Changing School

I always thought that my daughter will finish her secondary level in a British curriculum school. Unfortunately, the school where she is in now decided to close by end of the school year 2014-2015.  Another issue we have to consider is that she will be going home in the Philippines for her collegiate level. The Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines require students from abroad to at least have Filipino and Social Studies subjects in their curriculum. Being in a British curriculum, Filipino is not part of the elective subjects.

So, today I made the painful decision of transferring her to a Philippine-curriculum school. It's not an easy decision but something I and my husband had to make. My daughter was apprehensive at first. However, most of her friends from her current school are moving there too so the transition will be a bit easy for her.

I am not sure if this is the right thing to do. All I know is that, I don't want to put my daughter in a situation where she will end up not having any school at all and miss a year of schooling.

Exam's Over!

The past two weeks have been very hectic for me and my daughter because it was her final assessment week. I wanted to ensure that her grades would not fall from the school's high standards.

I have been regularly making reviewer and mock exams for my daughter based on the coverage of the test. I normally get aid from a test maker and add more details as I get through the mock exams as per subject.

It is a bit difficult for me now to create reviewer for my daughter who is in Grade 6 as compared to her lessons in the lower grades. It has been a very long time since I last held a Grade 6 book. Besides, her school is following the British curriculum and much has been changed. So, I have to research and study too in order to be effective in facilitating her review session.

Thank goodness we have the privilege of getting help online nowadays. I just read her books and notes and also refer to the Internet for more in-depth discussion on the topic required. There is also an exam software that I can use to aid me in providing my daughter a mock exam and reviewer close to what she is actually taking in school.

I am glad that her exam is over. I can finally rest for a while and probably let out a sigh of relief when I get her report card in few weeks time.

The Learning Curve

Learning is a continuous process. One does not stop acquiring information as soon as he or she leaves the fine corners of the academy. The longer one stays in school, the more he or she acquires knowledge and skills.

It is vital for an individual to continue learning new skills and gather information on various fields of discipline. The school is a great place to acquire these knowledge and to use those accordingly. Individuals who are able to go back to school again even after finishing a degree are really privileged. Not all get that second chance to gain a different knowledge and perspective on various fields. Some are willing to go through the rigorous process of having plenty of quizzes and taking grammar quizzes, doing homework, completing projects and most importantly, gathering data for the thesis.

The further studies after the university stint are called Masters degree and the one after that is the Doctorate. There are a multitude of courses offered for higher education. Not long ago, there were few courses to choose from. The present academic curriculum includes test software courses in the field of Computer Science. There are continuing courses in the field of Health Care and Nursing. Further studies can be taken as well for Social Science and Education. Unlike before where the only choice was between a Master in Business Administration, Psychology or Philosophy.

The learning process is indeed a never ending cycle. One must aim to keep the stream of information flowing.

Slacking a Bit

It has been a while since I posted something in my blog apart from the regular. I have been very busy with my daughter's final exams the past few weeks, preparing her for the big event. I have been running like crazy lately as well because of my quest to lose weight. Remember I posted about that few months ago? I am keen on having that goal finally ticked on my list!

Bear with me folks as I slack on my blogging duties to fulfill my motherly chores and health goals. I will be active again very shortly once the school is over and it's just around the corner :)

Teen Education Site

As a parent of a soon-to-be teen, I cannot help but wonder about how my daughter will fair in her studies when she reaches high school. She is currently in her 5th Grade in an international school and lessons are getting harder each change of term. I know I have to start preparing her for the inevitable - the rigid high school subjects!

Brightstorm is a good site to get courses to aid your kid's studies with subjects we commonly have difficulty with like Algebra, Writing, History and SAT tips. It has been a while since I got out of school and it would be difficult for me now to teach her the rudiments of some of those difficult subjects especially Math which is my Waterloo. I am quite relieved that this site can offer great tips in covering those subjects. I know this will be very beneficial for me when my daughter starts her high school session. At least when that happens, I am better prepared and we can both handle the onslaught of Algebra problems like a piece of cake.

It is easy to get around the site. You will have to Sign up for a free brightstorm account and choose the subject you want to cover. I choose the Algebra II (probably) Won't Kill You of Joshuah Thurbee and found the course fun and interesting. I suddenly had a flashback of how I dealt with my Algebra woes during my high school days. I found this course an eye opener and saw Algebra in a different perspective, or should I say, in a better and positive perspective because I found the subject loathsome! After taking this free course, I have seen the good side of Algebra!

Brightstorm gives storm of benefits like:
- Educational Effectiveness
- Value
- Funness
- The professionalism of the content
-Sign up for a free account and have access to a free episode

I'm sure, my daughter will have a fun time going through the courses in Brightstorm.