After a year of running a virtual education program, Mano Amiga consolidated the frequently asked questions that parents have about effectively supporting their children’s learning journey at home. To share their experience and expertise on the matter, I invited for a chat our Principal Dr. Rev- Tria Siasoyco, our resident Psychologist and Guidance Counsellor Sha Buscato, and three Mano Amiga Parents who are also educators themselves: Mr. Ferdie Dela Chica who teaches at Everest Academy, Mrs. Victoria Galicia who was a former teacher in Indonesia before becoming a full-time homemaker, and Mr. Armand Galicia who was a former teacher before moving to PHINMA as head of its Foundation.
My favourite takeaways from the session:
Parents, keep your cool. Children will make mistakes and that’s okay, because it’s an important part of their learning journey. What matters is that you’re supporting their growth and progress, not demanding perfection.
You are Parents first and foremost, and not their teacher. These are challenging times for children and young people. More than educational outcomes, More than educational outcomes, children need their parents to be there for them emotionally during this time. Parents must remain as a ‘safe space’ where kids could comfortably share what they’re going through, instead of being a source of additional pressure.
Integrate learning experiences at home. Whether it’s having healthy debates about current events at the dinner table, or role-playing learning scenarios at home, focus on ways to make learning fun and relevant by helping them apply it to real-world situations.
To watch the full session and hear more concrete tips from our guests, click on the video below:
