Philippine Homeschool Conference 2012
I attended the 4th Philippine Homeschool Conference last Saturday. I slept past 2AM on Saturday so the 8AM start time was a tall order. I woke up to the alarm and was obviously groggy from sleepiness. I even entertained the idea of not going anymore, or miss the morning sessions but I know I would regret it so I dragged myself out of bed and arrived at the venue a little after 8AM. And the program started around 10AM because the first speaker from DepEd was late from another appointment... :S
Start time aside, it was a great gathering. It was encouraging to see a lot of support for homeschooling based on the number of attendees. The room was packed with active homeschoolers and people like me who want to know more about it. One of the main speakers were Bo Sanchez, who homeschools his 2 children and established the Catholic Filipino Academy, a homeschool provider. It was my first time to see and listen to Bo live and he really is a compelling speaker. He shared his family's homeschooling journey and encouraged the parents to persevere in it.
The main speaker was Debra Bell, author of the book 'The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling.' She successfully homeschooled all of her 4 children thru high school and considers it the best decision her family made regarding education. She talked about 'Why Homeschooling Works' and 'Cultivating a Love for Learning in the Home' in two sessions. I was taking notes like crazy. I wanted to really understand homeschooling and be ready if or when we decide to do it for Neil.
I came to the conference already with a pro-homeschooling mentality. I have met a lot of parents from church who homeschool and strongly advocate it. The children are doing great and just based on the attendance last Saturday, many people are enjoying its benefits. Both Bo and Debra Bell's talks were all tied up to God's design for the family and education. Homeschooling is strongly tied to this because it focuses on parental influence, character building, integrative learning, honoring individual learning styles, etc. They also emphasized that parents need to understand their real motivations for wanting to homeschool. It will not be easy. It takes commitment, grace and equipping from God to educate.
At the end of the conference, I was extremely tired but inspired as well. I appreciate homeschooling more and to see that it actually works for many families is encouraging.
Start time aside, it was a great gathering. It was encouraging to see a lot of support for homeschooling based on the number of attendees. The room was packed with active homeschoolers and people like me who want to know more about it. One of the main speakers were Bo Sanchez, who homeschools his 2 children and established the Catholic Filipino Academy, a homeschool provider. It was my first time to see and listen to Bo live and he really is a compelling speaker. He shared his family's homeschooling journey and encouraged the parents to persevere in it.
The main speaker was Debra Bell, author of the book 'The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling.' She successfully homeschooled all of her 4 children thru high school and considers it the best decision her family made regarding education. She talked about 'Why Homeschooling Works' and 'Cultivating a Love for Learning in the Home' in two sessions. I was taking notes like crazy. I wanted to really understand homeschooling and be ready if or when we decide to do it for Neil.
I came to the conference already with a pro-homeschooling mentality. I have met a lot of parents from church who homeschool and strongly advocate it. The children are doing great and just based on the attendance last Saturday, many people are enjoying its benefits. Both Bo and Debra Bell's talks were all tied up to God's design for the family and education. Homeschooling is strongly tied to this because it focuses on parental influence, character building, integrative learning, honoring individual learning styles, etc. They also emphasized that parents need to understand their real motivations for wanting to homeschool. It will not be easy. It takes commitment, grace and equipping from God to educate.
At the end of the conference, I was extremely tired but inspired as well. I appreciate homeschooling more and to see that it actually works for many families is encouraging.
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