Category: Children and Family Advocates

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #3 Filipino- Ano ang kailangan at sino ang dapat ninyong maging para paglingkuran ang mga bata bilang kanilang guro?                             Bilang Isang Tagapagturo—Ikaw ay inatasang turuan ang mga bata na “mahalin ang sining ng pag-aaral”.

Ang mga bata ang pinakadakilang regalo sa sangkatauhan.

Inatasan kang turuan ang mga bata na “mahalin ang sining ng pag aaral”.

Tayo bilang mga edukador at bilang mga magulang ang may pananagutan hindi lamang sa kalidad ng edukasyon na ibinigay natin sa ating mga anak, kundi sa kurikulum, kapaligiran, at konteksto ng ating pilosopiya kung ano ang ating misyon na turuan, gabayan at pangalagaan ang ating mga anak.  Ang aming pangunahing tenant ng aming pilosopiya na nagtutulak sa aming misyon, modality ng pagtuturo at pagtuturo sa mga bata, pati na rin ang kurikulum at kapaligiran ay may upang bigyan namin sila ng kaloob na matuto upang “mahalin ang sining ng pag aaral”.  Dapat nating maging lubos na sinasadya ang pagtiyak na ang inilalaan natin sa kanila ay matarik sa misyon na ito!  Nais naming ang pag aaral ay maging kapana panabik, may kaugnayan, transformative, nagbibigay kaalaman upang mapalawak ang kanilang hininga ng kaalaman at pag unawa.  Nais naming ang prosesong ito ng pag aaral na mahalin ang sining ng pag aaral ay maging reflective sa kurikulum at mga modalidad ng pagtuturo upang ang proseso at mga kinalabasan ay naaayon sa kailangan ng mga bata upang lumago at umunlad at kung ano ang nais nilang matutunan. 

May mga sa atin na nasa ilalim ng impresyon na ang pag aaral ay nagaganap lamang kapag ang mga bata ay tahimik at walang ginagawa, at ang kurikulum ay nakasentro sa mga adulto at inireseta.  Naniniwala ako na kapag ang mga bata ay hindi nakikibahagi sa mga tuntunin ng mga modalidad ng pag aaral ng karanasan, at kapag ang kurikulum at kapaligiran ay hindi nakasentro sa bata at hinihimok, ang pag aaral ay pinipigilan, hindi kahanga hanga, at hindi isinasalin sa tela ng kanilang buhay.  Kapag ang mga bata ay hindi nasa isang collaborative relasyon sa kanilang guro, ang kurikulum, at ang kapaligiran kung saan sila ay inaasahan na matuto, hindi namin makakuha ng pinagsama at utilitarian nilalaman na evolves sa kaalaman at dahil dito kami ay nurturing ang mga ito wholistically at angkop.  Kami ay afforded isang mahusay na pagkakataon upang suportahan ang mga guro ng aming mga anak at ang administrasyon ng paaralan sa pagtupad sa mga core nangungupahan ng aming misyon at pilosopiya ng kakulangan gusto namin at kung paano namin nais na ang aming mga anak ay edukado.  Kakailanganin ang lahat na nasa parehong pahina at pantay na kasangkot at namuhunan, ngunit alam ko na maaari tayong gumawa ng pagkakaiba sa buhay ng ating mga anak at magbigay ng pagkakataon para sa mga guro na “tinawag” sa napakasagradong propesyong ito upang matupad ang kanilang “Banal na Layunin” sa paglilingkod sa mga bata.

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Pequeños consejos para mamás y papás: ingrediente # 3                                                    ¿Qué se necesita y quién debe ser para servir a los niños como su maestro?                          Como educador, usted tiene la responsabilidad de enseñar a los niños a “amar el arte de aprender”.

Los niños son el mayor regalo para la humanidad.

Usted está encargado de enseñar a los niños a “amar el arte de aprender”.

Como educadores y como padres, somos responsables no solo de la calidad de la educación que brindamos a nuestros hijos, sino también del plan de estudios, el medio ambiente y el contexto de nuestra filosofía de cuál es nuestra misión de educar, guiar y nutrir a nuestros hijos.  Nuestro principio principal de nuestra filosofía que impulsa nuestra misión, modalidad de enseñanza y educación de los niños, así como el plan de estudios y el entorno, tiene que ser que les demos el don de aprender a “amar el arte de aprender”.  ¡Debemos ser muy intencionales para asegurarnos de que lo que les estamos proporcionando esté impregnado de esta misión!  Queremos que el aprendizaje sea emocionante, relevante, transformador, informativo para expandir su aliento de conocimiento y comprensión.  Queremos que este proceso de aprender a amar el arte de aprender se refleje en el currículo y las modalidades de enseñanza para que el proceso y los resultados estén alineados con lo que los niños necesitan para crecer y desarrollarse y lo que quieren aprender. 

Hay algunos de nosotros que tenemos la impresión de que el aprendizaje solo tiene lugar cuando los niños son tranquilos y pasivos, y el currículo está centrado en el adulto y prescrito.  Creo que cuando los niños no están comprometidos en términos de modalidades de aprendizaje experiencial, y cuando el currículo y el entorno no están centrados e impulsados por el niño, el aprendizaje es sofocado, poco impresionable y no se traduce en el tejido de su vida.  Cuando los niños no están en una relación de colaboración con su maestro, el currículo y el entorno en el que se espera que aprendan, no obtenemos contenido integrado y utilitario que evolucione en conocimiento y, en consecuencia, los estamos nutriendo de manera integral y apropiada.  Se nos brinda una gran oportunidad de apoyar a los maestros de nuestros hijos y a la administración escolar en el cumplimiento de los principios básicos de nuestra misión y filosofía de lo que queremos y cómo queremos que se eduque a nuestros hijos.  Será necesario que todos estén en la misma página y que se involucren e inviertan por igual, pero sé que podemos marcar la diferencia en las vidas de nuestros niños y brindar una oportunidad para que los maestros que han sido “llamados” a esta profesión inmensamente sagrada cumplan su “Propósito Divino” al servicio de los niños.

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #3 What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher? As An Educator-You are charged with teaching children to “love the art of learning”.

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

You are charged with teaching children to “love the art of learning”.

We are as educators and as parents responsible for not only the quality of education that we provided our children, but the curriculum, the environment, and the context of our philosophy of what our mission is to educate, guide and nurture our children.  Our primary tenant of our philosophy that drives our mission, modality of teaching and educating children, as well as the curriculum and environment has to be that we give them the gift of learning to “love the art of learning”.  We must be so intentional about ensuring that what we are providing them is steeped in this mission!  We want learning to be exciting, relevant, transformative, informative to expand their breath of knowledge and comprehension.  We want this process of learning to love the art of learning to be reflective in curriculum and the modalities of teaching so that the process and outcomes are in alignment with what children need in order to grow and develop and what they want to learn. 

There are those of us that are under the impression that learning only takes place when children are quiet and passive, and the curriculum is adult centered and prescribed.  I believe that when children are unengaged in terms of experiential learning modalities, and when the curriculum and environment is not child centered and driven, learning is stifled, unimpressible, and does not translate into the fabric of their life.  When children are not in a collaborative relationship with their teacher, the curriculum, and the environment in which they are expected to learn, we don’t get integrated and utilitarian content that evolves into knowledge and consequently we are nurturing them wholistically and appropriately.  We are afforded a great opportunity to support the teachers of our children and the school administration in fulfilling the core tenants of our mission and philosophy of want we want and how we want our children to be educated.  It will take everyone being on the same page and equally involved and invested, but I know we can make a difference in the lives of our children and provide an opportunity for teachers who have been ”called” to this immensely sacred profession to fulfill their “Divine Purpose” in service to children.

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads #69 Home Schooling is not limited to Monday thru Friday- 8-3

Home schooling is a natural part of engaging as a family. Learning takes place in all aspects of what we do with and for our children.

Home school

I know that the privilege of being able to home school your child is not always feasible for some parents! But there are ways to intercede in your child’s learning experience and take charge of what you want your child to learn and be exposed to! There are gaps in our institutional educational system that we as families can fill in. School or learning is not confined to Monday thru Friday- 8-3! There are teachable moments that happen organically and there are opportunities for us as parents and grandparents as well as extended family and the village we create and sustain to support our children.

I have been blessed as a grandparent to participate in home schooling our grandchildren, and after 34 years of teaching children and teaching teachers in training to teach children, I get to have the honor of teaching our grandchildren to love the gift of learning! One of the most critical gaps in our educational system is not integrating the need for curriculum that is eclectic, focuses on the needs of individualized learning, and the role of social emotional develop that needs to be engrained in the overall curriculum. We have a world that is evolving in some unknown direction at warp speed! We have a responsibility to step in and slow down the life our children are being engulfed into!

They need time to discover who they are and what they are passionate about. And we need to be present for them so that as they engage with the world in and out of school, we are afforded the depth of observation that can take place in the home schooling environment! I don’t want to generalize and say that every home school program is perfection because each of us are doing it differently, but opportunities are there to invest daily in the education of their children.

Those parents that can’t or chose institutional programs must still keep these elements in the forefront of educating their children! I will confess the most difficult challenge I had as a parent was how and where to educate my Nikki! I listened to her and followed her direction. At 4 years old she told me she had to go to a school where they talked about God everyday. So she started out in the Lutheran schools and by 3rd grade she decided she wanted to go to Catholic school and did so thru her college education! It was a fit for her! You have to find the fit for your child!

P.S. I don’t know how she found out about Catholic school because we were not Catholic! But it was sooo Niki!

Ua is an influence in his sister Aoluna’s life everyday and he takes being part of her world seriously

The beauty of learning is that it is limitless and shared with this we love!

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads # 39 – Everybody Gets Mad, Sad, and Disenchanted, But We Don’t Have to Live in Those Emotions-Just “Push the Magical Reset Button” And Let the Emotions Frizzle Away!

Second generation of knowing how to process and validate their emotions!
These two characters know all about the “Reset Button”!  It has been a tool to help our children process through their emotions.

Children can have a difficult time navigating through their emotions and if I am being truthful, it is part of our human design to be challenged by dealing with our emotions throughout our life’s journey.  What we have to do as parents and caregivers of children, is to support them and guide them through the incidents that pop up and take them off their balance and control.  We want them to learn to be comfortable and in control of the feelings that run through them.  We don’t want them to be fearful and embarrassed about having a melt down or temper tantrum, feeing emotional of sad.  We want to support them with tools that will aid them in processing through their feelings and find a resolve to what might be overwhelming and unbearable for their age and maturity. 

We taught our children that they have the power and ability to reset the situation. We help them to process what they are experiencing by allowing them to have time and space to express themselves.  Sometimes it takes sitting in the feelings till they can verbally express themselves. Sometimes it means holding them in the embrace of your tender arms and whispering words of love to ease their stress. Sometimes it involves finding alternative ways other than verbally communicating, and we might have to come up with more creative ways for them to sort through their feelings.  I like “gentle reprocessing” which entails art, to bring to light what is transpiring so that words don’t get in the way. 

It will take trying different modalities to find out what resonates with each child.  Sometimes a family can come up with a safe way to process feelings and experiences that impact their emotions that are a clue for everyone to know that they need time, space, and support.  For our family we have the children visualize a “reset button” that is part of their belly button.  When we move through the emotions, we suggest pushing their “reset button”, take a deep breath, exhale, and start a new when they are ready.  Their mind, heart, and soul, have to align in harmony in order to be able to feel a sense of relief and resolve.  Trust me when I say, developing a ritual or modality for shifting through and resolving their emotions and feelings is a gift that will support them throughout their life. 

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Children and Family Advocates Children's Bill Of Rights Early Childhood Education Embracing the Gift of Parenthood Heart 4 kids Advocacy Organization Parenting Tips Uncategorized

Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads #37 Bullying, Violence, and Racism is Self-Destructive and Can Disease the Soul!

We have a big job ahead of ourselves as
“guardians” of our precious children.

So much of what our children are experiencing in this “new world order” is fused with bullying, violence, and racism and we know as adults that it imperative for us as “guardians” of our children to protect them and give them the tools to navigate through the maze of illusions, deceptions, and untruths that try to capture the imagination and soul of our children.  Our responsibility is to cultivate in our children compassion, the ability to be kind, thoughtful, respectful, and non-judgmental of other people. 

Children are not born with feelings of hatred, violence, or racism.  Those traits or actions are taught and imposed by other people in a child’s world of influence.  They come into this world as a clean slate.  They come here to be loved and guided.  They come here to learn, to explore, to discover the world that they have to live in and be a part of.  We have the chance to influence them during the most important developmental time in their life.  We have a chance to instill the values and behavior in our children that will support them in being who they are designed to be.  They were designed to be loving, caring, gentle of spirit, kind, and receptive of being healthy in their perception of what life and people should be like.  Life will challenge them and try to “take them out of themselves”, as our ancestors use to say.  We therefore have to fortify them with the character skills that will sustain them in being their authentic selves. 

We have to be observant in what transpires in their interactions, especially with their peers.   So much is revealed during “play”.  This is the time we can use to have a “teaching moment” with our children.  Firsthand, real-time experiences are the best way to integrate a conceptual lesson.  There are children’s books that can also support us in sharing the concepts we want to instill in our children’s character development.  I realize that what makes “Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads”, different than other parenting books and media content, is that my focus is on helping parents support the character development and spiritual essence of their children.  I understand the significance of this area of human development and how it impacts the overall life journey of our children.