This post is the first of 7 posts that I’ll be writing this week, as my response to Jen @ Conversion Diary’s 2nd Epic Blogging Challenge. To God be all the glory! 🙂
Ever since I started blogging about our homeschooling adventures — previously, on my old preschool homeschool blog and now, here — I’ve received quite a number of questions about homeschooling, particularly here in the Philippines. Here are my answers to some of the most common ones.
Homeschooling in the Philippines — Frequently Asked Questions {that I receive}
FAQ #1: I’m interested in homeschooling my child(/nephew/niece — yes, I’ve received questions where the aunt asks this). Where should I start?
First of all, if you asked this question, let me honor you for your even just thinking about exploring homeschooling. It would always be best to start with your “why’s.”
Think and pray about your reasons for homeschooling. This will be something you’ll be going back to time and again during your journey.
If you want to read more about why some parents choose to homeschool, try reading The Heart of Homeschooling series on The Learning Basket for starters. 🙂 (I share about our homeschooling reasons there too.)
Then, do your research. To start with, maybe you’d like to read this article: Homeschooling in the Philippines – FAQs and Tips for Parents — I wrote this three years ago (in 2010) so there are some things that may not apply now that DepEd has adopted the K-12 program. Joy Mendoza, a friend and fellow homeschool mom, wrote a helpful post titled “Where do I start?” — it gives more updated information.
If you have a preschool-aged child, you may also want to read about why I think homeschooling is best for him or her. You may also want to read my thoughts about teaching three-year-olds.
If you’re a Catholic who is considering homeschooling, this post — where I describe what happened during the very first meeting of , the homeschool support group God inspired me to form especially for {but not limited to} Catholic Filipino homeschoolers — also contains a downloadable powerpoint file where I made a case for Catholic homeschooling especially in the Philippines. 🙂
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FAQ #2: Is it easy for homeschooled kids to transition to traditional schools? Won’t they have difficulty adjusting?
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I know many more experienced homeschoolers with children who have transitioned to traditional schools and have adapted well — and are even thriving. One such family is the — their eldest was with Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA) until Grade 6 and is now studying at the Philippine Science High School. The youngest is still being homeschooled.
Another mom, Julie Fuertes, homeschooled two of her children for three years before enrolling them in local schools. Meanwhile, Liza Castaneda, another homeschool mom who I met a few years ago, homeschooled her two kids independently for eight years using Catholic Heritage Curricula, and both were accepted at local PAREF schools.
On the other end of the ‘homeschooling spectrum’ here in the Philippines, the Haos — who are primarily unschooling/doing interest-led learning — recently announced that their eldest child has received her high school diploma from DepEd (under the Alternative Learning System) and is now preparing for college.
Primarily, I believe that the transition can be much easier if you prepare accordingly. This means you more or less need to know what your child will/wants to pursue in the future.
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FAQ #3: What about socialization? Do homeschooled kids know how to socialize with others?
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I could write a whole series about socialization and homeschooling but for starters, you should read this post by Joy, this article about the myths and facts about social skills and homeschooling, and this MUST-READ article about why homeschooled kids are so ‘annoying.’ 🙂
Also, if you’ve ever met a homeschooled kid (like my children) you’ll probably notice that they aren’t much different from other children. (In our family’s case, they may be a bit too sociable! Ha, ha!)
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FAQ #4: Are there any orientations or training programs that I can attend if I want to homeschool my kids?
Yes, there are. DepEd-accredited homeschool providers like CFA and The Master’s Academy have regular orientations for parents who want to learn more about homeschooling their children. (CFA actually has one coming up on March 6.)
For a list of providers here in the Philippines, you may refer to the Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands’ (HAPI) website. I’m part of the HAPI Core Group but have been inactive ever since I was put on bed rest while pregnant. We will be meeting soon to discuss plans for the year — maybe even for another homeschool conference.
My friends and fellow homeschool moms at The Learning Basket also hold seminars related to homeschooling, among other things. Sign up for their newsletter so you can stay updated about such events. Sometimes I share about our homeschool experiences during their seminars.
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FAQ#5: Homeschooling seems like such a commitment. How many hours a day do you take to teach your kids? Can I homeschool even if I’m a working mom?
This is a tricky question to answer. While it is true that homeschooling, like parenting actually, is a 24/7 commitment, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be teaching your children (formal academics) for 24 hours every day. The number of hours would depend on certain things — including your child’s level of knowledge, the number of subjects you’re covering, what you desire to be the outcome of your homeschool ‘lessons’ or learning time. Here is a general guide based on what other homeschoolers say with regard to this (and our own experience as well):
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Preschool-aged kids — 1.5 to 2 hours daily
Elementary — 3 to 4 hours daily
High school — 4 to 5 hours daily
Of course, the general ‘rule’ is to make sure that your kids cover at least their core subjects daily and to encourage a love and attitude of ‘learning all the time.’ In our homeschool, my husband and I have agreed that one of our top goals is to raise our children to be independent, lifelong learners. (So that when they reach the secondary/high school levels, they won’t need so much supervision but can do their work mostly on their own. ;))
Now, can you homeschool even if you’re a working mom? Again, that depends. Do you work at home? If you do, how many hours a day can you devote to teaching your child? If you don’t work at home, and have a fulltime job, it can be extra challenging and homeschooling may even become burdensome for you and your child.
I know my friend Blessie Adlaon of The Nanay Notebook used to have a setup where she’d work out of their home the whole day then teach her kids at night when she came home. (She doesn’t do that anymore now though, and I believe it was only just for a short period of time.) Thus, you need to weigh things carefully and see what you need to sacrifice in order to make homeschooling work for your family. Go back to the ‘why’s’ of your homeschooling — they will help you make your decision about homeschooling and working, if needed.
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FAQ #6: What if I’m not a patient parent? Can I still homeschool? I don’t think I can!
Image by David Castillo Dominici | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Parenting in itself requires great patience of ALL of us. Homeschooling parents soon discover that more than teaching their kids, they also learn a few things along the way — including how to be more patient. I am certainly not the most patient mother — my kids (and probably our neighbors too, ha, ha) can attest to this! Ironically, people who find out that we’re homeschooling always think that I am Mother Teresa or something, with truckloads of patience to help me teach my children. This is not true. BUT, by God’s grace, I’d like to believe that I am {a teeny, tiny but} more patient now than when we first started homeschooling.
So can you homeschool even if you’re an impatient person? Alone, you can’t! With God’s help, you (and I) can! 🙂
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These are certainly not the only homeschooling-related questions I’ve ever received about homeschooling but these are a few of the common ones. I hope this helps those of you who are exploring the concept of homeschooling somehow!
{*Coming up tomorrow:
My usual ‘The Week and Day That Was’ post, which usually focuses on our homeschool days
PLUS (God and time-willing!) an EXTRA post about independent homeschoolers in the Philippines}
Do you have other questions about homeschooling in the Philippines? Or do you have something to share about homeschooling here? Let’s talk in the comments!
Oh gosh! You just answered almost all my questions. The number 6 being the one I dare not ask. Thanks for these info. I’m asking my husband about homeschooling because I’d like to give it a try. I have enrolled my eldest to one of the schools nearby and now I’m thinking of homeschooling him even for the preschool years. He’s not really sold out with the idea so I’m doing (a bit) of research about it. Plus, I think I suck at being patient too. At least I know now I can do this.
I’m glad this post is helpful, Camille! 🙂 To God be all the glory!
Oh Tina! I’m so encouraged by your blog. I’m encouraged to step back, seek God for wisdom on how to raise our children, to restart everything….
Hi May! 🙂 Praise God for using my blog to encourage you — I am blessed by your words! To Him be all the glory! I join you in taking a step back actually. I feel like I need to “restart” almost every single day! God bless!
Hello Ma’am Tina! It’s my first to comment in your blog. I find this post really helpful for me. I’ve been thinking of homeschooling my soon-to-turn-3 year old son, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough support system for this venture. I may be the first and the only mom to do that here in my town or in Negros. Do you know any homeschooling mom in Negros?
I opened this idea to my husband, but he totally disagrees about this and I couldn’t support this with enough reason to convince him. So much determined now to learn more and convince him.
Hi Mommy Kristine! 🙂 No need for the “Ma’am”! Just call me Tina. Thank you for commenting. I’m so blessed by your feedback on this post! You may want to attend The Learning Basket’s Preschool Homeschool Workshop on March 8 (details here: http://www.thelearningbasket.com/events/starting-your-preschool-homeschool-a-practical-workshop) I highly encourage you and your husband to go! Praying for you and him too! God bless!
i just want to ask this question, hope you will answer..what will happen to students who didn’t undergo the senior high school in k to 12, students who graduated in the old curriculum in ched the not k to 12 curriculum, what will happen to them in college say they will study another course after graduating a course for example BSA then they will study again BSIT.what will happen to them if by that time they will enter another course their course (BSIT for ex.) will be 3 years only which means that only the major subjects will be study because the minor subjects are studied in the senior high school.what if they didn’t undergo the k to 12 program,will they be admitted to college quickly or they will first take the senior high school subjets which are pre-requisite to college?
Hi! Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry but I’m not so sure what the answer to your questions are. Perhaps it would be best to consult DepEd about your concerns. I think you can send them a message through Facebook:
Hope that helps somehow! God bless!
Hi, meron po ba rin kayo dito sa Cebu? If yes how much po? I’m a 2nd yr high school student gusto ko po sanang mg home school.
Hi, Jane! 🙂 Please try emailing Catholic Filipino Academy High School at . You can also check out their website: http://catholicfilipinoacademy.com. Thanks and God bless!
Hi Tina! Can you give me more info about independent homeschooling? Thanks..
Hi Grace! 🙂 Sorry for the late reply. What kind of info do you need? Here’s a post I wrote about independent homeschoolers: http://trulyrichmom.com/independent-homeschoolers-in-the-philippines/. Hope it helps somehow! 🙂 God bless!
hi ms. tina. i wanna ask po.. kc ung anak ko is 7 yrs old na at nasa grade 2. since kinder umiiyak po cya at ayaw pumasok sa school nung grade 1 cya nagbantay ang lola nya para matapos lbg grade 1 kala nmin magiging ok n cya ngaun nnmn pasukan eto nnmn iyak pa rin po cya ng iyak. kaya naisip ko if pede po b cya ihomeschool? pano po b? san po b ko pede maginquire? magkano po kaya need ko para maihomeschool ko cya. salamat po need help po tlga ayoko po kc magstop cya
Hi Nina! I am sorry na ganun ang situation niyo ng anak mo ngayon. Did you ask him/her kung bakit siya umiiyak? Baka may nangyari sa school or nagbu-bully sa kanya? In any case, if you want to consider homeschooling, you can try inquiring sa Catholic Filipino Academy kung open pa sila for new enrollees: . Kung closed na sila, try other homeschools — may list dito: http://trulyrichmom.com/homeschooling-in-the-philippines-where-to-enroll-your-child-locally/
I will be praying for you and your family, especially yung anak mo. God bless!
Hello po ma’am Tina, pwede po ba mag homeschool kahit na walang parent. kase ofw po mama ko eh. grade 9 na po ako ngayon and gusto ko po sana mag homeschool nalang. at magkano po kung magh-homeschool at ano po mga requirements at paano po magswitch sa homeschool from private school?
Hi Maika! Pwede naman pero baka challenging lang. The requirements will depend on the homeschool provider eh. Try contacting Catholic Filipino Academy, TMA Homeschool, Peniel Christian Academy for starters. (You can Google for their contact info.) Hope you will be able to find the solution to your schooling concerns. God bless!