Look after my family

Celo has this book called First Prayers.

We found this prayer in the chapter: Look After My Family and he read it to me last night.

Lord, help us to remember that
Love is patient; love is kind.
It does not boast; it is not proud.
It is not envious or self-seeking.
It is not angry, but forgiving.
Love does not lie but rejoices in truth.
It always protects; it always trusts.
It always hopes; it always tries.
Love never fails.

From 1 Corinthians: 13

HEMC: Quality Pre-School in Mandaluyong

If you're a parent and you're looking for a pre-school for your child, I know that as early as know you're looking for a good school to enroll your child for this coming schoolyear 2012-2013.

2 years ago, I was on the same predicament. My son was 3 years old then and I was looking for a school to enroll him to that provides basic, quality education that will serve as a strong foundation for his education.

A good friend recommended Holistic Education Montessori Center. HEMC is a pre-school located here in Mandaluyong City that adheres strictly to the Montessori Method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori.

At first, I don't have any idea on what the Montessori Method was all about. However, my brother suggested that I go visit the school and check it out for myself.

HEMC is different from the traditional school that we grew up to studying. The classrooms don't have any blackboards for the teachers to teach. Instead, the classroom consists of tables and chairs for children, education materials line up the shelves on the wall, a big red circle is outlined on the floor and pigeon holes are found near the door.

If you're a little skeptical on this type of education or any school for that matter, the best thing to do is to enroll your child for a trial run. HEMC holds introductory classes even during summer to help children adjust to the Montessori style of teaching. The tuition fee is FREE. However, you will still need to pay a small miscellaneous fee to cover the food and materials to be used for the duration. If I remember it correctly, the summer class will last for 5 weeks.

I remember enrolling Celo for summer classes 2 years ago and he was really excited going to school. This was definitely a good sign as this is their ultimate goal: To have children enjoy learning.

Learning shouldn't be a chore. Learning should be exciting and enjoyable for children. The summer class lasts for 2.5 hours. Just enough to keep the children's attention span moving.

Come June 2010, I enrolled him for his First Year in HEMC. Here, Celo learned the basics from practical life/motor skills to sensorial/perceptual skills. Each class is composed of a mixed age group. Unlike in a traditional school where children are placed based on their age, HEMC mixes big kids and small kids in one class. The age ranges from 2.5 to 6 years old. I learned that this mixed age group is beneficial as students learn to help each other.

After Celo's first year, I was a little adamant because I thought he didn't learn as much. However, I still enrolled him for his 2nd Year in Montessori and truly it was one of the best decisions I made!

As the schoolyear 2011-2012 is coming to a close, I realized the big improvements he has achieved over the last 2 years he has studied in HEMC. He now knows how to read (very well, mind you!) and count (he does addition and subtraction). He also knows the months of the year, days of the week, 7 continents of the world, countries in Asia, etc. I'm completely amazed with his improvement and I am so happy that I had enrolled him there.

There are a lot more stuff I'd like to tell. But I'll save it on another post.

If you're interested to enroll your child this summer or this coming school year, HEMC can be found at #65 South Sikap St., Mandaluyong. Contact them at (632) 532-4168 or (632) 746-7078.