Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) Chairman Edric Mendoza
When In Manila: Exploring Homeschooling: the D.I.Y. Education
Will Smith is known for being one of the big stars of Hollywood, with blockbuster movies like Independence Day, Men in Black, and I Am Legend under his belt. Will and his wife Jada try to remain grounded amidst success, and remain focused on what’s really important—love for family and character — values they passionately impart to their children Jaden, Trey and Willow. Desiring to pass on these important values, they decided from the start to homeschool.
Based on the same goal of building a strong family foundation through this learning option, Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) makes it possible for parents to learn about home education. It assists parents by pointing them to the right providers, trainings and resources to be able to homeschool well. The coming Philippine Homeschool Conference 2012 this May 19 is a big event that invites everybody interested in homeschooling to come, discover, learn and be enlightened.
Home education as a prime educational option
Homeschooling brings a customized educational experience at home, one where the parents decide to fully take charge of teaching their children. This is D.I.Y education at its best. Because inarguably who would know our children best? Who would be most loving and nurturing to them but their parents. Perhaps that’s one of the major reasons why homeschooled children become achievers. We have homeschoolers like Christopher Paolini, best-selling author of fantasy novel series Eragon; Tim Tebow, star NFL quarterback and the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy at age 20; Serena Williams, tennis champion; Joey Logano, NASCAR champion racer; Jonas Brothers, an American boy band, and locally, Paul Tan-Chi of the Ateneo UAAP basketball fame and incumbent President of the 200-member strong Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA). The list goes on of well-known homeschoolers from the past—George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, C.S. Lewis, Pearl S. Buck, Florence Nightingale to name a few.
Five tools for a successful D.I.Y. homeschooling
HAPI believes that a successful D.I.Y. education will have five tools to work with, namely: a ruler to represent the learning context, a hammer for the learning content or the curriculum; sandpaper for enrichment activities that bring out and hone the talents and skills of the homeschooler; sharpening steel for the support group with like-minded and helpful parents; and lastly, the plumb line which represents the standard (purpose) that will guide the homeschooling journey and “keep straight the path”.
For learning context, homeschooling can be done through a homeschool provider, or independent of one, but both with varying degree of Dep Ed supervision. Learning content or curriculum can be customized, with a range of textbooks to choose from. For enrichment, there are a growing number of service providers for music, arts, PE and life skills programs. Support groups, like H.O.M.E. Library, are rising to the occasion as parents recognize the need to consult and get encouragement from others in the same journey. Grounding one’s reason for homeschooling on a clear purpose is understandably the most important tool for D.I.Y. education. For example, you must define what true success is for your child and let that guide you.
Homeschooling by choice
In the country, more and more Filipino parents are homeschooling by choice, and discovering its priceless benefits, The association has put their number conservatively at 3,000 families. HAPI has made it its mission to be a catalyst in nation-building by advancing home education and unifying home educators in the country. . It is also affiliated with the largest homeschooling organization in the world, and envisions a movement of transformed families creating positive change in their communities and the nation as a whole.
“We believe that the teacher-student relationship is intrinsic to the parent-child relationship. Parents have a natural God-given influence that will work to make homeschooling fulfilling for both. Through the Philippine National Homeschool Conference 2012, we hope to inspire more parents about homeschooling’s real life benefits,” says HAPI President, Gerry Argosino.
Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) Team
The Philippine Homeschool Conference is set to take place on May 19, 2012 in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong with the theme “Laying a Strong Foundation”. International speaker Debra Bell a homeschooling authority in the U.S. and best-selling author, and our own inspirational speaker and author Bo Sanchez are slated as keynote speakers. The event will be honored by the presence of Dep Ed officials like Atty Tonisito Umali, Asst. Secretary for Legal & Legislative Affairs.
Teaching how to be musically inclined
You can download the registration form here, fill it out, and submit together with your payment at any of these registration centers:
CFA
3/F Lighthouse Building, 60 Chicago Street, Cubao
(Fridays, 9am to 6pm)
PENIEL
42 Burgos Street, Vista Verde Executive Village, Cainta
(Mondays to Fridays, 8am to 3pm)
TMA
3/F St. Francis Square, Julia Vargas Avenue corner Bank Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong
(Tuesdays to Fridays, 8am to 3pm)
For more information, visit www.hapihomeschooler.com or call (632) 594 8962 or (63) 917 579 6288.
Homeschooling Information and Answers: Philippine Homeschool Conference
