For children in the Philippines who are between the ages of 7 and 12, education is compulsory and free. Although some families send their children to private school, most children attend public school. The Philippine educational system itself is similar to the American school system, but unlike America which starts school in August or September and goes through May or June, the Philippines starts school in June and ends in March. The universities follow the June ~ March school year as well, except they follow the system of using semesters (June-October, November-March).
In the schools, English is the main language of instruction, although Filipino and local dialects are sometimes used - particularly in the lower grades. The literacy rate of the adult population is about 94%.
During the late 1980s, elementary schools enrolled about 9.2 million students. Secondary schools had some 3.4 million students enroll, while 1.1 million were attending the 162 colleges and universities, both public and private, found in the Philippines. By the mid-90's. there were about 11.5 million students enrolled in elementary schools with almost 5 million enrolled in secondary schools and about 1.8 million enrolled in universities and colleges.
Why San Isidro Elementary School? A School Visit Checklist
If you visit another school, you'll see that some things are different than they are at SIES. That's because we're a Public school. Spend some time in the classroom and in other places where children are. What do you observe?
1. Does a child have an opportunity to choose work that interests him/her? We think the child learns more when working on interesting materials.
2. Does the teacher act as a guide, or is the teacher the source of all knowledge? If the teacher is always "the front of the room," what motivates the child to investigate, explore, and learn?
3. Do the children have a regular opportunity to work with children of different ages? Scientific studies have confirmed that both the oldest and youngest in a multi-age classroom learn more than in the traditional one-grade room.
4. Is the emphasis on cognitive structures and social development rather than rote knowledge? There is so much to learn, and that is changing so quickly, that rote memorization is of little use. The child must learn HOW to learn.
5. Does the school encourage internal self-discipline rather than the teacher acting as primary enforcer of external discipline? The child must develop the ability to pay attention and stay on task, and that must come from within, not from a "task master."
6. Are the children encouraged to teach, collaborate, and help each other regularly? In the real world, successful people are those who can work well with others. Yet traditional classrooms discourage cooperation. They call it "cheating."
7. Can a child work as long as he/she wants on an interesting challenge without being stopped by a bell or a "period change"? Who knows when the child has learned all he is ready for at that moment? He needs large block of time not interrupted by arbitrary schedules.
8. Is learning its own reward, not "motivated" by prizes and extrinsic rewards? Prizes and grades breed competitiveness and discourage cooperation. A child who is really learning finds a joy that far exceeds any teacher-produced reward.
9. Are multi-sensory "hands on" materials in regular use? What's learned from workbooks and practice sheets is superficially learned if at all. Montessori provides three-dimensional equipment that gets learning "into the bones."
10. Can the child choose a favorite spot to work instead of being restricted to a desk and seat? Some learning needs plenty of room to spread out. And if there is more than one learner, even more space is needed. A schoolroom desk won't work.
11. Are the children respectful of the teacher and the environment? Is the teacher a learning companion and guide or some sort of policeman to be avoided and frustrated?
12. Are the children nice to each other? Nobody is happy working in a threatening atmosphere of criticism and sarcasm. Is an emphasis placed on courtesy and empathy as it is in our school?
13. Is the environment organized and attractive? Is the environment "child-proof," better for the maintenance staff than for the children? Does the environment show respect for children?
14. Do the teachers and staff show respect for the children? How do the adults speak to the children? Do they give them the amount of freedom they can handle, or are they always in lines or carrying passes?
15. Are the children calm? Is the school atmosphere frenzied and furious? Are the children noisy and blustery? Our students have the self-confidence to be quiet, sociable, and agreeable.
