On choosing big school for your kids

[izabelle]

Hi Mommies,

Question/Survery lang kung pipili kayo ng big school for your kids (those entering grade school na) ano mas ok para sa inyo...

School na malapit lang sa house nyo, tipong kaya ng walking distance pero average lang ang quality of education

or

School na medyo malayo around 45 minutes to 1hour ang byahe (and need ng school bus for this) pero very good quality of education and one of the best school sa Pinas.

This is considering yung traffic ngayon sa Metro Manila.

I'm a bit torn kasi. My daughter will be prep (Kinder 2) palang naman this coming school year pero syempre getting ready na mag entrance exam sa mga big schools. Meron akong school na gusto for her in Ortigas and Makati pero yun nga eeffort sa transpo (we are from Pasig).  Medyo worried lang ako baka masyadong mapagod e hindi na makapag aral ng maayos.

Meron malalapit na schools dito sa amin, tamang walking distance lang or 5 minutes lang andon na sya, pero mga average type of schools lang. Yun nga lang, sobrang lapit, mas makakapag rest ang anak ko after school at mas marami syang time mag aral. Very convenient e.

[chicafabulosa]

I chose the best quality of education over the convenience of school near us. Kahit malayo CSA sa amin sis we chose it pa rin. My son leaves the house at 5:30 AM, he needs to wake up at 4:30 am. Then nakakauwi na sya mga 5:30 or sometimes 6 PM, so far no regret kame. Sya rin he loves his school kaya kahit minsan when we ask him if he wants to transfer school near us ayaw Nya. Btw Pasig area rin ako.

[izabelle]

^ sis, do you think kaya yung ganyan schedule ng 6yrs old?

Daughter ko kasi would be 6 yrs old and 5 months by the time mag Grade 1 sya. Actually, I'm eyeing for CSA too, medyo worried lang talaga ako sa haba ng byahe considering yung traffic ngayon sa Metro Manila. Baka mamayat ng sobra, hahaha! Ang payat na kasi nun ngayon palang pre schooler sya.

Medyo paranoid lang ako

[chicafabulosa]

Depends sa school bus who will handle your daughter. So far Pasig is handled by Dela Guerra so malamang same ang schedule nila 530 talaga sinusundo mga kids dito sa amin kasi 7 :30 am ang Flag ceremony

[hushush]

What I did for my son, na kahit sobrang layo nun school pero alam kong magsa-shine sya or will be properly handled (he's a bright student) ay we opted to rent an apartment few steps from the school. 7am ang pasok nya..so 5:30 gigising sya. then 6:50am papasok na.may time pa maglaro o makipagsocialize sa mga kaklase bago ang flag ceremony..then tanghali uwian na. Makikipaglaro muna sa mga kaklase sa waiting area na may school service..then uwi..maglunch. Gawa assignment. Mahaba ang time nya na maglaro at manuod ng tv. Hindi sya stressed out sa school kaya maganda lagi ang grades nya.wala akong malaking problema so far..kaya pa-petiks petiks na lang ako at panay post dito sa FN hehe. unlike last year na mas mahaba pa ang byahe namin kesa sa school time nya. kaya lagi syang may toyo..ako din may toyo lagi kasi nakakastress ang trapik..di ko naman pede school service kasi masyado pa bata..he's 5yo pala ngayon.prep.incoming grade 1 this coming June.
Bihira nga lang kami makauwi sa house namin.halos once or twice a year..ok lang may caretaker naman.

[izabelle]

^^ sis chicafabulosa - thank you. Ang worry ko lang talaga kapag medyo late na nakauwi like 5pm onward baka sobrang pagod na, papaano pa makakapag aral like gagawa ng assignments and review. Tapos need matulog din agad ng early kasi gigising ng early.

Kaya medyo torn ako but let's see. Thank you sa feedback.

^sis hushush thank you for the feedback. Not an option for me to rent apartment. We live in Pasig lang naman and Ortigas and Makati is not so far from our place. Ang nagpapatagal ng bongga ng byahe ay traffic.

My daughter's school now is like 2 mins away from our house. haha! and I have to say sobrang convenient for her. Wala syang kapagod pagod. Isa tumbling lang e lol Yun nga lang hanggang Prep/Kinder 2 lang ang school nya ngayon so talagang need nya lumipat padating ng grade 1.

[amethyst028]

of course sis as a parent we all want the best school for our child. if you think kaya niya yung travel time and kayo rin carry niyo then go ahead enroll your child there.

sa akin kasi ateneo ko dapat enroll anak ko. pag walang traffic 15-20mins lang byahe namin pero pag rush hour 1 - 1 and a half hour ang travel time. hindi ko kaya mag hatid and mahihirapan din anak ko so i opted to enroll him near where we live. 2-3minutes away lang.

just because you enrolled your child in a prestigious school doesn't mean set na siya for life, and just because you enrolled your child in an ok school doesn't mean they are doomed. sa akin kasi ang iniisip ko yung convenient para sa amin ng anak ko.

i have nothing against parents who try to send their kids to top schools. yun nga lang it's not for everyone kasi kahit afford mo tuition and all kung everyday naman getting there and back will be a struggle then it might not be worth it. isipin mo na you will do that 5x a week for 10 months for the next 12 years.

[izabelle]

^ Hi sis, thank you.

I also agree na at the end of the day wala naman yan sa school, nasa tao pa din yan pero like what you said as a parent we want the best for them pero kasi when you say the best hindi din naman palaging yung mamahalin or top school. Maraming considerations.

From pre school to high school nang galing ako sa pang middle class na school.  Tamang average type of school lang. Super lapit lang sa bahay namin as in 5 minutes andon na ako haha! kaya never ako nahirapan sa transportation. I grew up just fine naman and kaya sobrang na appreciate ko din na doon ako pinasok ng parents ko kasi ang lapit lang e.

So many considerations lang talaga and napaka laking factor talaga ng location. Kahit nga sa pagbili ng property isang malaking bagay ang location ano pa sa pagpili ng school.

Thank you sa feedback. Nakatulong sa pag iisip ko.

[amethyst028]

^you're welcome sis.

ako naman opposite sayo malayo ang school ko sa house namin. sa chinese school kasi kame and walang ganon near our place. mga 45minutes-1hour ang travel time and noon pa yun nung hindi pa ganoon ka traffic. i have to wake up at 4-4:30am para maligo kasi 4 kame magkakapatid and sunod sunod kame maliligo and mag be-breakfast para maka alis ng 5:45am to make it sa 7am class.

andun yung super traffic kasi ang lakas ng ulan pero not suspended ang class, na masiraan kame ng car, flat tire, mabangga yung car namin ng jeep, etc. since elementary to high school yan hindi maiiwsan na may mga ganyang aberya talaga once in a while. pero sulit naman kasi 4 kameng anak na nag aaral that time.   

but would i do that to my son? hell no. not because tamad ako maghatid or hindi ko kaya mag sacrifice. i just believe that it is an unnecessary effort. mapapagod lang kame pareho. at the end of the day it is what values and traits you will pass on to your child and not depend solely on the  school to ensure that your child will have a bright future.

[twelvth_goddess]

While I agree that your child's development and success do not solely depend on the school, I believe that the institution plays a big and important factor which is why choosing the best school (by our own standards) is very crucial.

When we were deciding on a big school for my daughter, it was choice between MC and AA. We live in Marcos Highway where traffic sadly has become horrific. We chose Assumption because we believe that they have the same values as we do. At the same time, I still like their traditional means of teaching because it teaches discipline and hard work. While Miriam is also a good school with great facilities, I simply cannot bear the Katipunan traffic. My daughter starts school at 715 and her school bus picks her up at 550. In our condo, she has a friend who goes to MC and her school bus picks her up at 445. Sobrang aga, kawawa sa pagod yung bata. What if it's raining? What if may road accident? What if late nagising? I also factored my daughter's health in. Ayoko naman na everyday sobrang pagod sya. Ok lang sana if we can bring her and pick her up from school everyday, it won't be an issue.

[izabelle]

Thank you sa mga insights nyo! Big help.

Yung mga schools malapit sa amin are also good schools hindi lang kasing "prestigious" ng ibang school na mas malayo sa amin.

Kung hindi lang sana grabe ang traffic ngayon, wala sanang problema. Kaso kung ako ngang adult, stress na stress sa traffic, ano pa anak ko. Hindi ko naman maassure na palagi namin sya mahahatid sundo sa school kasi working din kami parehas ng asawa ko so ang solution lang school bus.

[kaythrielle]

Between the two, i choose yung malapit lang na school. I don't really mind kahit average ang quality of education.

Mas importante sa akin mas maraming time for play, rest and learning anak ko. Especially kung bata pa naman.
I don't want them to be exposed to the stressful kind of life muna. When my kids are high school and college na then sige.

[Chili1113]

izabelle: Maybe you can try applying to the prestigious schools first? Then see how your daughter will cope with it. Then you'll be able to feel once you're enrolled there if it will all work out for you and your kid. Anyway, it is easier to transfer her to the school near your house if ever she isn't happy with the prestigious school.

[izabelle]

^ sis medyo alanganin ako sa ganon. What if kalagitnaan ng school year hindi maging ok, ang hirap mag lipat ng school kapag ganon.

And sa pagkakaalam ko lang, once na enrolled ka na, kahit ipull out mo anak mo sa school you still have to pay the full tuition fee, in short you cannot refund what you paid? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Ganoon kasi ang rule ng school ng anak ko ngayon.

She still has 1 year pa naman sa pre school so mahaba pa oras para mapag isipan namin mabuti.

[kaythrielle]

^not to mention yung money and precious time wasted (gising super aga, byahe super tagal to & from school), just to pull your child out pala in the middle of the schoolyear. tapos panibagong adjustment na naman for your child (new classmates and teachers)

 What if try to imagine na lang, gigisingin mo anak mo ng 4:30am, then alis ng bahay 530am.
Better yet, why not really do it one early morning during school hours. then travel to that potential school you're eyeing.
Orasan mo travel time. Dry run kumbaga.
So you'll know if you and your child is really up for it.
Then go to that other school nearby one morning during school hours din.
Then compare.

Good luck sis! Anyway you still have one year to think about it, still have lots of time.

[Chili1113]

izabelle: hmmm that's the thing it is hard to transfer school in the middle of a school year. I don't even know if the school near your house will accept her in the middle of the year.

The only reason why I suggested that is this. Personally-- iba pa din ang prestigious school. It isn't even just education, but even the crowd there will be different and more competitive. BUT kung di kaya ng bata, and she will be miserable travelling there everyday wag na lang! There is more to life than academics.

Kaya lang, sayang eh. What if kaya naman ng daughter mo? What if later on may ma meet ka na classmate nya na pwede maki carpool?

The problem is once na pinasok mo na sa school near your house. Most likely mahihirapan ka to put her in CSA na. Why? Because after entry-level or grade 1, lahhat ng slots puno na. Maghihintay ka pa ng slot na mag open- and this only happens kapag may umalis na student or bumagsak/repeat ng grade level. So baka hindi mo na malipat sa CSA.  If ever sa high school mo na malilipat ulit.

[amethyst028]

^mahirap din yung masyadong competitive kasi hindi nila ma enjoy yung school experience. i have friend nasa xavier yung pamangkin niya and may nag suicide na school mate kasi hindi kinaya ang pressure.

i guess it depends why you want to enroll your child to a certain school. like some parents they are after the crowd nga and sa friend ko for business connections in the future daw. kasi employee sila and maybe someday daw magkaron sila ng business nila.

i hope i don't offend anybody. may mga parents lang talaga na like me who chose a school for convenience. gusto ko rin kasi na after school may time pa siya magawa yung mga hobbies niya, and that he is not pressured academically. what's important to me is his well being, that at a young age he gets to enjoy being just a kid. it's a personal choice.

[janachen]

Doon ka sa maisip mong mag eenjoy sila sis. Mahirap yung pressure ka na sa pag-aaral tapos mapapagod ka pa.

Sa edad niya kailangan pa niyang maenoy ang paglalaro.

[Chili1113]

amethyst028: I totally agree with you!! As I said, there is more to life than academics. Actually my son mismo was in Xavier for 4 years. But I really pulled him out and transferred him.

Academically he was doing great. Except that he kept getting bullied and bullied there!  So when I could see my kid's self esteem was already suffering I moved him to another school. =) Now he is doing really great!

I guess the point is... in the end, you have to find a school where your child will THRIVE and that includes everything from grades, to friends, to overall well-being.

Although its funny kasi Xavier is so near our house. Mga 5 mins with no traffic. But with regular school traffic in the AM my gosh! 1 hour or more aabutin!!  Kasabay kasi ng traffic ng La Salle and ICA. Yung paikot lang ng school perimeter to get to my son's gate 30 min na eh. So in the end, kahit malapit din yung school super hassle pa din.

Good luck to everyone choosing schools for their kids! It really is such a big big decision to make. =)

[khriseeee]

For me, I choose convenience, traffic nowadays is just horrible and I don't want my kids spending time sitting in traffic doing nothing! We don't have a driver, and really don't plan on having one, so I don't want to be driving! Not to mention that I am working full time so I don't have the time to leave early to avoid traffic, wait for dismissal and then wait in traffic to get home.

However, what my husband and I did, before we had kids, we selected our home based on where we wanted our future kids to attend school. We were fortunate to find a place within Greenhills and so have a plethora of schools around us - LSGH, OB Montessouri, ICA, Xavier, Jubilee, etc.

Contrary to what others have said, the choice of primary and grade school does have an impact where your child will get into for college/university. I know that Ateneo favors Jesuit schools - so there's a larger percentage of Xavier and ICA students who are accepted. Also, take into account schools that can provide out of country opportunities for your child - AP or IB diplomas, Singapore curriculum, etc. I would much rather choose a school who can prep my child for an opportunity to study abroad - when the time comes it will be up to my child if they want to take it or not. There is some truth that it all boils down to the child's abilities, but being in a school that can support, nurture and hone these skills will make your child even more exceptional.