Preparations before the plunge

 I really made thorough research on this matter.  Even when she was in regular school,  I checked casually on resources that is on the internet.  I notice that the community was filled with generous mothers who offer tips and tricks.    I was interested in the lifestyle and personalities of some homeschool vloggers,  one of which is Janina Vela  (in her makeup phase,) since I do not have anyone I personally know who does homeschool,  she was a peg. 

I once encountered a colleague client who mentioned she was, I had a conversation with her about education since I think we both have same-age children and we were embarking on decisions on which school to choose, so that started a spark,  my kid was about 4 y.o. about to start schooling,  (she could already read but was not into using the pencil yet,) being a corporate mother,  this was not an option.

Then came a lifestyle change and we decided for me to stop corporate work,  I became a freelancer and the window for homeschooling became more attainable.  Weighing the pros and the cons,  I usually make myself some comparison charts with the following concerns:

Will we be able to provide her the academic support?  Yes,  we checked on numerous homeschool providers, we had our top 3:  Homeschool Global,  CFA, and an ACE School in Paranaque.  We attended their orientation except for School of Tomorrow so we had to eliminate this as we thought that if we cannot access this (our limitation) institution,  we cannot get the full benefit of the school and facilities if any.     We were not as adventurous as making our own independent program but it was an option when we finally decided to homeschool.  We decided to use the DEPED accreditation using Alpha Omega Ignitia Track with Learning Advisor backup as we know Wetsipon's learning style would fit with this program mix.

I did a mental inventory of our skills as primary facilitators,  I can handle languages, bible, math, and science when we started in grade 3,  I had a backup "village" having my siblings, hubby, and parents on specialized skills having a linguist, anthropologist, veterinarian, biologist, musician, kumon,  and even SPED teachers on back up whenever I need recommendations.

For facilities,  definitely, we will lack in many aspects but we had good relations with our previous school and they offered Wetsipon to still keep in touch,  they are open for her to still visit and interact with her previous classmates and enjoy school facilities like the playground, library and go to foundation day or other events and field trips.  We were blessed to have our "village" just ready to help.

I also love to acquire gadgets and educational what-nots and having previously worked in toy distribution,  I have developed an understanding of play science and likewise where to look for sources and resources for educational toys,  science lab stuff, electronic kits, etc.  I also maintain an age-appropriate library at home with my collection of Dr. Seuss, Geronimo Stilton, Roald Dahl, Wimpy Kid, etc, and eventually ebooks of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, etc.  I can say her access to this may be better than regular schoolers who may need to take turns handling hardware.  Real life approach was the main plan for our limitations for equipment and facilities,  we go to zoos, museums, and workshops to experience activities  (awww missing Kidzania,)  this was a smart plan and it was achievable. 

Time,  do I have time?  I tried to do full, and part-time work,  I also did for a while, cold turkey on not maintaining a job because of homeschooling but in this current reality of needing a 2 income household,  my consideration in working will always be making enough time (and energy including patience) as this is a family commitment or at least one parent or facilitator who is committed to the lifestyle.  This is your child's present and future.

I tried some "free" programs in the summers before I really took the plunge.  I tested this with Wetsipon to see if this type of information dissemination is effective on her,  checking if she gets bored, and will she learn concepts easily.  Does she need a more multimedia-based approach,  just words,  learning kits with modular and tangible learning tools,  or does she really needs actual face-to-face encounters?   

So we were all set,  we chose the Homeschool Global offerings as they have within their umbrella various homeschool approaches,  we can, if needed change curriculum* if a chosen program does not fit, but still we have to study and research the program style as our child will have to carry the burden for a whole school year if the program is not working with her style.  We had a good 2 years of homeschooling and we actually were thriving.. but the pandemic happened.

Sure your kid will miss the regular school life but if done right it will all be worth it. 

Useful links for this journey :

https://allinonehomeschool.com/  We saw her journey from a usual useful blog of collated and well-thought-of curriculum to this pay-as-you-are-able version.  The references are very useful and I still use this for summer catch-up and extra subjects.  

https://www.etap.org/plans/  I used this in my trial phase.  They offer a free demo period and we then enrolled in a summer session.  The owner provided me a discount upon presenting our trial situation and that I am from PH. 

https://ph.homeschoolglobal.com/  This is where we have enrolled finally and we are on our 5th year of homeschooling.

https://cfa.edu.ph/ We have attended the orientation and found the approach was also sound and organized (we were choosing a school that still links us to the DEPED so that whenever we decide to go back to the regular pathway,  documentation is consistent we can easily reintegrate.)  I was 100% educated in catholic schools,  however, I have a different faith, and this was a point that made me choose where we finally enrolled.    

https://www.schooloftomorrow.ph/   I have read a lot about ACE so I was really seeking a school with this offering.  However we did not have a chance to visit or reach out to this particular school.