Our Choice of School- Tuburan Institute

- April 14, 2012

Ever since my children turned 2, my husband and I have been school hunting. Mind you, school hunting is not an easy task. Visiting schools and attending orientations can be quite tedious! But we always tell ourselves that at the end of the day, all that matters is that we're able to find a good school where they can be educated. My husband and I have agreed that we're not going for a traditional school. I know, a traditional school has been tried and tested. I graduated from a traditional school, and so does my husband. But there are things in a traditional school which we're not very comfortable with. One of these is the number of students in a class (which I think is a very big problem), the manner by which children are taught (teacher talks and students listen), the reading and the writing, to name a few. Oh, I'm not saying that we're against writing and reading. It's just that I don't want to force my kids to read and write when they're only 3. Our policy is let them be. They're young. They will eventually learn to read and write. So you see, we're not traditional parents.

After a long and tedious search, we have finally found a school. I say tedious because when we think we have decided on the school, we did not have the will power to enroll them. I would not have the time to enroll them. It was like God telling me, "Wait, there's still a school you have yet to discover." So when we finally found a school, we breathe a sigh of relief.

It's not your typical school. First, it's set up in an area where there are a lot of trees. So in Davao, that would mean that the school is located a bit far from the city. It's located in Cabantian at Sitio Sagada. I don't know how many kilometers from the city proper but suffice it to say, it's far. It's more like a school in the bukid, and that's one of the main reasons why we chose it. It's not airconditioned, but the thing is it's breezy because of the trees. When I was growing up, there were a lot of trees in our subdivision. We climbed trees, tried to catch grasshoppers, damang and other insects, played bahay-bahayan with real plants, and swam in the kangkungan, to name a few activities. This is what we want our kids to experience. I don't want them in front of the television, playing video games, and being stuck in an airconditioned room. I want them to grow up loving the outdoors and playing outdoors. This is what a kids life should be.

Second, the school accepts children from all income levels. This therefore means that they accepts children from low income families, from middle income families and from high income families. The school can and will subsidize your tuition if it is found out that you cannot afford to send your children to the school. I love that. If at a young age they can be made aware of such fact and learn that we are all equals no matter how much our respective families earn, they will learn the value of RESPECT. You see, a lot of inequalities at the present age is brought about by this lack of respect. I want my children to learn this value. We are all equals no matter where we came from.

Third, the school does not encourage television. I think all schools have this policy. It's not just television- it's ipad, psp's, and ps3's to name a few. My children love the television. They grew up with the television. But my husband and I have realized that we turn on the TV, our kids stop playing and just watch. I don't want that. I want them to play. I grew up with a TV in our house but I didn't watch TV that much. You would always find me outside playing. Even until now, I prefer reading over watching TV. So from time to time, we turn off the TV and we find something magical happens. The kids play, they read, they color, they write. And that's what we want them to be doing.

Fourth, the school encourages play and imagination- at their age, no reading and writing. I believe imagination is important for kids. When I was young, I used to imagine a lot. I imagined, I dreamed. I played. Play is important for kids. It's how they learn. It's how they can be educated. And there's no reading and writing at the school for kindergarten. We love that. I do not want my kids forced to learn how to read and write at such a young age. Some parents are proud when their children are able to read and write at a young age. I guess if I am that parent, I would also be proud. But I don't want to rush my kids. I believe that if you force them, there is a very big probability that they will hate it. So I want to let them be. Kids develop at their own pace. You don't have to rush them.

Today is their last day of Summer Play Classes at Tuburan Institute, a Waldorf-Steiner inspired school here in Davao. And I have never seen my kids happy and excited to attend classes. At night when I ask them who wants to go to school tomorrow, both of them raise their hands. When I pick them up, I see them very happy. Mama, we saw a grasshopper today! Mama, we planted and then buhos water after! Mama, I ate plenty of banana and avocado! Mama, we made boats and then placed them in the water after! Mama, we wore our Puss in Boots (which is their term for boots) and walked outside! These are what I want to hear my kids doing in school. At their age, I don't want them to hear A is for apple and B is for Ball. I want them to just dream, play, and imagine.

When we met Teacher Kate and Maya for parent interview, they told us, "You're speaking like a Waldorf Parent!". Maybe we are.

For questions and inquiries, you may reach Tuburan Institute here.

DISCLAIMER: All photos courtesy of Tuburan Institute.