
We live in the northern part of Metro Manila and we decided to send our daughter to a school far south!
Crazy decision, you might say, but for me, one of the blessings of our situation is the transition to remote learning. Not only am I fully aware, I am also fully present in my child’s education journey when it is most important – the foundation and character building years.
Our Considerations
My parents taught me the value of education, they taught us how important the primary years are, most especially. So, my husband and I, we do not take it lightly because we know the lasting impact it will have on our daughter.
There are a few things that’s important for us:
- teaching methodologies
- importance placed on Math and English Communications
- teachers’ ability, patience and bearing
- focus on character formation
- Catholic religious orientation
How about you? What are your non-negotiables when choosing a school for your child/ren?
The Challenges
While I do love the remote work set-up and remote schooling, it is not without it’s own set of challenges. i am a working mom, thus I have to factor in my schedule, plus other highly opinionated important people’s comments.
There is the pressure of making the right decision because 1. formative years and 2. the child only goes through childhood ones. I know there’s nothing that’s perfect, but we want to make a decision that will be best for all of us.
Finally, as in restaurant menu, more food options means it is more difficult to pick an order. Here’s same, during the pandemic, there are so many offerings – traditional schools, progressive school, homeschools, remote learning, and so much more!
The Decision
After so much research, comparisons and deliberations, we finally made our decision. After all, I still love PAREF. I had a very short teaching stint so many years ago, but enough for me to appreciate the methodologies and all it’s other unique offerings. I say unique because it’s not something that I’ve not seen in any other school based on experience and research.
What Makes PAREF Special
I will leave you with your own research on the details here on this link, but I will share some highlights:
- Every child has a MENTOR. Yes, folks, some people only experience this in the corporate set-up if they are lucky. And those who have always say, why only now? and it makes sense because a mentor helps you navigate life, learn from another person’s experience and generally become a better person.
- There is Home-School collaboration – what you teach in the home is echoed in the school and there is always an open feedback system for when things happen otherwise.
- Each child is unique and his or her own individuality is honored.
- Parents are also students. There are seminars for new parents which is really packed with insights and points to ponder. And we go back to mentoring. The child’s mentor meets with the parents with observations, tips, etc. It’s just overall a richer experience.
So, there. Now, if only the remote learning set-up can be a more permanent approach… 🙂
The formative years of children are so important. I sacrificed my career for the first 8 years of my kids’ life to be with them because in the end, I’ll be rewarded more than the money I would make going up the ladder in the business world. Thanks for visiting my blog. Salamat po!
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