TOP 21…What is happening???

Today we got the kids' report card from their class advisers at VMS and imagine my surprise when I found out that my daughter slipped from being number 14 in the 1st grading (okay, I let that go because I figured, it was only the first quarter) then to number 15 in the second grading (okay still nothing to be fearful about since she slipped just one notch and we’d only be just five slots away from the Top Ten). But on the third grading and she slipped to number 21! Now it seems I don’t have much choice but to raise a howl!!! I wonder what is happening to my daughter??? I know she had made some good friends now and she’s relishing constantly being with them (with her lyre band practice and other get-together sessions after class) but I don’t think these are much cause for distractions on her part??? Does she need more tutoring? Maybe, but I think it’s too late for that now. Next year if she still doesn’t make it to the Top Ten during the first grading I think I have no choice but to get her a tutor. I don’t think I am still able to keep up with their lessons anymore. I guess all the cost is gonna be worth it just to ensure that my kid returns to the Top Ten circle.

MAAP APPLICATION

Today, we took the first step towards the realizations of Keith’s dreams and his future. These past few days, I helped him complete his application form and requirements for his entrance examination to the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP). And today, I am finally going to Intramuros, Manila to find the Seaman’s AMOSUP Center so that I could submit his application there and pay the corresponding processing fee of PhP300.00. I got lucky coz someone in the office would be going to Intramuros to get a certification/official receipt for liquidation. Otherwise, I would have commuted to get to this place and I would not have been able to find it since its hidden somewhere within the interiors of the walled city, near the San Agustin church.

Why MAAP? It’s the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific and for me it’s the better alternative to PMA since their school campus is just near, in Bataan unlike in PMA where we have to go to Baguio every time we wish to visit him. And what’s more, in both schools, their students are scholars, meaning we do not have to spend a cent on his education if he passes either of the two schools. The advantage at MAAP is that during his third year and he goes into apprenticeship he would be earning dollars if a Dutch or any other foreign ship invites him to join their organization.

So, I have been tutoring him in English but I want also to tutor him in Math because he wants to take the Marine engineering course and not just the Marine transport course. I know he needs lots of knowledge in Math to be able to pass the test. The sad part is that I seem to have already forgotten the concepts, only the basic ones on fractions and decimals remain, and these are not enough! Oh dear, I sure hope we have enough time to study. I specifically chose the test on October 8 because I wanted him to gain more time to review. I just hope that when that day comes, he will be ready. Dear Lord, please make him ready!

Kaye’s recognition day

I went on leave today to attend a very important occasion – my daughter’s recognition day at Village Montessori school. I am happy because every year, her rank keeps getting higher. Last year she was ranked ninth so she was Sixth honorable mention. This year, however, she not only ranked eighth and got a Fifth honorable mention medal, she also got a best in Math award for topping their Math Quiz Bee!!! I am so proud of you baby! Keep it up and I hope you do even better next year!

MATH WIZARD

I received some very great news today....from browsing my daughter’s FB account during lunch time (she gave me access so I can take care of her ‘virtual pets’) And I saw a message on her wall from a classmate congratulating her for being Number One in their Math Contest! Yipee! I am so proud...I didn’t even know she was good in Math...what makes me doubly proud was that she did not even try all that hard. All her efforts in this particular quiz bee were just her basic stock knowledge, no extra studying since I didn’t know she was joining the contest...imagine that!?! I didn’t even know I had a math wizard for a daughter...congrats baby! Keep it up!!!

(Photo courtesy of clipart)

Kaye’s recognition day


Today VMS holds its Recognition Day for exemplary students for the elementary level…and I am so proud to say we’re attending this year’s recognition as a real participant this time (unlike last year when my daughter only received a citation for being Best in Writing since even if she ranked third in her class, she failed to make it to the Overall Top Ten of Grade 1). This time, however, in her second grade she was consistently within the Top Ten circle – sometimes number six or seven and was finally able to finish at ninth. So that would make her the sixth honorable mention for this year! I guess, it helped that she now belonged to the cream section of her level…the students there are very competitive so my daughter had to do everything just to keep up. I am glad that finally she made it inside the Top Ten circle…I just hope that next year she would do even better!

Thus, to celebrate we had dinner at Max’s restaurant – admittedly our family’s fave resto - with everyone in the house… including the dog, Patrick hehehe (actually he’s our little boy/pet apo) We also gave her an MP5 as a gift! Congrats baby! Keep it up!

KIDS GOING ON A FIELDTRIP

Before, I have always felt hesitant to allow my kids to join their school fieldtrips. In fact, as far as I can remember I never allowed Keith to join any of their fieldtrips either at Ebenezer or Academia…not because I don’t trust the school officials to take care of my kid (well, partly na din!) but also because I don’t trust my kid to behave himself during such occasions so there’s always a danger that he might get lost or destroy something or even hurt someone…just accidentally of course, for I have never known my son to be of the violent type…

This time, however, when they moved to their new school at VMS I began to relent a bit and have allowed them to join their class field trip. After all, Keith is already in high school and I knew he’d be able to behave properly and join his friends wherever they go so he won’t get lost…my problem now is my little daughter who is currently in Grade 1…I am sure she would insist on joining their field trip, too, especially since her Kuya is joining. So I had no choice but to allow her to join but with a companion…so that makes it doubly expensive! Nonetheless, I knew they would both savor the experience of joining fieldtrips since it truly is enjoyable being with friends and going beyond the four walls of the school campus. Sometimes, it may even be educational too especially if the school chooses places of historical interest where the students may learn a lesson or two from our nation’s past.

Here are some pics of the fun times they both spent, Keith had their field trip last September 27 at the Ocean Park, the National Museum (I think?) and the Aerospace Museum near the airport. While Kaye went with a cousin last November 21 to the Marikina Science World (where she saw Tolits), and also the Aerospace Museum and the Ocean Park …

MY GIRL IS NUMBER ONE!

Today we received a very pleasant surprise when we got my daughter, Kaye’s card from her new school at VMS… she got top honors for her class…hurrah! Hurrah! I knew she would do well in class considering that she was a valedictorian in her previous school in Kindergarten but I never had hoped she would become the top in her class…I guess the fact that she was a newcomer and was placed in the third level section this Grade One contributed to that fact, too. But even if she was top one, she failed to make it to the entire batch Top Ten…I guess most of the top students would belong to the cream section. I think her standing was only 14th or 15th for the entire Grade One…nonetheless, I am just so proud that my daughter did so well. Now, we would have to strive harder to make it to the Top Ten circle…but at least, I guess I can be assured that my daughter would belong to the Cream Section next year.

LINGGO NG WIKA @ VMS

It’s the first time for us to celebrate Linggo ng Wika with VMS and for the past few weeks I had scrambled for an appropriate attire for her to wear. I was able to finally borrow one from an officemate whose daughter was the same age and built as mine. And since they already had their celebration earlier, she willingly lent the dress so that I don’t have to buy a new one for something that my daughter would just wear for a day…

I went on leave for work today so I would be able to dress her up and put on some make-up on her. Then, we proceeded to the school for the Linggo ng Wika program. The place was small and expectedly cramped with so many stage mommies jostling for space to watch over their kids. I was content sitting at a corner and only went out front when her turn to dance arrived. My daughter looked so pretty in her yellow terno…she looked like a real dalagang Pilipina of old times.

KUMON ORIENTATION WITH KIT

Today, Keith and I had an orientation for Kumon… Last week kasi I saw a tarpaulin announcing the opening of a Kumon center near our residence and I got excited because I have long wanted to enroll him in a Kumon class in order to improve his skills in Math and in English. But I was sorry to hear that the Kumon center that they put up near us did not have an English tutor yet so I just have to make do with Math lessons for him na lang…it’s better than nothing. At least, I can take care of his English tutorial pa naman, it’s the Math that I really hate!




I first learned about Kumon while browsing the internet and saw how it not only teaches math techniques to the students but also instills discipline and proper learning methods. And I guess this is what Kit lacks…he doesn’t have the motivation to learn his lessons well. If I don’t ask about his assignments, he won’t do anything at all. So even if I knew these Kumon lessons would make a serious dent in our monthly budget, I went ahead and enrolled him coz I knew it would do him good in the long run, especially when he proceeds to high school and even college.

Why did I choose Kumon? Well, because I like the way the students are not lumped together in a class but rather they are taught individually by their tutor, at their own pace. They are not in competition with anyone but themselves. The program starts with as assessment test so that the Kumon tutor can determine at what level Keith can start. Then he can move up to the next level when the tutor deems he has already mastered the concepts and has passed another test.

I just hope my son, Keith, would be able to learn much from this program that we have embarked on…I feel he is willing to go undergo through it naman since he volunteered to go to the center for three days after his classes at VMS. I just hope too that he would find the motivation to finish the program until the end…or that I would be able to sustain the budget for him to continue his classes…

First day of school jitters

Today I took a leave of absence to bring my little girl to her new school. I know, I know it’s highly unusual coz she had been to school before, for an entire year without a hitch but this time it’s a big new school and I just wanted to be sure she’d do okay. You see this entire week I was busy trying to convince her that it will be fun to enter a new school…I was a tad fearful she would not want to be left alone in her new school – surrounded by strangers, unknowing if her teachers will be kind to her, totally unsure of her place in the sun – I guess, she’s having what we could call first day of school jitters.

I made it a point to take her with me to the different schools that I inquired in since I wanted her to have a say in our choice of a new school. And after visiting three schools we finally settled on one that is not really far from our place but the rate is fine, well within our budget and the place looked clean and safe. With the choice of school over, we followed the standard procedure – entrance exams before enrolling, buying books and then school things and uniforms.

And then all of a sudden, about a week before school will finally open she began to have some misgivings about her capability. She kept on asking me what if she couldn’t cope up…what if the classmates were all smarter than she was. There were also times I even started to doubt our decision to enter her immediately in grade one. But then again, even the guidance counselor was willing to accept her because she scored high in the entrance tests for grade one. Besides, just thinking about the added financial burden of another year in pre-school makes me cringe and use all my convincing powers all the more.

Another concern that she had was the fact that she didn’t know anybody in the school…you see our neighbor, who was her classmate at the kindergarten she used to attend located within the village, will be remaining in the same school to enter preparatory level. But because she was the class valedictorian and knew how to read, she was accelerated ahead of her classmates and was thus entering grade one. I guess this is one main reason why she kept asking me why she needs to transfer to another school while the others stayed on… I had to repeatedly tell her that her high grades made her eligible to enter grade one. Besides, I told her that she would be able to make friends easily…who knows she may just end up meeting her best friend there like what happened to me and my best friend whom I also met on our first day of school. But she remained adamant and refused to go to school altogether.

Hence, I came to the decision to be absent from work for a day and hold her hand as she enters this strange and unfamiliar place. As usual, we were quite late coz I failed to correctly gauge the time we would spend eating breakfast and dressing up. Plus, my elder son also went with us so we had to take turns using the bathroom. By the time we got to the school there was already quite a ruckus with so many kids and their moms milling about trying to check out which sections and rooms the kids will go to.

As we entered the gate, I felt my daughter’s eyes on me and we plodded straight on to find her room, unmindful of the melee. We finally reached her classroom and with a regretful tug of her hand, she let go, took her stroller bag and entered the room. I smiled at her and signaled to her that I will just be outside waiting for her near the window. I watched her as she listened intently to what the teacher is saying and I felt proud when I saw her walk confidently up to the front of the class to talk about something she drew on a piece of paper.

Later on our way home, she’d tell me the teacher asked them to draw what they want to be when they grew up and she drew a nurse and proudly told her classmates she want to take care of sick people that’s why she want to be a nurse. Gently, I probed to ask how her classmates were and she seemed to have totally forgotten her apprehensions about not being able to meet someone she knew because she proudly proclaimed that she made friends with her seatmate who also happened to live in the same village as ours. And by then …I felt a heavy cloud lifting; the skies have opened to reveal that the misgivings and worries that both and I and my daughter had were all for naught. I’m glad she liked her first day in school… I just hope I can make the rest of the school year as smooth and fun-filled. But even if they’re not I guess I’ll just be here to pick her up and give her a hug whenever something or someone has disheartened her spirit…after all, that’s what moms are for…

School hunting

June's here and summer's already finished but I still haven’t found the perfect school for my kids…no I’m not yet in panic mode but I am sincerely hoping that this time around I would be able to find them a school that would fit their needs and of course, my criteria. You see my 11-year old boy shifted from the previous school that we enrolled him in when he was in 1st grade because it was a Christian school and I was fearful he may not be able to undergo first Communion so I transferred him to a Catholic school which is also near our subdivision in Bulacan. Turns out to be a wrong decision though because that school, despite being Catholic, had sports as its main thrust and when my son joined the taekwondo, basketball and volleyball teams in grade four, five and six, respectively he and his teammates would sometimes ‘waste’ two weeks even three weeks on practice sessions and actual school and inter-school competitions. I don’t want to deny my kid the chance to play sports and be fit and active but I wish they would do it in moderation and not take up too much time from what could have been time well spent studying their academic lessons…

Besides, I was a bit fearful that my son is not into reading much because the two schools he was previously in did not enjoin them to read which is why my son despite being an incoming first year student still does not have a good grasp of the English language. Sure he could understand some English words and can even construct simple sentences but he finds it difficult to converse well in the language and even construct simple essays with it… Although, sometimes I try to complement by tutoring him in English in my spare time but still it’s never enough.

Thus, when I started to make inquiries into two schools that were not quite so near to our place of residence (about 15-20 minutes away) one of the few things I asked the guidance counselor was their medium of instruction. I would prefer if the teachers can speak and teach the students in English although of course, it would be understandable if they would also teach in Tagalog. Aside from that I also ask if the school had a Reading and Speech class and what do the kids do during such sessions… I remember in my elementary days, I love reading classes because we get to read stories and afterwards answer questions regarding the story we just read. Sometimes we were brought to the school library and allowed to read any book that we wanted for an entire hour. Hence, another criteria that I look for is the school library – if they have an extensive collection of books and if the kids are allowed to enter anytime.

I believe that my love of books was the one that taught me how to write… and someday I wish to impart the same love for books to both my kids. This is why I am hoping that the school can also help me in this endeavor. Because aside from making a person well-versed in the English language, it will also expand his knowledge of the world (especially if the books that he or she reads are not limited to the fictional kind) And most especially now that recent reports stated that 95-97 out of 100 applicants to call centers are being rejected due to poor English! I wonder what has happened to our country which used to have the highest number of English speakers in Asia in the 1970s. Well, even if my children would not be entering a call center job in the future, the report says a lot about the English proficiency level of our schools nowadays…

Aside from wanting English as medium of instruction (I’m sure I would get much flak from nationalists with this but hey… it’s the way I want to raise my kids so just let me be. Besides, I do not believe that love of country arises from something as simple as teaching the kids in the national language. I do intend to teach my kids such virtue but in different ways) and wanting a good school library, I would also want to ask about the batting average of the school graduates being accepted in illustrious schools in college like UP, Ateneo, UST and Lasalle. Of course, every mother would dream that their kids be accepted in such institutions when they get to college so that they may be at least somehow assured that they are getting quality education and ensure a good future for them.

Another consideration is safety. Is the school environment conducive to learning? Are the rooms air-conditioned? Are the playgrounds safe to play in? I would prefer if I am able to visit the classrooms and other school facilities to see if the rooms provide a warm and inviting atmosphere for the kids to enjoy their stay in school. After all, they would be in school for more than half of their waking hours – about seven hours. One of the schools we recently visited had a rickety playground wherein the swings and seesaws were in such a state of decay it would be dangerous for the kids to play in it… although the guidance counselor assured that the kids weren’t allowed there anymore to use the facilities, I would wish they would throw the ragged things away altogether since there is still the risk that some kid might use them and the guards might not see them and who knows, what accidents may happen…

One other question that I often ask is the student-teacher ratio. The best would be to have less number of students per class so that the teacher would have enough time to answer the needs of each and every student thus I would prefer it if the classes would not be more than thirty kids. Of course, it would be best if I could also talk to the teachers and ask them individually their qualifications and views on teaching but this isn’t the usual practice here in the country so I would often just ask the guidance counselor the normal age range of teachers and ask if they are given continuous training to ensure their modes of teaching are constantly updated.

Also, I would prefer it if there would be more teacher-parent interaction so I can actively monitor the progress of my children. My son’s previous school severely lacked such because they would often just give the students the report cards to bring home to their parents. Unlike in other schools where such times would bring the parent and teacher together (at least quarterly) to discuss any problems or successes the child may have.

Finally, the last consideration would be the budget. Admittedly, it is another factor which has severely hindered my choices. Of course, I want the best schools but alas the best also cost the most and so I would often had to make do with the second best choice because we could very well not afford the tuition in the best schools. But still I continue to hope… that the school I would eventually find would be the best one for my child. There is no perfect school, just as there are no perfect parents and perfect teachers… what we just need is to play a constant monitoring role so that we are able to provide the best legacy we ever could for our children – education.

TWO GRADUATIONS

For this year 2008, we held two graduations for my two kids. The first one was held last March 19 for my five-year old daughter who graduated from kindergarten and the second one on the 30th day of that same month for my eleven-year son who finished elementary. Their graduation ceremonies were held less than two weeks apart… pretty much like their birthdays – one on the 18th of May and the other on the 6th of June. And as is the case during their birthdays, it is usually the first one who spends his/her birthday/graduation first that ends up being more lavish… while the last one to spend his birthday/graduation had to make do with the money that’s left behind.

We thought we had it all neatly planned when we decided to have kids six years apart. We figured we didn’t want the two of them in college at the same time because it would surely take a toll on our expenses… so we wanted one of them already finished and working, hoping he or she would help us in the younger kids’ education. But what we didn’t count on was the fact that most of the other important occasions in their lives would be in conflict, well not openly...

For one thing, we didn’t exactly plan that their birthdays would fall two weeks apart from each other. So that the eldest would often have to give way and not have a ‘big’ event if the younger sibling would hold a big bash. This became extremely difficult when we held our little girl’s first birthday – of course, this had to be a big event but what we didn’t count on was the fact that our son would also be holding his seventh birthday on the same year – another big event! By then, our expenses were already depleted by the first kid’s birthday … luckily for us our boy wasn’t overly demanding and was happy to spend his birthday in a nearby pool resort with the rest of the family and his cousins and friends for company. So we were able to manage just fine.

This year, we had another tough time with their two graduations coming just two weeks apart from each other. Although we didn’t have money to spend for both – we at least had some pansit, spaghetti, barbecued pork and inihaw na bangus during my daughter’s graduation. Plus both her lolas and two aunts were invited to witness the affair. While on my son’s graduation, we were the only ones who attended and we feasted on Greenwich takeout afterwards.

Sure it could be argued that they have two very different cases – the first one was special because my little girl graduated valedictorian in her class of ten kids. Then her ceremony was held in the afternoon – very plenty of time for the invitees to have an early dinner celebration and still go home to their place in Cubao. Unlike in my son’s graduation which was held at night and lasted until 11 pm so we had no choice but not to invite anyone coz it would be too late for the visitors to go home. We even had to change our original plan of eating at a restaurant after the ceremony since the ceremony took so long so the hubby decided to skip some parts of the graduation just to go to a nearby Greenwich and order takeout instead….

But at least, I guess I am just glad that we were able to hold both ceremonies without much of a hitch. Sure, my elder son said that he didn’t mind it much that his celebrations always seem to end up a little bit tamer/economical than his sister’s. I just hope it would not cost much friction between them when they get older. Or even cause him much insecurity later on in life… like my siblings did with me coz they felt that my parents seemed to give me more concessions than them as we were growing up. I try very hard to keep myself from comparing them or even pitting them against each other… but it’s quite difficult.

I admit that there are times when I would often favor the little girl over him because he is older and he should be the one to concede; or because he is already fat and so he should give more of the food to his very much thinner sister; or that he had his time when he was young and growing up without competition… but then, I realized that he didn’t really grew up with us but with his grandparents in Pampanga so I guess he would have his reasons to brood and act up. But thankfully, he does not… and I just hope he’d end up growing just as satisfied and balanced boy that he is right now. I just hope I would be able to give all my kids equal love and attention – coz they surely deserve nothing less!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Today is my youngest child's first day of school... real school that is.... you see, last year we entered her into some sort of playschool for the summer and I do not really know for sure if it's the effect of it being still summer and not really time for school or maybe she was just too young at the time that after only two weeks, she just quit and announced to everyone that she doesn't want to go to school anymore. I guess this was aggravated by her complaint that the teacher wasn't at all fun and merely made her copy some letters on the blackboard. Maybe it was the teacher's fault since she should have kept lessons light and fun for the kids; it being summer and all ... well, I'm just glad that the summer class was free!

In a way, I was a teensy bit worried that she may end up hating school and all her future teachers!!! But with all the excitement that I see in her as the first day of school approaches, I figured maybe there's a chance she'd just might enjoy school yet!!!

Funny how time flies so fast huh... and how one never realize how it does until moments like these come along. For me, seeing my little baby go to school suddenly reminded me of the first time I saw her... all pink and fuzzy as she quietly slept ... and how I thanked God for giving me such a wonderful child ... and the next moment she's learning to walk ... now she's going to school ... next, she'll be bringing home boyfriends ... oh, dear...

It is during these moments that I wish there was some way to slow down my kid's growth process ... kids grow up so fast these days that every time I look, I'm surprised at the changes I see in her --- often when I get home from work she'd come running waving to me a new drawing she's made or how she was able write her own name by herself (well, nickname to be more precise!) But I guess that's just how moms are ---everything she does has not ceased to amaze me...

It is also during moments like this that I envy stay-at-home moms and wish that I had more time to watch her grow and learn new things... how I wish I was there when she took her first step, uttered her first word, wrote her first letter ... I also wished I was there to hold her hand as she walks to school today - but I can't... work beckons and it must be heeded lest our budget fall short for the month if I went even an hour late... ah, the pitfalls of an 8-5 working mom...

I could rant some more but I guess there's really nothing I can do about it... I should count myself lucky that my daughter is being cared for by my husband's sister so I know she's in good hands even if I'm not by her side... but still.... I hate not being there for her... and not seeing her grow up with each passing day

And so I must content myself with stories of how she spent her day... I just hope she never gets tired of telling me how her day at school went --- how bad she felt if some classmate teased her ... or how good it felt to be the first to finish a seat work in class... now... I can't wait to get home...