OPINION: My Thoughts About (Home)Schooling this Year

Please note that I am just a mom airing opinions on things that might affect our children.

Most of us do not feel safe in terms of letting our children go back to school this year. The looming disaster that COVID-19 might bring is still with us- even if our country is looking to ease up quarantine rules.



So what are the situations that we have to consider?

Many of us cannot comprehend what or how to teach a 4 or 5 years old "online" because of no accessibility to gadgets, no stable internet connection, and generally no budget to sustain this on top of the looming tuition fees, water and electricity bills and other necessities. Some have the means but are immuno-compromised in the first place which would necessitate the need for the online classes.

Add in the fact that we adults cannot sit in a proper online meeting 6 hours a day straight- think of that with a child! How can we be sure that online classes can be effective with the preschool and grades one to 6 categories? 

We also have to point out that much like a stay at home job, homeschooling is not for every parent. I cannot teach my children without getting so frustrated that I just end up hurting my kids through words. As a parent, I am not perfect in this aspect.

And we also have to think about all those special kids who require different types of therapies and the like- how can they go and learn as efficiently if the parent is not specialized to the needs of the kid.

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Last week, it was confirmed that a high school child in our area died not of her predetermined noncommunicable disease cause but because of the COVID Virus. The sad part of the situation is:

The hospital for some reason did not do a test on whether it is a case of COVID or not, and it was stated in the records that it was her predetermined noncommunicable disease that leads to her death.

The funeral parlor followed their protocols for someone who did not die of the said disease, so a wake was held. That in itself is a bad idea. Some were outraged and so the DOH did a test on the dead.

Lo and behold- POSITIVE of COVID 19 Virus.

We don't really know who to blame here. If it was the hospital or the funeral parlor. But it is late for blame games anyway. What we need is to move as one and keep in mind that even if the rules are not as strict, we still should be ON GUARD.

***

So going back to school on a face to face setting is definitely out of the choices for now. Going online, with regards to my own experience of doing semi online classes in college is feasible. But NOT for the younger ones. Not for the ones who need special courses and different therapies.

The best thing I can take from this is that we always have a choice.
 
We can choose to go to school with online classes and hope for the best. Since it is done online, it will be safe-wise for both teachers and students, also parents. No need to go out of the house and no need to worry if our children are really wearing their masks. Furthermore, online learning can be on a scheduled basis so kids can also have time for other activities. But I am not so sure about the effectiveness of the classes for the younger ones, with them looking on a screen not to entertain themselves but to learn. Or the fact that sometimes, when on a video chat, the internet might get weird and slow which leads to the teacher not being able to properly convey the lesson to his or her students.



We can choose to homeschool or unschool your kid. The two terms are really different. Homeschooling is enrolling your child with DepEd- accredited providers and they will give you a guide or a curriculum that you can use at home.

Unschooling is being independent. Meaning, you can continue learning without being enrolled in any provider. Once the school year is done, your child can take a PEPT Test ( Philippine Educational Placement Test ) once you are ready to go back to a traditional school setup.

If you want to know more about Homeschooling and Unschooling, and other parents' experiences, you can check these links for help:

• Millie's Homeschooling Experience on When in Manila

Confession: We Tried Homeschooling But It Wasn’t For Us

• DepEd-Accredited Homeschool Providers and Cost to Homeschool by The Filipino Homeschooler

• 10 Reasons Why You are Qualified to Homeschool Your Child and

• Homeschooling vs. Online Learning by Hands On Parents while Earning

• Should you Independently Homeschool your child? by May of Fully Housewifed

We can choose to not enroll our kids for this year and maybe wait it out a bit- and do some refresher learning activities in the meantime. This is what my husband and I have decided on, since me getting to officially homeschool the kids is a definite no for our situation. I'll wait and see how the online classes are going to go, if they will be effective or if I will need to look for another solution.

Many parents are asking that they suspend this year's classes. But there are a lot of situations that we have to check. It is unfair to ask that the whole country suspend their classes if alternative measures can be done, especially to the older students. It is unfair to take away a choice just because it cannot suit the needs of some.

What I am seeing right now is that there is no one cookie cutter solution for everybody. The best that we can do is to see ALL options available. And from there check if the pros outweigh the risks involved. In the end, the ultimate risk is our own children's deaths. So we have to choose wisely and be vigilant with their and our health.