Loopholes of parenting in the PHILIPPINES

I have always heard people saying, "The benefits of parenting in the philippines is having a yaya." While that it true, it also manifests how parents - Filipino parents have relied on yayas in parenting and raising the children. If majority of mothers in the country choose to work and depend on yayas - non biological, uneducated individuals to discipline and raise the next generation, what will happen to the next generation? I have often caught Nathan's yaya stare at the television and ignore Nathan. OFTEN! I have often caught his yaya shout at him. No wonder kids today think yelling and shouting are normal. I OFTEN caught her teaching wrong pronunciation to words. You can just imagine what kind of kids we will be having ....bisaya Filipino kids! I don't wanna put my kids' nannies down. But my point is disciplining and raising the kids should never be delegated to the yaya. As parents, we have the sole responsibility of training and raising our children. From ages 0 to 7, installing values and training should be our number one priority. Jot giving them material and financial support. As mothers, our primary goal is to give them strong family and biblical values that will guide and support their decisions in the future. We cannot just delegate this tasks to other people - yaya, school, tutors, etc. it's our job.

The problem with parents nowadays is that they are more scared to loose the nanny than to see their kids get hurt. We out our comfort above our kids. We think we will become Paralyzed when we don't have yaya. That's wrong! Millions of parents around the world survived without yayas. We should put our kids first.

Parenting is not a birth right, but a privilege. Pastor peter and Brother Francis kept reiterating last Saturday at the parenting seminar. Indeed, parenting is the hardest and most challenging thing we can ever do in our life -especially as mothers. Times have changed so much that both mom and dads have focused on work and careers to give all the material things and to uplift the standards of living of families. But what profits a man and a woman that he gains the whole world - acquires so much possession , but fails in raising their children. We kept on saying, 'my parents realized me this way. And it worked." How can you say that it really works when we - in our generation have failed miserably in making good decisions, following rules, respecting those in authority and ignored the Lord's speaking within? Acquiring material things is not a proof of successful parenting. Successful parenting is simply the inculcation of strong values that will guide the children in their decision making and in becoming a person according to God's heart. 

My baby girl is turning 8 months today! It seems like yesterday when I was waiting for her to come out. Now, it's been 8 months and she has grown a lot. She has been responding actively to everything around her. Her laughter of course brightens our home everyday. Her feeding schedule is still as crazy ( round the clock) . And breastfeeding is the best thing I have done for my children. I have never thought I can breastfeeding this much and this long. But it has been amazing. When I stop going to school to dedicate my time to The Lord, to my children and to my family, I have realized the most important thing in life - balance. I remembered my first child, I spend more time working than spending time with him. I have exerted all my efforts raising other people's children and neglected mine. I have made myself miserable by wasting my time trying to fix what I cannot fix in the first place. I end up not having genuine and real relationship with my son. You cannot turn back time. He cannot be an infant nor a toddler anymore. Wasted time is wasted time. It's wasted opportunity. I realized that all my efforts for the past yow years are just taken in vain. All my sacrifices for the school is just vanity of vanities. Going back to The Lord, I have seen that I need to set my eyes on Jesus. I have seen that fixing and making sure my family and spiritual life is strong to lead and inspire others at school is the key. And that's what I am doing.


By God's grace.

I have one stressful situation today at Oakridge. One parent has been complaining because the teaches and the principal have called her to pick her son up on time. It's been three years and the same scenario happens everyday - she drives her son to school LATE and pick him up LATE ( like in the evening). Of course being a very proactive school, we ask our teachers and even we ourselves stay with the student ( just to make sure nothing happens to him). But when we called the mom in today and told her to drive and pick up her son on time, she started talking about how we need to understand her, how she's juggling being a mom and being a businesswoman and how she's paying the school anyway. Of course, she just left answer felt disturbed after that.
Many many times we neglect other people's rights, feelings, situations. We are just so self absorbed that e complain every minor details in our lives and we disrespect other people's time. Teachers - specialLy Oakridge teachers are the highest level of professionals in the city I have ever met. They are expected to perform with the best academic and teaching skills, intestinal fortitude and more than anything moral values. They have met international standards and have been pursuing high expectations from both the admin and International educational community. Thus, they deserve to be treated with respect. RESPECT simple.
Many many times parents treat the teachers like nannies. They even say , "we pay them". That's one of the most demeaning things they can ever so. Because as teachers, we do not work for parents. We work for the LORD. We area countable to The Lord to shepherd, raise and teach the students He has given us. We do not work for parents. We work for our country. To produce highly competent ! Dedicated and patriotic FILIpinos who will bring our country to progress. We do not work for parents. We work for Oakridge's vision which is in line with God's stewardship and God's perfect will.
Thus, teachers need respect. Teachers need appreciation. Teachers need partnership. Parents need to stop treating us like the 'enemy'. And should start dealing with us as partners who will help them raise responsible, independent and self driven individuals who can make a difference everyday.

Reading foreign journalists' reports and blog about the typhoon ahi yan and the response of our government to the affected areas, I cannot help but wonder, "will Filipinos change our ways, our priorities in life, our way of choosing government officials, our "un systematized"  approach to situations and our culture?" It is clear we need a culture change. Not that we need to remove the loving, kind-hearted nature of Filipinos. But we need to start seeing that we should plan, we should be ready and we should stop the "Bahala na " attitude.
It funny and a bit alarming when one journalist said before helping out in the Philippines, you need to have some level of tolerance on chaos. That's so true. Not just in typhoon hit areas. Once you reach the country, you need to be ready for chaos. Once the plane lands at NAIA, you will be welcomed by taxi drivers , hotel representatives, tour guides that offer packages and bunch of people waiting. If you jut came from a 12 hour flight, wouldn't you feel clueless and lost?
We really need to put order and a systematic approAch to our lives. Not just in government offices. I recalled one mother at school saying, "Oakridge is like utopia - it's so idealistic. What will happen when kids graduate and see the chaotic world? Aren't they prepared for chaos?" I have one clear answer to that, would you want your kids to be used to systematic approach to things, to organized world, so that when they go out in the REAL world, they'd be the channel , the avenue where change is truly implemented. These people in charge - government officials who grew up in an un systematized world. They travel - true. They see organized, effective societies. But they don't really study how they work, what they do yo make their communities effective. I recalled Jesse Robredo. His dedication and commitment to give structure and system to naga has paved the way for true change. Having studied at Harvard JFK School of Governance, he wanted to implement structure in his town - because he knows it is the ONLY way to progress. All countries who have progressed and reach efficient status have a structured and organized way of doing things. So when foreign journalist say, people who help in the Philippines need to have some tolerance on chaos is just an eye opener, a smack in our face that hey we need to wake up , people.
I truly hope this is an eye opener to everyone. I hope we don't resist change. I hope we vote for the quiet people.  I hope it's not just for show.

I remembered our wedding march was "great is Thy faithfulness". I have always felt how The Lord has planned and taken control of things in our lives. But many times we loose track, become proud and try to maneuver things our own way. Many many times, we ignore His speaking and leading within and do things our way. Many many times, we loose sight of God's perfect will and do just as we please.
As parents, we tend to react to our children according to the flesh. We are so quick to anger and shout at them. We loose our temper easily. And let's admit it, when we loose our temper , we loose our self control, eventually our image as role models. I have always believed that children do copy us - adults all the time. As a preschool teacher, I have caught my student mimicking me and copying my movements. It's so funny! Once, I caught my student say , "Kwan" - an Ilocanos expression I have. How my female students want to grow their hair long because I have long hair. As a mother, it becomes difficult. Because of your temperament and your son's manipulation, we cannot help but loose our temper. And i felt really bad every time it happen. So, after the marriage retreat we had last September, I have dedicated my motherhood to The Lord and asked for The Lord to give me wisdom and much more grace in dealing with my kids.
As it turns out, when you learn to let go of your standards, pray for your children and spend more time with them, you develop relationship that will usher in communication, affection and even obedience. I have experience Nathan giving in and obeying once we had good communication.

Watching and listening to the disaster that happened in central visa has, you cannot help but see how fragile human life is and how certain things that pound us to the ground. It makes us go back to wh t is important and valuable in life. It's not those trophies, those high grades, those money, those material possession that we have acquired throughout these years. It's about our relationship with God. In the midst of disaster, we go back to The Lord and learn to kneel and give everything back to Him.
Heard a great message yesterday at church. The message was about learning to kneel and submit everything to The Lord to be able to conquer and overcome challenges in our lives. He gave examples on how he experience the Lord's conquering powers, by allowing ourselves to be subdues by God. Many many times, we put things in our own hands, trying to control bits and pieces in our lives. One thing is we are restless, we don't know how to wait for The Lord's perfect timing. One thing is we are proud and reckless. We just want what we want and we'll do it regardless of who we hurt and how we do it. It's just human nature. But man was made to be filled with God. Man was made to have God. But when we are proud and reject God's control in our lives, disaster starts to happen.
I myself have experience the Lord's dealing in a tremendous way. Oakridge is for God, from God and for God's move in the country. But when problems come, I take things in my own hands and start solving it. But the L ord chastened me many times. I even thought of just compromising and giving in to parental requests. But The Lord chastened me. He showed me that I need to give up and surrender everything to Him. And that if Oakridge is for Him, He will lead the way. Today, I have closed my eyes, I am walking by faith and I have consecrated Oakridge back to Him. Everyday, I fight with myself. I face anxiety everyday. But if it's God's way of subduing me and chastening me to obey Him, I will just say amen to Him.

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

I was once asked why we, Filipinos used to put our families' name and degree outside our houses in stones. I have always thought it's like part of our culture or tradition. But this deeply rooted culture is a manifestation of a Filipino attitude where we like to show off a lot. We like to show that we are doing GREAT. We like to show off our kids are getting high grades. It's just funny! Today, when I opened my Facebook, I saw someone posting her honor roll certificate from a local school. And my initial reaction was " oh! That shows how good you are in memorizing bunch of useless facts". It was an impulse by the way. Just my reaction to that kind of stuff.
To tell you the truth, I'm soooo good in memorizing. I'm so good, I've memorized books of the bible. But it doesn't really make sense. You memorized so many things and end up forgetting and ignoring the value. That's not education. That's not learning. That's just plain "show off". Philippine education is so hypocritical that everyone just wanna show how good they look. But deep inside , you can see all the cracks and diseases in the system. They focus so much on programs, pageants - and not spend time on what's important - installing values and skills necessary for nation building. And of course what do you expect our country to be when majority of the schools in the country are just sooooo pathetically involve in outward appearances? We end up with shallow society.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether you are in the honor roll, whether you are top one or rank 50. What matters is how you will do in life. We have so many friends who are not in the top ten at traditional schools, but you made their first million while in college. You cannot bring your honor roll certificate when you apply for your first job, or even apply at ateneo. But you do need - critical thinking, analysis, good character, great work ethics and an Oakridge education.
I believe that. That's why my kids go to OIS. If we compromise and end up just "trying to please dagupan parents" by simply going back to read and memorize, I'll take my kids to Manila.

I believe that Quality Time is the key to produce God-fearing, God-centered and Christ committed followers in our next generation. Without spending quality time with our children, we simply cannot have quality conversation, bond and even instill our faith in them. Most of the time, parents simply GIVE what children needs without understanding that its actually them and their time that matters to their children and that will truly shape their children's minds and hearts. I am simply blessed that Dek has always chose to spend time with me and the kids over work, friends and even masonry. He has always put God first and family next. And I truly praise and thank God for that. Nevertheless, our work doesnt stop there. Turning off our computers and phones and choosing to have quality conversation and time with our children is one of the hardest thing to do. Being connected on the internet and doing all sorts of stuff like facebook, even blog preoccupy us so much that we neglect engaging in real conversation with our children and even with our spouse. 

In our visit to Seoul, one thing struck me the most that I told Steve immediately how sad it was. Everyone is cellphone dependent, everyone use their phone and gadgets everywhere and everytime. You hardly see people talk- engage in conversation. Everyone either uses their cellphone, reads or sleeps (in the subway). Nobody really talks. So when you see a bunch of people laughing and talking , you'd know they are tourists. At their Museum, Nathan and I were fighting over the blocks. Then I started looking at other people and mothers simply make their children roam around the museum, while they use their cellphone and gadgets. It bothered me so much that I hugged Nathan and engaged him in conversation. 

I love traveling. Thats very clear. I love visiting new places- walking down the streets to discover culture, people and history. I love learning from other people. I love listening to their life experiences. More than anything, I love looking at life in a bigger picture- seeing where we are and appreciating things. Thats what travel does to me...makes me see things in a bigger picture.
Coming home from a first world country, I was confronted with the question, "why is our country the way it is? why hasnt we progressed over these years?" And throughout the trip, I saw how different people in other countries (first world countries ) are and how they live life. From a fast paced life where time matters alot, you go home to the Philippines where everybody relaxes and time just simply stands still. It's kind of crazy. It makes you realize that we are indeed in the countryside. We are very relaxed. while other countries are in a race to complete with the rest of the world, we, Filipinos are sooooo relaxed - enjoying life, living each moment. And yes...cherishing time.
But on the other hand, if we want our country to be a first world country, if we desire in any way life that is globally competitive and at par with first world countries, we better get our lives starighten out and start taking things seriously and efficiently.
Before leaving the country, we had to park in the airport parking. The security guad told us that parking lot was full and that he will allow us to park in airport employee's parking (ofcourse we just need to give him money). and so we did. We parked at employee's parking on the road going to the proposed airport parking building. I have no complain. It was very...convenient for us. I even told my husband not to take his photo, so as not to harm the guard. But as our plane flew, I realized that our convenience is what makes our country like this....stagnant. Our desire to get away with rules, our desire to be treated "special", our desire for convenience have stopped our growth as a nation. We no longer see things according to the Common Good. We simply want things our way. Thus, we live in a country where the rich get what they want, the middle class aiming to be rich ( to get what they want) and the poor suffer (because they simply dont have a choice).
When we reject every attempt to put structure and rules in our community, in our lives and even in education, we make ourselves enslaved by this perverted system more and more. We make our country harder to progress and develop. We make our Filipino brothers enslaved by this corrupted "system" (the absence of the system). and we live in a chaotic, law-less world.
Now you know why I want my Oakridge kids to study abroad. You know why I dont stop our teachers to go abroad. and why my kids will be going abroad to study, live their lives , earn, make a living and come home to contribute to CHANGE.

We often hear people say "they dont appreciate me" or "no appreciation at all". These are like one of the most common complain or sentiment of depressed and sad people I talk to. They - well we feel unappreciated all the time. It seems like our efforts and everything we have done means nothing to other people, especially people that matters to us. Being affected about other people's complains drains and even pushes us to depression. I myself felt that way all the time. Being easily affected by people around me- even those of I dont know, I end up living my life according to their standards. But I realized that we ourselves are unappreciative of what God has done for us. We do not even care to thank Him for everything- small and big things. Thus, we go through challenges which reminds us to put our faith and trust Him.

I just need to unload now. I feel like educating and making parents in dagupan city realize what's important is life is almost impossible. More and more I feel that dagupan city is not ready for change, to deviate from the norm and to improve. I know The Lord has placed us in situation for His move and testimony. I just hope I have more strength to stand up for the Lord, for The children and for our country.

I'm now in a principal's meeting. It is such a pity how school leaders are lost themselves. They themselves have not seen the purpose of education and the goal of God in educating the next generation. They give unnecessary comments which I think is inappropriate. If they themselves are very loose in their living, what will they give to their students? How do you expect our country to improve when school leaders who should be idealistic and passionate about change refuse to deviate from 1964 practices in education. They are so uneducated and full of themselves. They just look into their needs, their concerns and their interests. They don't even consider what we need to do to contribute to change. How do you expect them to lead their students when they themselves do not have a clue on where they are going? I don't mean to put them down. I am not even going there. I just had a sentiment that school leaders have the vision, the heart and passion to change the world - make the world a better place through education.
When The Lord called me in this commission to serve the next generation, I asked The Lord for grace and wisdom to lead. Leading for the future and educating the next generation is so sensitive, so important that we need to be careful on what we do, how we say things and how we live our lives. It is at the same time a blessing to be in this position because we are limited and controlled by the society's expectation of us and God's commission to be role models. Even towards ois teachers, we mirror and model 'ideal' behaviors to touch them, inspire them and change their hearts. Being a light in the world is a commission given to us by God. Being a faithful and prudent steward is by God's grace. I kept praying the The Lord will continue to use us as a channel of blessing to others. By focusing on what God desires and God's goal, we are being delivered from the materialism of this world, the contamination of self-love and the shallowness of this age.
I really ask The Lord to continue to bless Oakridge. To use the school for His move and for His heart pleasure. Again, not through our capacity, but by the grace of God.  It is indeed impossible to lead the school using our own skills and intelligences. Not through our human capacity but through faith and grace of God.

Resilience

We have always been 'memorizing' that resilience is one of the best Filipino trait. Seriously! I've memorized this from kindergarten to grade 6. But I'd it really? Do we really know what resilience means? Are Filipinos really resilient?
I can honestly say that we have no idea what that means. Human being, by nature do not have resilience without God. We tend to loose our self esteem, our drive. We are prone to depression. We can't handle emotions. We react before we think about it. We break own. How fragile human brings are!
But through God's life, we have something beyond humanity in us. We have now the strength to stand up after a terrible fall. We can pick ourselves us. But this only happens, when we have higher life within.
Our children will skyways how through that soul searching stage. We, ax parents break when we see our kids encounter problem. But we need all the more t be 'sane' to lead our family. When we break own even before they do, how in the wold will you teach survival and resilience?
We as parents need to pull ourselves together when we see our children encounter difficulties. We need to allow them to fail, to learn to pick themselves up. If we save them all the time, how can they learn resilience and survival?
Our responsibility as parents has always been training and teaching our children. We are the first role models, not teachers and not pop stars. We need to be careful because children copy what they see in us. You will be surprised one day when you see your little girl imitating exactly what you are doing. So, when she sees you're weak she'll be weak. When your son sees you lie, he's be a liar.

Why we are relaxed at oakridge

Okay...so here goes our side. Why we are relaxed at Oakridge.  "'Lax" as other dagupeno have branded us. At first, I was so confused what they really meant and how in the world they brand us such. Then I realized how other schools stupidly make students memorize bunch of useless information which by the way they will forget after exams. Parents in this region expect "busy work" from their kids. They want their kids to come home and looked busy by memorizing bunch of useless information. They don't want kids to play - which by the way is the most productive activity for kids because their brain works through play. They don't even want their kids to rest. I don't know. Beats me.
I think what you are looking for is...the word, "different". Why is Oakridge different? Why do we do things differently? Honestly, it's because we educate using biblical principles of raising children for The Lord. God does not want children who regurgitate everything from the books. He wants children of God who has the wisdom and prudence to make good decision. After all, we are created according to God's image. It's an insult that we lower ourselves to the standards of robots. Why memorize all the definition of words, when you don't know how to use these words? It's that plain....stupid? God created us unto His image. He expects a lot from us. Educating our children with higher order of thinking brings glory of God.

Why we are relaxed at oakridge

From www.utsandiego.com

When Tina Rasori teaches math to fourth- and fifth-graders at Fay Elementary School in City Heights, she expects her students to do more than calculate the correct answers.

Students work through problems and demonstrate how they arrive at answers. After conferring with classmates, they also must critique the reasoning of their peers.

This is math infused with Common Core, academic standards that are set to hit California classrooms in the 2014-15 school year. The guidelines — developed by a nationwide consortium of educators and other officials — are designed to emphasize critical-thinking skills over rote memorization and better prepare students for college and career.

“No more multiple-choice answers,” said Rasori, whose class will help pilot Common Core state assessments this spring. “The whole point of Common Core is to get us to prepare students for college and 21st-century jobs, where they probably won’t be asked multiple choice-questions.”

Schools throughout San Diego County are working to incorporate the new benchmarks into daily lessons in time for the statewide launch, which is set for fall 2014. The shift will drive changes, some of them dramatic, from kindergarten through high school.

At least 45 states have adopted Common Core, which is designed to enable them to compare academic progress with others states for the first time.

Some schools have been training their teachers for Common Core for nearly two years. Others are just getting started. Since California hasn’t provided additional funding for these preparations, teachers and principals have been establishing their own banks of resources, from related lessons collected from various websites to material obtained from workshops and conferences.

The overarching goal of Common Core is to transform how students are taught, particularly what they must do to master math, English and other subjects.

Nonfiction will be stressed over fiction, accounting for half of classroom reading in the earliest grades and growing to 70 percent by high school. Regardless of what students read, they will be pushed to analyze the text and develop opinions on its structure and purpose.

The traditional essay will continue to be assigned. So will poetry lessons. However, the new standards stress scientific reports and other nonfiction. Analytical writing that might be useful in college or the workplace will also be pushed.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Common Core:

Q: How were the Common Core standards developed?

A: Common Core standards started as a voluntary, state-led effort coordinated by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, with stakeholders from nearly every state in the country contributing to their development. In the fall of 2009, governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states (including California), two territories, and the District of Columbia, committed to developing a set of standards that would help prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in education and careers after high school.

The standards cover mathematics, English language arts, and literacy in various content areas for students in kindergarten through grade twelve.

Q: When do the new benchmarks take effect?

A: The California Board of Education adopted the standards in August, 2010. The state expects to implement the standards in the 2014-15 school year. Each school district in California will be charged with developing its own plan for rolling out the standards based on local needs and resources.

Q: Will the overhaul change high school graduation requirements?

A: No. State and local graduation criteria will remain the same. The changes will be seen in how students are taught the subjects, and what will be expected for them to master the content in each subject.

Q: Will Common Core eliminate any classes that are currently required of students?

A: Probably. Middle school math requirements are poised to undergo significant changes. The Common Core eliminates the push for all eighth-graders to pass algebra. The Common Core offers two math pathways for middle school: One that allows for some students to take algebra if they are ready; and another that offers general math classes that prepare students for ninth-grade algebra. Critics argue that the second track makes it difficult for students to follow a sequence that puts them in 12th-grade calculus, a course that is expected by top universities.

Q: How can educators implement the standards without new instructional materials?

A: The development of new curriculum and instructional materials aligned to the standards will likely take years. In the meantime, the California Department of Education plans to post on its website a list of supplemental instructional materials designed to bridge the gap between existing programs and those called for under the standards. Schools and districts are also working to create their own clearinghouses of best practices.

Q: How will the state gauge student performance under Common Core?

A: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torklakson has recommended that California replace its current Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) assessment program with Smarter Balanced assessments beginning in the 2014–15 school year. A consortium of states using Common Core worked to develop the new tests, which will be piloted by 1,000 schools in California this spring.

Q: Will the tests resemble the current state standardized exams?

A: No. The new tests will be administered with computers, laptops or tablets. The multiple-choice scantrons that have been the signature of state tests will be eliminated. Questions will require students to write in their answers, using their computers.

Why we are relax at oakridge

This article came from www.peekabooparenting.com. Hope it answers dagupenos' questions why we are relax

We have an American educational system that languishes under the premise that if a student repeats something many times he will learn it. He may not understand it, but he will learn how to repeat it so he sounds knowledgeable. Our primary classroom teaching methods use Rote Learning, defined as, “…a learning technique which avoids understanding of a subject and instead focuses on memorization. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the more one repeats it.” Wikipedia

This is how teachers continue to process your children in grades K–12 and our students in colleges and universities throughout America in the 2011 Global Knowledge Economy, which is driven by information and technology. This is a time and age when students have to be able to deal with changes quickly and effectively. This new economy places increasing demands on flexible intellectual skills, and the ability to analyze information and integrate diverse sources of knowledge in solving problems. NO ONE will advance in this new information age with rote memory skills. Those are the skills of mindless workers who put this gidget with that gadget for eight hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, for 30 years. That age is over in America. It left for China and India more than10 years ago.

Why do our teachers and educators continue to use a mode of education that consigns our children to a life of irrelevancy? Why do they resist change, flexibility, and new thinking techniques?

I believe it is because it threatens their lifelong Rote learning habits. Technology threatens them; teachers are artifacts from a time where they were taught they had to know all the answers. They believe in authoritarianism in an age when large groups are sharing information every day in a world without Ethernet boundaries; this is how teachers were taught to teach. They see technology as a threat rather than a challenge. Their students know more than they do in thisKnowledge Economy and so they avoid the embarrassment of having to admit they are fallible by demanding safe Rote answers to safe standardized  test questions.

Educators have forgotten that one of the most exciting teaching moments is when the student teaches the teacher. Information exchange between teachers and students allows everyone to participate in the exciting adventure of Critical and Creative thinking. The teacher becomes the guide who helps channel student energy, creativity, intellect, and critical thinking into new solutions that awaken enormous possibilities for all. Teachers do not have to have all the answers; they need to ask the right questions! Their students will find the answers.

There is a serious relationship between Critical thinking and Creative thinking. They are like a hand in a glove. Creative solutions to problems involve not just having new ideas. New creative ideas must also be useful and relevant to the task at hand. Critical thinking plays a crucial role in evaluating new ideas, selecting the best ones, and modifying them if necessary.

Now what is Critical Thinking? The list of core critical thinking skills includes observation, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, and explanation. There is a reasonable level of consensus among experts that an individual or group engaged in strong critical thinking gives due consideration to:

•    Evidence through observation
•    Context of judgment
•    Relevant criteria for making the judgment well
•    Applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment
•    Applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand

Critical thinking employs not only logic, but also broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, and fairness. A teacher or student disposed toward critical thinking includes a courageous desire to follow reason and evidence wherever it may lead. They are open-minded, display attention to the possible consequences of choices, have a systematic approach to problem solving, inquisitiveness, fair-mindedness and maturity of judgment, and a confidence in reasoning.

To be fair, the real question is, do our educators possess this kind of thinking? Are they able to develop critical thinking in their teaching methods so their students have a future in the fast moving, ever changing world of the Global Knowledge Economy? If our educators cannot make this transition between Rote Memory and Critical Thinking then our student population is doomed to languishing in Industrial Age thinking while the rest of the world, i.e., China, India, and others leap forward, above, through, and beyond them.

It is NOT about money. Socrates taught under a tree.

It is about questioning old assumptions, creating group think in classrooms, exciting students and challenging them to question everything they are told, and requiring them to develop their own solutions to problems, which may or may not agree with ours. It is about trust and belief in our ability to learn along with our students as they learn along with us.

Finally, the student must be taught not how to know the answer, but how to ask the question. Teachers and students must first embrace what they do not know and Critical thinking is a primary tool in approaching this. Spend some time with any 3, 4, 5 or 6 year old and count how many times they ask you, “Why?” Watch them play and watch how they solve problems and disputes. They have it! Then we turn them over to government schools that Drill and Kill it out of them.

Pageants for kids are one of the weirdest thing for me. Growing up in the philippines, mr and ms intramurals and mr and ms United Nations are so common that it has been the norm. But part of me have always hated those event. It's like exposing your children to superficial things, when you need you teach them the value of like sportsmanship or world peace. Call me old school, but I refuse to let my children join and even see that kind of superficial and worldly activities.
Today is United Nations day. Something like it's the anniversary of un. So, a lot of schools have United Nations themed events. And most of these schools have pageantry or fashion show. It freaks me out seeing how shallow these activities are and partly a waste of time and money ( you need to buy costumes). I suddenly top bought of our culture and what we value the most. It is undeniable that Filipino culture have always valued family. But sadly, it has always been the picturesque perfect family that one values the most. We focus so much on going to church together and being seen going to church together rather than communicating and bonding with out children. We treat children as errands more than opportunities. We really need to recalibrate as parents. We cannot just live this way because we will be raising next generation of Filipinos who have no value for relationship and genuine communication. Materialism is all around us. When we equate love to material things, our kids will indeed become materialistic. But when we spend time with them engaging our children to genuine communication and quality time, I believe you are not just raising children who knows how to deal with others, but you are setting them for life.

It's 1:46 in the morning and I can't sleep. I had such a stressful day I don't know how to move forward. I don't even know how to smile. Every problem I hear and receive from parents paralyzed me to death to tell you the truth, Oakridge has always been my greatest weakness. It haunts me to my very core that parents complain about the school being loo...relaxed. At first I don't really understand what they are talking about because we give numerous home works the kids even stay up till wee hours in the morning to finish them. But what they mean by relaxed is we do t give tons of "busy work" - stuff students from other schools do to look busy. Example, 1. Getting definition from dictionary. ( duh! You can check it by double clicking the word at Microsoft word or Mac). .2. Enumerating bunch of stuff from the book. ( double duh! Not only stupid but waste of time). 3. Memorizing ( you know what memorizing bunch of trivial stuff do in life of a person - NOTHING). Being compared to local schools is simply an insult. Why will you compare us to schools that makes children memorize skeletal system in grade 1? How stupid can the parents get by tolerating child abuse? Not only is it developmentally inappropriate ( meaning children at that age shouldn't be doing such), it's plain STUPID. Oakridge is again about critical thinking, answering questions, speaking in front, and being able to analyze things logically. Oakridge is aboutprepRing the next generation for life and for college. Oakridge is about raising smart students who will have a firm grasp of how to live, what are important and who we are. I just hope parents understand it. The way I look at it, parents themselves don't know what should really be taught at school. They themselves are clueless as to how they raise their children and their roles in raising the kids. This afternoon, one of the moms at schools shared her problem with her firs born ( who never studied at Oakridge). She said her son used to begood academically. But when he started joining milo sports stuff, he got barked a (friends) who taught him vices. The kids now flunked most of his subjects for consecutive times and might be dismissed at his college. What does that tell you? When parents are not clear of what the role of the school is, things like that happens. When parents understand that thinking, good decision making skills and work habit matters most over memorizing bunch of useless trivial facts, we raise responsible and logical young Filipinos who will definitely change th landscape of Philippine society.
But of course, parenting involves a lot of prayer on the part of parents and grace from GOD.