was only 2 years old then.
Since then, I think I have been attending homeschool conferences annually. It’s a good venue to learn from seasoned homeschoolers, get inspirations, and meet old and new friends taking the homeschooling path.
We have been teaching Gab since he was 6 months, or may be even earlier than that. We started with sign language so he can communicate with us on what he wants, what he needs and how he feels, instead of just crying. Since Gab learned his baby signs, we have been encouraged to teach him more. He likes learning something new all the time!
And we are thinking of taking it to the next level, we are planning of homeschooling Gab. We read and get us much information so we can understand more of the home school education. So last November 16, I attended the You Can Homeschool summit organized by of Manila Workshops and The Learning Basket. I wanted to hear from the advocates and more experienced homeschoolers.
It was jam packed with inspiring talks and sharing from the speakers: Thammie Sy, Frannie Daez and Edric Mendoza.
Thammie is a homeschooling mom of 3. The took away from her, which I love, was her analogy of children being arrows – “Like arrows, children are meant for flight, and that with training and practice, they will hit the target.”
Frannie was a homeschooling mom of 7 kids! She talked about the myths of homeschooling. Her take of the famous question on socialization for homeschoolchildren – ” It is the parents’ responsibility to create opportunities for their children to be able to socialize.” Three of her kids even shared their experiences in homeschooling and when they transitioned to regular school.
The third speaker was Edric Mendoza. Known to many as the host of ANC’s On The Money, he is a homeschooling dad of 5 kids and the current president of TMA Homeschool and director of Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI). He shared is passion and confidence with home education and tirelessly work with the DepEd to make home education easier for Filipino families. His eldest son, Elijah, 10, shared about his love for the stock market and his growing investments.
I was able to have a quick chat with Edric and wife Joy. They recommended, Gab being just 2 and turning 3, was to continue what we are doing now at home. It is still too early for us to enroll in a homeschool provider.
Homeschool providers The Master’s Academy (TMA) now Homeschool Global Philippines, Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA), and VCIS Home Study were there to share their programs and to answer questions from attendees.
I was expecting the breakout session facilitated by homeschooling parents to be grouped according to the age of kids the parents have instead of random grouping. I’m sure parents would surely gain more from that and may be the group will not be pressed for time for discussions. I was also looking forward to hear a homeschooling parent with a single child to share her view as that will be our case. Overall, I’m glad I decided to join the conference. It was inspiring to hear first hand experiences from homeschooling parents, advocates and homeschooled kids.
