choosing the right school

This is my entry for the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival 2nd Edition hosted by the working mom.

When I was still younger, it was one of my plans that if ever I would have children, I would send them to the best schools for them to get the best education. Now in a more technologically advanced age and living in a competitive world, education now plays a very important role in the progress of an individual's mind and country. Personally I believe that learning is a lifelong process and education does not begin and end in school. A person's well-being is more than the intellect, and education should provide a holistic approach for balancing the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth.

In elementary and high school, I was in a non-exclusive Catholic school. It was a parochial school and most of the students live in Rizal area and thus, almost everybody knows everybody. It gave me a sense of communion with my community and it helped me grow in my Catholic faith.

Since Joaqui would be approaching the preschool stage, my search for a school opened my mind on the different teaching methods such as Montessori, Waldorf, Progressive, Multiple Intelligence, Community/Religious, etc. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and many schools offer one or two methods.

Starting early or not, I believe the readiness to start should also come from our children and this is where I think toddler schools help. It exposes children to the informal school setting and they learn to socialize and develop age-appropriate skills. Joaqui is now in a play school and he enjoys the activities and shows eagerness to learn. This is also a time for us to bond since the moms and dads are able to join in these activities.

As parents we have our best intentions for our children's education and as much as we give importance in choosing the right school, we should also give importance to the kind of learning environment we provide at home.