The Shepherd's Mind Goes Online!

Parents wonder how best they can set up their kids “at-home” learning space. The possibilities can seem overwhelming, whether you’re modifying an existing space, adding onto your home, or building a new house from scratch, there are some structural features that can make your at-home learning space a better environment for learning. Online learning area doesn’t need to look like a classroom. You will need a work area with a flat surface, comfortable seating, good lighting, and space for storage. Ideally it should be located near the student so that they can reach the things they need when needed. Here are some tips on how you can create an at-home learning environment where your child will thrive in this predicament times in learning. PRIORITIZE COMFORT 1. Have a chair that your kid don’t mind sitting in for a long period of time. 2. Make sure the climate of the room is comfortable because your kids may have a hard time learning if it’s too hot, too cold, or damp. 3. Make sure you have windows for natural light because light and bright spaces are generally better for learning and creativity. However, it’s a good idea to install blinds or shades if you get direct sunlight during the day. Otherwise, you might find yourself uncomfortably hot every afternoon. If natural light is not an option, you may get a good artificial light during the evening or on overcast days, you will want good overhead lighting to keep everyone’s spirits bright. SET UP YOUR SUPPLIES & MATERIALS NEARBY Some families create a school space by dedicating a room in their home that is just for school time, while others use the kitchen tables, some use a large chalkboard for lesson work or a seasonal drawing. Make sure to have all your supplies handy, and have your children keep things organized. Also, you can put lots of fun colors. You don’t need to paint your walls like a Crayola box to have a colorful and inspiring classroom. Colors can be on storage bins, throw pillows, artwork, maps, manipulatives, and more, but be sure your space has a bright and cheery vibe. Many homeschoolers find that painting walls a soothing color create a calm and nurturing atmosphere. ELIMINATE CLUTTER & DISTRACTION Eliminating visual clutter from the child’s school space and play space can be quite calming. Noise is a common distraction that can put home learners off their game. The neighbor’s annoying dog barks all day. Your spouse bangs around in the kitchen or outside doing loud chores during study hours. All of this and more drive your child learning focus crazy and make it difficult to learn. Control as much noise as you can and create a calming counterattack with soothing background noise or music.

As we have written about the top 3 things you should know about homeschool and online learning, now we want to help you make a more concrete decision, that is why we’ve closely examined and laid out the pros and cons of homeschool vs. online learning below: Pro's of Homeschool: More Time with the Family Homeschooling offers an incredible opportunity for families to bond and share experiences as parents to teach their children everything and even plan educational field trips or family vacations. It also allows parents to build family bonding time into their schedule. For example, if one parent works an odd shift and is only home during the typical school day, families can build their school day around that schedule. Control of Content Whether you want to weave faith-based conversations into every lesson or have strong beliefs about how to teach science, you have control of the lessons and the information your child receives. This is also particularly helpful if your child has been through trauma such as sexual assault or recent death of a close family member. Many books and works of literature taught in online or in-person classes touch on these difficult concepts, but teachers don’t often take into account that these topics can be triggering for some students. Schedule Flexibility Because you get to completely choose your schedule, you have incredible flexibility. Even though online schooling offers flexibility, students are still tied to deadlines, the general school year schedule, and sometimes even live lectures. With homeschooling, you can control when your kids learn, so they’re not stressed about completing work while on vacation, for example. Rigour of curriculum One of the main reasons families decide to homeschool is because they are not satisfied with their private school options. Parents can make homeschool curriculum as rigorous as they want all the while ensuring their child's needs are being met. Interest driven Students and parents can work together to cover topics and create elective courses that are tailored to their interests. For example, if a student loves "The Start Up," parents can work that into the curriculum to teach reading, writing, and speaking skills. They could even create an art elective class based entirely on the start up series. It’s hard to tailor to interests specifically in online classes that are generalized for a large group of students. Pro's of Online Learning: Learn from a Licensed Teacher While many homeschool parents do an excellent job teaching their kids, some parents feel more comfortable knowing their kids are being taught by a licensed teacher who has been trained to educate students. It takes some of the pressure off, whether it’s teaching your kindergartener how to read or explaining physics to your high schooler. Online School Cost Less The cost of an online school tends to be much cheaper than homeschooling, and online public schools are free, meaning you can keep your kids at home to learn without the financial burden of homeschooling. This also frees up some of your time to work so you can earn additional income while your kids are learning. Student Independence Students who crave independence from their parents find that they have much more independence in homeschooling, where their parents aren’t involved in every aspect of their schooling. Independence is an important aspect in child development that can be easily fostered through distance learning. DepEd Requirements are Covered Depending on where you live, there may be state standards that need to be met, and students might also be required to take standardized tests even if they don’t attend school. An online school will ensure students meet requirements and will facilitate standardized tests. This helps ensure students don't fall behind. Less time consuming for parents Parents who have other responsibilities often find that they have more time on their hands when their children take their classes online. This doesn’t mean you can’t still help your kids and be involved, but it frees up much of your time when compared to homeschooling. Con's of Homeschool: Work load for parents Homeschooling can be very time consuming and stressful for parents. It takes time to plan lessons, put together materials, and teach students. Just like teachers, parents may end up putting in extra work outside the “school day.” Parents might also find that homeschooling takes more time and effort than they thought, leaving them stressed and potentially even cutting corners. Difficult Concepts Some parents, especially those who struggled in school themselves, feel inadequate and struggle to teach their kids. The older kids get and the more they learn advanced concepts, the worse this struggle may become. Even a seemingly simple concept like learning to read is much more complex than it seems at first glance. Organized Study Place Homeschooling requires a lot of physical and mental organization. You need an uncluttered space for your kids to keep their materials and for you to teach them every day. You also need to organize and plan out your day to create a routine for your kids. Some people find this level of organization difficult. Expensive The cost of a curriculum itself can be expensive, and then you need to add on the cost of materials and educational trips. Homeschooling could also mean that one parent needs to stop working or cut down on hours, which can make the cost burden even higher. Lack of regulation Lack of regulation sounds like a benefit to some families who choose to homeschool to have more freedom for themselves and their kids. However, in states that have very relaxed regulations for homeschool students, it’s easier for students to fall behind or even get no education at all. Con's of Homeschool: More Stationary Learning There often aren’t as many opportunities for real life experiential learning. A large portion of students’ learning is done sitting in a chair, while homeschool learning can happen anywhere. Science labs, for example, often leave a much stronger impression when students can do them hands-on rather than by watching a video or participating in an interactive tutorial online. Internet Connection Most people have access to strong and fast internet connections today, but online learning can obviously be very difficult and stressful for students who have to deal with slow or unreliable connections. More Screen Time Full-time school online requires a lot of screen time to attend classes, read materials, watch videos, complete assignments, etc. Focus It can be difficult to get young kids to focus on online learning for an extended period of time. While homeschooling parents can switch between topics and activities often to hold short attention spans, it’s harder to accomplish this with online learning. Lessons Aren’t Individualized Distance learning lessons are more generalized so teachers can reach an entire class of students. While teachers will be available to help and answer questions, lessons aren’t tailored to each individual student as they can be in homeschooling. Those are the top pros and cons of homeschool and online learning which we hope will help you decide on which you’ll go for, for the coming school year.

When you make a decision to do school from home for your kids there are two options for you, it is homeschool and online learning. Some parents do a combination of the two options, while other prefer to go all in one way or the other. The choice between homeschooling or online school involves careful consideration of unique needs and circumstances. However, there are some clear benefits to attending an online school for parents who may have thought keeping their children home wasn’t an option for them because they are also busy at work. Here are the top three (3) things you should know about homeschool vs. online school: Teachers: In homeschooling parents are in charge of teaching all material to their kids. This can be difficult when a parent isn’t particularly well-versed in certain subjects or the parents are working. In an online school, certified teachers provide instruction as well as guidance and support. Teachers are available via online class sessions, phone, email, one-on-one tutoring, and face-to-face meetings. Teachers will work directly with parents to ensure each student’s unique learning needs are met. Curriculum: Parents who homeschool must research and find their own curriculum and make up their own schedule and lesson plans or you may enroll from a homeschool provider where they will provide you with lesson plans and curriculum that you would teach your child. An online school comes with its own curriculum, which is approved by the DepEd. Lesson plans are provided, which provides structure to students’ learning and daily schedule. In addition, many online schools will provide free hands-on materials that allow students to experience offline activities in addition to their online work. Socialization: While homeschool parents can take it upon themselves to make sure their children interact with their peers, online schools provide structured socialization opportunities. For example, online school have a number of clubs that students can join as well as established field trips and outings. Remember that many families choose to do a combination of homeschooling and online learning, but they often find their base in one or the other. We hope the top 3 things you just learned about homeschool and online learning will help you determine which one fits your lifestyle better.

A pet is an animal kept primarily for a person’s company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock or a laboratory animal. The two most popular pets are dogs and cats, but there are a lot of pets that one can have such as rabbits, hamsters, parrots, guinea pigs and many more. Pets offer a lot of benefits to kids, as pets teaches valuable life lessons to us humans - such as responsibility, trust, compassion, respect and patience. Both enjoy high energy of play as well as having a cuddle buddy during nap time. If your child asks for a pet, talk with them about responsibility and the permanency of owning a pet and you should set up and discuss what your child’s pet responsibilities will be ahead of time. Remember, no matter how committed they are at the time of getting a pet, you will have to consider yourself as the backup plan if and when they cannot or will not continue to care for the pet. First Life Skill: Responsibility Pets requires food, water and love. Many, some more than others, require exercise. They also require grooming and bathroom time – this is a lot of responsibility, but a good start for kids. Second Life Skill: Trust A pet also offers unconditional support when a child (or anyone) is sad, angry or upset. They can teach your child to trust the pet, themselves and build trust in other relationships as well. Third Life Skill: Compassion When a child takes care of a pet, they learn to be kind to others through taking care of their furry friend’s basic needs – how they interact with the dog says a lot of how they interact with other humans. Getting a pet isn’t bad, in fact it has a lot of life skills that your child can learn, but before thinking of which pet to add to your family, pick one that fits your lifestyle - A fish, turtle or hamster will require less playtime than a cat or dog. If your family travels a lot, then maybe an animal that can be left at home with minimal care would be a good choice. If you prefer to go for long walks and play in the yard, then a dog may be a perfect fit. Having a pet at home does bring joy as well!

Choosing the best school now can be really tricky because we don’t really know yet if we can go back to a classroom set up this coming school year, the best thing we can do is prepare for possibilities. That is why we are happy to share with you below 11 things you should consider to help you decide which school best fits your child. As we want the safety of our children and continue their study despite the situation we are currently in, we should know the capability of the school to do “online” class. 1. How stable was the online class that happened in SY 2020-2021? Checking on how they did this school year by knowing how many students enrolled and what activities they had will help you determine on how they did with their first ever online school year. 2. Where the parents of the enrolled kids happy? If you can, you might want to talk to a parent whose child is enrolled in the school to help you know what they think and feel about the said school. 3. What is the student to teacher ratio? You might want to be sure that your child is receiving enough attention, so take a look not only at the size of the school itself but at the number of teachers and, if possible, class sizes in the grade your child will be entering. Most schools should make this information readily available. 4. What is the school’s curriculum like? This depends on your personal educational philosophy: is it experiential? More traditional? How is grading handled, and what are the academic expectations of students? Does the school offer languages, arts, or other diverse learning opportunities? How much mandatory testing goes on through the year? 5. What are the qualifications of the staff? Find out whether the staff are experienced and highly educated, including the principal or director. Ask what her or his background is, and inquire about what sorts of support staff work at the school: career counselors, athletics, etc. 6. What types of extracurricular opportunities are offered? If your child is an athlete or a musical prodigy, will they be supported in their training or studies? Perhaps he or she has always taken an interest in debate, but has never had the opportunity. Now is your chance. That is the basic information that you might want to look into and here is a few more to add just incase school returns to normal: 7. How far is the school from your home? This will impact whether they can ride the bus or public transit as well as how convenient it is for you to bring them their forgotten homework. As you’re listing out your options, use Google Maps or something similar to check the commute time from each potential school and decide what your cutoff is. 8. How well is the school funded and equipped? If it is a public school, what kind of budget do they have for supplies? If it is private, what kind of endowment does the school have to purchase new supplies? Do they have a good library, and modern science and computer equipment? 9. Is there a PTA or other parent involvement group? How are parents encouraged or invited to participate in guiding the school’s path? How involved do you want to be in the school’s decisions? 10. Are the school lunches up to par? Does the cafeteria provide healthy, fresh lunches for students, or do they count pizza as a vegetable? If your child will be eating breakfast at school, are there good options to start the day off right? 11. How safe is the school? Many public websites offer safety ratings for city schools, but you can also ask about safety precautions that the school takes. Once all of the answers to the question above passed your criteria, you are now ready to enroll your child to the school you have chosen.

What comes to your mind when you think of Christmas? To some it is a special time spent with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but for most people it is brightly-wrapped presents sitting under the tree. For whatever Christmas it is for you, we all wonder why it is always represented with the color “Green” and “Red”. For thousands of years, red and green have been the traditional colors of Christmas. But why is it red and green? No one really knows for certain how and why red and green became the Christmas colors, but there are a few popular books and theories that you can read about the history of the Christmas color, but the most wonderful that we have read about it is that - many Christians believe red and green were inspired by the life of Jesus, whose birth Christians celebrate on Christmas. “GREEN” represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ, just like the evergreen trees that surrounds us and gives us air to breath for us be able to live, while “RED” represents the blood shed by Jesus Christ during his death for us. And we think it is a wonderful explanation on why "GREEN" and "RED" is the color of Christmas. It only explains that Jesus surrounds us in our evergreen livelihood that gives us air, food and shelter and in whatever pain/struggles/challenges we are/will face, Christ is always with us.

Can gift giving become the focus of Christmas instead of thanking the Lord for the gift of His Son (John 3:16)? Absolutely! Does giving gifts have to take away from the true meaning of Christmas? No, it does not. If we focus on the wonderful gift of salvation the Lord has given us (Isaiah 9:6), giving to others is a natural expression of that gratitude. Is your focus on the gift or on the ultimate gift-giver, our gracious Heavenly Father? "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (James 1:17). Christmas is fast approaching and we know that a lot of us are facing a lot of challenges brought by the pandemic and the typhoon, which is why as much as we want to give our love ones what they truly want, we need to think about our family’s security first. That is why we have come up with these simple gift ideas that might help you decide on what to give this Christmas without breaking your bank accounts. Here are 4 gift ideas that you can do without spending: 1. Personal Letters - Letters are romantic and thoughtful, no one defeats a letter that is written from the heart and no one will ever resist receiving a letter. 2. Video Presentation – Throw in a memory lane photo of you and your loved ones with some music and play it on Christmas day, so your whole family can watch it together! 3. Work of Art – Start drawing/painting/coloring any paper because this is a perfect gift as well to display in your lovely homes. A personal work of art is never a waste! 4. Quality Time – This is the best gift you can give to anyone, even if it is not Christmas! If you really have no budget and you are not an artsy kind of person then maybe you can just help out at home. Do anything that will make a good bonding moment with your love ones and make sure to focus on them and not your phone. The Bible gives a wonderful story about the gift God gave us—Jesus Christ—and we can use it as an opportunity to present the gospel and to show love. Giving and receiving gifts can be part of fulfilling what Paul says about giving in 2 Corinthians 8:7–8, “Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.” Paul encouraged the churches to give financial gifts to the believers in need in Jerusalem and stressed that their gifts were to be voluntary and motivated by earnest love. We can apply this same lesson to our own lives by giving to others, not just at Christmas, but year-round!