a message from bo...

We Don’t Send Our Kids To School

It’s One Of The Best Decisions We’ve Ever Made

We know. We’re nuts.

We don’t send our kids to school.

Let me tell you why.

When our baby was growing up, we watched how everyone did the schooling thing—and we didn’t like it.

This is what we saw:

Early morning, parents send off the kids to school while they both go to work. It’s rush, rush, rush. At 7am, everyone is out of the house, plowing through morning traffic.

At around 7 in the evening (if there’s no overtime), these exhausted parents arrive home like dried prunes. They have dinner with the kids but have no energy to talk to each other—so they put on the TV and watch telenovelas together. After dinner, Mommy helps Junior with homework.

Let’s say today, the kid’s got homework in Math, English, and Filipino. In Filipino, Junior’s project is to put the photos of 12 National Filipino Heroes on a cartolina. Because it’s already 10pm, Junior is now asleep. So Mommy is cutting photos of the heroes from old magazines, and Daddy is pasting them on thecartolina. The day ends at midnight. Another long day awaits…

We Wanted Another Kind Of Family Life

We asked ourselves. Is this the lifestyle we really want? Or do we want something else for our kids and our family?

We decided to do something radical: We won’t send our kids to school. Instead, we’ll teach them ourselves.

Result? We’ve been doing it for four years now and my son Bene is in 3rd Grade.

That means my wife and I are his teachers, our home is his classroom, our kitchen is his canteen, and our street is his school yard.

Poor kid, right? People tell me he’s missing a lot because we homeschool him.

Hey, I agree.

What My Son Is Missing

Let me give you a partial list of what he’s missing.

· He doesn’t have to wake up at 6:00am everyday to catch the school bus. He doesn’t have to experience being dressed-up and “toothbrushed” by his mother while asleep so he won’t be late for school. He doesn’t have to wolf down his breakfast while rushing out.

· He doesn’t have to ride a school bus. (Ow, shucks.) He doesn’t have to wade through traffic twice a day.

· He doesn’t have to fight with forty kids for the attention of a teacher.

· He doesn’t have to waste a lot of time waiting in school. (Which I feel consumes 30% of school time each day.) He doesn’t have to wait for everyone to line-up for the National Anthem. He doesn’t have to wait for everyone to quiet down before the teacher starts teaching. He doesn’t have to wait for the teacher to explain the lesson a second for those who weren’t listening…

· He doesn’t have to eat sugary snacks in the school canteen.

· He doesn’t get bullied. No jeers. No barbs. No meanness.

· He doesn’t have peer pressure to buy the latest rubber shoe, the newest cell phone, the coolest shirt. He doesn’t have to compare his daily allowance with his classmates.

· He doesn’t have homework when he arrives from school. Nada. None. Zilcho. Zero. He doesn’t have school projects that mommies end up doing anyway.

Should I go on?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Gosh, my son is missing a lot of things.

Instead, Here’s What My Son Has…

So instead of these things, what does my son have to endure in homeschool? Let me see…

· He wakes up at 8:00am. If the entire family attended a prayer meeting the previous night, he wakes up at 9:00am. No problem.

· He has time to say his morning prayers in bed. He joins his mom reading the Bible together. He then takes a relaxing breakfast with his little brother Francis, reads his books, plays the guitar, and the two of them clown around the house.

· He starts class at 9:00am. Each morning, he sings the Philippine National Anthem, says the Panatang Makabayan, and prays his morning school prayer on his own.

· In every subject, he has the undivided attention of his devoted teacher. He can ask any question he wants, anytime he wants, and his teacher will answer him. When he doesn’t know the answer, he says, “Let’s research for the answer now.” And they log onto the internet, read a few books, and viola—the answer is found… together.

· He and his mother love talking about their faith. They also like singing together.

· He can tell his teacher, “Mommy, I want to know more about stars. Can we read about that tomorrow?” And his mother will say, “Let’s make that our science class for today!” And because it’s his interest, he needs no prodding to study. He wants to learn. He loves it.

· He can tell his teacher, “Mommy, I don’t understand this math problem. Can we slow it down a bit?” And his mother will say, “Sure thing. Let’s go through it one more time…” until he’s totally satisfied.

· Classes are only from Monday to Thursday. Because every Friday morning, he meets other homeschooled kids. They play together, do art work together, sing together, and just have enormous fun. (Yes, homeschooled kids have shown to be very sociable and confident, due to high self-esteem.)

· Every Tuesday afternoon, he attends a gymnastics class. Again, we don’t force him to do it. He loves tumbling, cartwheeling, and running around with the other kids.

· Each day, his class ends at 2pm or 3pm. But that’s because class was so exciting, both mother and son didn’t want to stop.

· After his class, my son goes out and rides the bike with his cousin or they play with the computer together. In the evening, since there’s no homework, he reads whatever books he likes to read. My suspicion? Because he’s interested in reading the books he chooses, he probably learns more in his free time than in his formal class time!

· When I’m free, I teach him how to compose songs and improve his guitar playing (That’s his Music Class), how to write short stories (That’s his English elective), and how to expand his bangus or milkfish business (That’s Entrepreneurship 101). Yes, he sells fish to our friends, and he divides his profits to tithes, alms, savings, and toy money! (Personal Finance 101). When my son hit 7 years old, I taught him how to read the Business section of the Newspaper. He loves asking about the stock market. He knows that we have to buy “low” and sell “high”.

· In all these, the greatest benefit is really having an incredible relationship with our kids.

We love homeschooling. Aside from all these benefits, we save a lot of money. We also don’t spend on daily allowance, school bus, etc. So we’re saving a bundle.

I know homeschooling is not for everyone. But it should at least be looked at.

I’ve trained myself that we shouldn’t live like everyone else if we believe that there’s a better way out there.

Explore. Search. Look at options.

You’ll be surprised at what you’ll discover.

I remain your friend,

Bo Sanchez

early christmas gift for moi

for the first time in (i think) 5 years i finally bought myself a pair of colored contact lenses. i really wasn't planning on buying kaso lang i envy robert pattinson a.k.a. edward sa twilight kaya ayun, bumili nako. my whole week salary was spent on it pero i think sulit. people now look me in the eyes. not look pala, they literally stare! hahaaa.. nakakabana ata. haha. anyway, merry xmas to me! :D

my sister kakay slept at our house last friday. we really had a great time. we watched a couple of movies, played some songs on the guitar and we took a bath together. ang saya!! hehe bihira nalang yung mga ganitong moments kaya i am trying to seize it talaga.

this coming christmas, i was thinking of giving my siblings a group gift instead of individual gifts na i used to buy sa DV or sa 168. i thought of giving them a guitar. para sabay kami makapag aral. we could teach and learn form each other. basta ganun. i also saw na kakay has a gift sa music and i want that to be developed. basta i still have a few to weeks to decide kung anu ba talaga.

p.s. i can't wait to watch TWILIGHT. super excited nako. weeeee!! see u on wed sa SM haha

yesterday was quite a day for me. we headed to my mom's beauty salon after lunch to get our hair done. i didn't stay the whole afternoon because there were a lot of customers. ayaw ko naman makisagabal pa. so kakay and i left janys (who's having her hair rebonded) there while we strolled the streets of the metro. ayun palakad-lakad kami just like the old times when i used to walk from our house to the parlor. lahat nilalakad ko noon. i'd still want to do that if time permits kaso busy na eh. so ayun i seized and enjoyed every moment kasi bihira nalang mangyari ang ganun. pasyal dito. pasyal doon. finally, we got tired and decided to buy shawarma. pagdating sa shop, nagpahinga muna kami then pasyal ulit. this time we went to this place called chuzon gift items ata.

things that i bought

1. 2 pcs screw driver

2. 1 metros

3. 4 pcs glass

4. 1 pocket mirror

5. 2 pairs slippers (tg isa kami ni kakay)

6. 1 cloth shears

madami pa akong gustong bilhin kaso hindi ko makita. haha :)) gusto ko din mamalengke kaso tinatamad ako. kaya natripan naman namin ang magpa beauty. haha..

we had our eyelashes curled tapos i had my hair cut din..

p.s. naiinis ako sa blogger, kanina pakong before lunch nag uupload ng pix pero naghahang lang. darn it even fs is broken.. :-[

another crazy sunday afternoon

as always, i didn't wake up on time. actually, it was time. 11 na ata. haha. i don't know, i can't set my body clock sa tamang oras. parang nasa ibang bansa ako na super late lahat sakin. haha. i actually bought an alarm clock. kaso naman, pare kainis... i hate hearing the clock ticking kaya ayun, like our wall clock, tinanggal ko din ung baterya.. haha :)) when i use my cell naman, i don't hear the alarm. what's worse is that i don't really remember snoozing it. hay, too much for my weakness. everyday is a test pag dating sa lesson na yan. :p

i was teaching myself kanina on how to play the guitar. ayun masaya. kaso tinamad ako. i felt sleepy kaya i had a nap. kaso nagising ako dahil sa client. the nerve! nagpakita pa yung hinayupak na yun sakin. pagkatapos nyang mag pa layout at saka hndi magbayad may gana pa ciang bumalik dito. haha i hate it kasi pagka you don't get what you deserve. tulad nun, pinaghirapan ko ung layout nya tapos bigla lang ciang nwala na parang bula after i mailed him a copy. plus kadiri kaya ung mga pics nya noh. yung mga taong may ketong chorva. superrrrr eeew talaga. basta past is past. hehe d naman ako galit. naiinis lang. :))

today is father james' birthday

alright, he is not really a priest. i just have a habit of calling him this cuz it sounds soooo holy. haha :) un bang hindi makabasag pinggan. anyway, tonight is the party at dinner. so i was planning on buying him a cake kaso i was also thinking of food nalang. i dunno yet kung anu ba talaga.. anyway, maybe i'll be sticking with the food as a gift. i was thinking na crispy pata or chicken. hell, basta i'll buy something for him at dinner tonight. i also don't want him to get the notion that i practice favorites noh. kasi when my mom had her birthday, super bonggang birthday yung ginawa namin. so ayun. basta laterz...ooppps i forgot, happy birthday papa... XoXo

missin whoever...

it's been quite sometime since i felt this way. feels like a part of me has been shut down. it's very unusual for me to miss someone. maybe because i have trained my self to be hard. i moved out of the house when i was 19. i tried to forget or put less importance with what i am feeling toward my family or friends when i left.

last week i was so upset with my sister. she asked us kindly if we would want to hire her during the semestral break. kind that i was, she got the job. i have computed how much she'll be earning for the days that she's working. she told me, she'll be staying with us for 22 days. so i have somehow planned some fun things to do. i was hoping to get close to her like we used to. we were happy before, when life was simple and less complicated. i guess i was the only one happy. so she never came on time and after a couple of absences without notice, i blew it up. i got mad (sa sarili ko lang) and i told her...

me: star, kung hndi kana makakapasok, ibibigay ko na lahat ng sweldo mo wag kanang pumasok.

sister: ok ganun nalang.

that's her only reaction. without any excuses why she was absent or late. hndi ako makwentang tao. ayaw ko lang na nagtatake advantage sakin ung mga tao. of all people, ung mga close pa sakin. from then on, we haven't had a descent conversation. i am still upset. i feel so bad. i know, i know, i am older and i should be the one to understand. kaso, nakakasawa na lang.

sa mga ganyang sitwayson regarding my siblings, i always feel na talo ako. ako parati ang nagbibigay. ako parati ang nagpapsencya. maybe that is one reason why i left them. i think im right after all.

also she is keeping secrets with me. she's a grown up now and that is her choice but i just want things to be fair. a relationship is a two-way street, hndi pwedeng panay one-way ang daan. haaay, i feel sooooo down now. sobra. sana lang hindi siya manhid. i remember before, when we were still young, natiis ko ciang hindi kinausap for about two months. as in hndi talaga ako ang nag-iinitiate ng usapan. palagay ko, i can still do that now. bahala na.

masama ba ako for them to treat me like this?

why is everybody turning ___?

during the early days man can be defined in two categories-male and female. nowadays, i can't name how many categories and sub-categories there are but for sure i can name a few. male, female, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, transsexual, etc.

human sexuality nowadays is open. there is no need to "closet" themselves because slowly, the society is embracing the idea of a "rainbow" world. television shows and songs that brag about gayness are becoming hits now. katy perry's i kissed a girl topped the billboard 100. showtime's the L word have been renewed for another season due to people's demand. btw, L Word follows the lives and loves of a group of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles. mika's song entitled billy brown, a man who had relationships with the same sex was a hit too.

maybe the guys-turned-gays lost hope in finding a girl that's perfect for them and vis-a-vis with the girls-turned-lesbos. man cannot be contented, in fact, he will try everything that could satisfy his desires. the turn of the 20th century opened the minds of conventional people that the world is constantly changing with regards to sexuality. judging, asking and criticizing a person with regards to his sexual preference is a proof that unfortunately,no matter what we do, we cannot erase the fact that narrow-minded people still exist in our society.

a piece of advise to my readers (if there are any), please lang hangga't maaari, wag nating husgahan ang kapwa natin dahil hindi lahat ng tao perpekto. why don't we concentrate sa strengths ng bawat isa. malay natin, we can make a difference in the lives of others.

many people have been questioning my sexuality. many how wondered and many have judged. well i don't care. people who knows me well, know what i am.

according to somebody, i forgot who

"would it make me less of a person if i'm ______ "(kahit ano ilagay mo pwede :D)

people should not base their judgment on physical appearances but by their CHARACTER.

the cast of the L word.

alright kids, here's your seatwork for the day. for 2 points direct to the card. guess who's straight and not. don't forget to use your gaydars!! :))

Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night. ~Woody Allen

ewan

matagal na akong hindi nakakapag blog. siguro kasi i have a lot of things on my mind. dagdag pa sa mga iniisip ko yung sasabihin ko dito.

but then i realized na this could be a good outlet of what i'm feeling. hindi ko dapat i-keep lang sa sarili ko whatever emotions na nararamdaman ko.

actually, i was thinking about school for a couple of months now. if makakapasok naba ako talaga or kung kakasya naba yung savings ko or kung anu bang subjects kukunin ko. i have a lot

of questions. and i hope one day masagot sila unti-unti. for now, tatambay na muna ako ulit for another six months.

~~~~ tama na ang ka-emohan ~~~~

sa six months na meron ako before i decide "again" to go to school, mag-aaral muna akong mag gitara or any instrument. i always had the

passion for music, in fact, my dad was a DJ before kaya i grew up loving and

appreciating music. goodluck to me :D

guitar guide book/tutorial with DVD pa. bobo nalang siguro ang hndi matututo nyan..

~~oreo gave birth din today. im happy for her. kahit kamukha nyang churabols lahat ng anak nya. hahaa.. andami na ngang nakapila sa mga

humihingi. how am i suppose to divide the three pups amongst 8 adoptive parents noh.. haha..

ipaparaffle ko nalang siguro ang mga munting tuta para fair ang laban..

nga pala, ang pinapangarap kong belt bag ay nabili ko na. after so many months or years na nga ata. haha. im just so glad. papano janys and i always argue kung sino magdadala ng bag, papano naman kya akin nga ung bag saka ung laman e ung wallet naman nyang simbigat ng maleta pilit nyang nilalagay sa bag ko. atleast now, hndi na kasya wallet nya sa belt bag ko.. blehhhhh!