19 October 2012

Sophia Goes to School but Nanay Also Learns


Busying herself with the instruction manual. Cool.
One semester has passed for my school girl and there have been obvious changes. Her bulol words had slowly diminished and she has been doing good with her relationship with her vocabulary. Her Tatay Rhambo always brings with him an army truck load of English but he still gets dizzy and yes, his nose bleeds when they talk. Haha! Sophia still watches TV a lot but she's now aware that there are shows she's not allowed to see, like some cartoons from Cartoon Network. She used to spank & slap anyone when she's happy and more so when she's mad, but now it can be avoided. We learned {yes, she's the one who goes to school but we BOTH benefit from it} the phrase from her pretty Teacher Lois, "hands for loving, not for hurting". So when she suddenly has the urge to do so, I'd automatically utter the powerful phrase and she'll gracefully stop. I'm also amazed at how magical my birthday wish was for her. Do you still remember when I wrote it here that my birthday wish for her was for her to wear her slippers without my prodding? Well, she always does now! I think I should make a Christmas wish quick & that is for her to learn how to pack away her toys PROPERLY. Really, it's beginning to be an eye sore.


Speaking of toys, she recently received a love gift from one of my blog sponsors, CutieTots Shop. Mommy Jennie picked Shapes Sorting Game set for my little problem-solver. I thought she'd give us something for a toddler and not a preschooler when she mentioned during our virtual meeting that she will give Sophia a shape sorter. Boy, the sorting game set is different! It has this cardboard of instructions inside the box in which you will follow & stack away according to its pattern.

You can buy it here for Php 220 only
She did all in one seating. No kidding. I was not even there to supervise her. If I'm not in front of my pc blogging, I was cooking or fixing the room. She had just showed me each model that she finished and I would react in a default reply like "that's great!" or "good job, Pia!" She had asked me for some patterns she found confusing but she still stacked it correctly. Maybe because she thought it did not challenge her at all, she went back to her 3-year-old blocks. But I reminded her that if she won't play with it anymore, I might just give it to other kids who would. Her eyebrows met & opened the box once again and did the stacking at her own pace, without copying the models from the instruction manual. She stacked it by its color, or sometimes by its shape. It completely made me proud to see that one time, she stacked it with a pattern that somehow resembles the chronological order of the color wheel. Yeah, green comes after yellow. That sort. 

Little Tandang Sora with her maestra during her 1st assessment. (via Primemont Science School FB page)
She still can't write her full name yet within the blue & red lines, but sorting & other Manipulatives stuff is a no-brainer for her. According to her teacher's assessment that she based on Dr. Anthony F. Gregorc's Model on Perception and Ordering, Sophia appears to be an Abstract-Sequential (A-S) kid. This is how to handle A-S kids as written in LB's assessment:
For A-S children, justice is an important concept. What's fair for one is fair for all. In addition, the credibility & reliability of the authority figure, often a parent, plays a significant role in enabling A-S kids to successfully undertake challenging tasks assigned to them. 
Be clear in your expectations & logical in your punishments and consequences. Be sure your A-S child understands the purpose for a particular role, and whenever possible, try to allow the A-S child to have at least some input into the setting of the rules in the first place. 
A-S kids are dedicated to being thorough & deliberate as possible in almost everything they do. They usually prefer to take their time, even if it means accepting a penalty for being late. They do not need fancy rewards for a job well done. They prefer serious and genuine recognition for their achievements and a higher, more challenging level of work the next time around. At home, A-S kids participate best when they recognize and appreciate the importance of the goal. They prefer a logical, systematic approach and avoid highly charged, emotional situations. Because of their inherent need to analyze and think through situations, you may have to use more patience in your approach to them, giving them sufficient time to complete each task. When it comes to doing difficult or boring tasks, A-S kids don;t really complain much --- they beleive they should just do what they have to do and get on with it. 
A-S children are NOT motivated by what they term as "cheerleading". They do not appreciate enthusiastic aatempts to "pump them up" and get them going. Emotional approaches like "making them feel guilty" do not work positively on A-S kids.
Whew. Such a long read, right? Anyway, I agree to how they have assessed my daughter, and I conclude that it must be in the genes, she is so like her father. Rhambo was an A-S kid for sure. I am a bit of it, sometimes, too. I won't wonder anymore that when they fight, no one gives in, so I need to mediate. I get occasional "I'm sooooo bored!" from this little Kris Aquino here but since my OB-GYN gave me permission to travel, so long I won't do strenuous activities; next week will be a happy vacation for us somewhere barriotic. I am excited to what she could learn from the experience of living a life far from the malls and bonding with her fellow army baby; but I'm also looking forward to more scholarly changes of my daughter in the next semester with Primemont Science School (PSS). 

23 comments:

  1. I think LB has grown so much. She looks good reading the manual. It's like saying 'I need no one's help. I can do this on my own'. And she really did great job with those shapes. Congrats!

    Good school! They should give you a discount for your reviews.

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  2. I feel almost obligated to leave a comment after that post, great stuff

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  3. it's nice to see are kids going to school and it somehow makes us think how time fly by so quickly. Your daughter will eventually learn on how to properly say the word "di na cya maging bulol" especially when interaction with the other kids is involved.

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  4. Congrats! You have a lovely and smart daughter.

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  5. Your little one is such an angel. Good thing that she learn very well. I hope I could do this to my nephew too. lol.

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  6. My 3-year-old adorable niece is also schooled. Toddlers nowadays are being schooled early.

    I also have my own account with my niece who tends to be independent. She is so cute though that I pass her tantrum as something kids usually do although it is better to remind her of some things not good in doing and acting.

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  7. Kelly is just a year old, but I'm already thinking about which preschool to enroll her in. Daddy A wants to enroll her in a traditional school, but I have a feeling the little girl will be better off in a non-traditional one. Parang may pagka-impatient kasi si Kelly. Nahalata ko ang bilis niya ma-bore pag nafigure out na niya ang isang bagay.

    We might go on school visits next year- just so we'd have options when it's time for her to start schooling.

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    1. If you've observed that Kelly is a bit quick-tempered, she won't really do no good in a trad school. Trad schools are so structured and that could leave Kelly get more impatient. Good luck on school-hunting! :)

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  8. Oh so precious she looks smart kid...Keep it up.

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  9. Very interesting assessment. I wonder what type of kid mines are :-)

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  10. Yes I remember too, when my kids were still in their primary grades, when I helped them with their assignments, the lessons I learned from my school days decades ago came back to me as if I'm reviewing them again.. hahaha.
    So nice to have new learning tools for the kids to play with and learn too at home like the one you featured.

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  11. School is the best place for the kids to learn. Mommies learn from them too :-) I am still learning when my two kids shared what they do in school that day. It is wonderful to heard their achievements :-) Keep it up Sophia :-) I love her name :-)

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  12. Although I finished studying already but every time I accompany my daughter at school, I learned something new

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  13. She seems to be a very smart kid and she sure got it from her lovely parents. Beauty and Brains! It is relief then that there is one that is not much of an A-S in your little family or else...hehehe.

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    1. Right, Chie! It'll probably be a riot. Haha! :D

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  14. Isn't it just a wonderful feeling when you know your kids actually learn something from school? :P I feel proud and amazed at how much my 4 year old learns in school everyday. :) Although I hate that he has picked up some tagalog words in his vocabulary now, like he adds "eh" after every sentence or "kasi", it's so freaking annoying, I hope I can stop him before it becomes a habit. :P

    Kids are definitely a lot smarter these days. :) and you have one smart daughter by the looks of it. I should have my kid tested with that test too, I am super curious about what type he'll fall in. :)

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    1. Hello Ane! Sophia has a lot of acquired tagalog words, too but I still talk to her in English at home. :) The test was actually conducted by her teachers and they only gave me the printed result. They explained it to me though.

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  15. Marikina ka rin pala. How old is your daughter when she started school?

    I agree with those shoes in Nickelodeon. We now limit Una to shows in Disney Junior, and sometimes Dora and Diego shows which is only shown in Nickelodeon.

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    1. She was 3 years and 9 months when she started. We actually live in San Mateo but she goes to school in Marikina. I didn't see a good school around our place. Sophia loves High 5 & Tayo the Little Bus. :)

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  16. Your daughter is so cute! My daughter was also like that when she was around three years old but now, she is a bit more responsible with her toys.

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  17. Wow!! you really a good mother for her..I like your child very cute..what a great stuff..I really enjoy ,reading your article..keep it up sis.

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  18. Ohh!!wow what a cute daughter you have..how I wish my son also doing that things.Thanks for sharing this article..I really enjoy reading regarding on how you show your love and care of your child.Go mommy!!

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  19. Your daughter is adorable! My baby doesn't go to school yet but I learn lots of things too by reading and playing with him

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