I have a confession to make. Our family aren't the healthiest eaters. Well, we aren't the most unhealthy eaters either: we consume very little processed food (thank goodness my husband loves to cook), and we try to choose high-quality ingredients. But we're very carnivorous, and we definitely don't eat enough vegetables.
But as my son grows up, I've become more concerned about trying to make sure our family has healthier meals. So when some friends of mine told them about their organic vegetables venture, it didn't take a lot of convincing for me to sign on.
My friends put up Good Food Co. as a social enterprise apostolate for their small Catholic prayer group. While the number of organic vegetable suppliers are increasing in Metro Manila, what sets Good Foods Co. apart from most other vegetable suppliers is that it is inspired by the spirit of Community Supported Agriculture.
For the last five decades, Community Supported Agriculture has been an alternative model of food production/distribution in many parts of the world. Unlike normal market-driven models of food production/distribution, Community Supported Agriculture emphasizes ecological sustainabiity and fair trade. Customers (who comprise the community) commit to purchasing an entire season's worth of food, thereby assuring farmers of a market. In turn, the farmers produce high-quality food for the community, often using organic methods.
The risk and reward of the farmers' hard work is shared by the whole community. Every week, the consumers receive a box's worth of whatever produce is ripe, and everyone benefits from a good harvest. And should anything go wrong--if the harvest is lean or if a typhoon destroys some of the crops--everyone shares the risk too. This liberates the farmers to focus on growing quality produce and practising sustainable farming practices that are gentler to the soil/animals.
In the case of Good Food Co., I as a consumer "subscribe" to three months' worth of vegetables from their partner-farm. For P400 per week, each consumer receives 3 to 4 kilos of a nice variety of vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, malunggay, green beans, spinach, saluyot, gabi, ginger, squash, etc. 
The amount of veggies we're projected to receive is so much that in my family's case, we actually split our weekly box of veggies with a friend. We pay P200 and they pay the other P200, and the veggies are still enough to make sure that every meal we eat at home has a generous serving of veggies.
The amount might be a little more than what I would normally spend on veggies in a supermarket, but unlike supermarket vegetables, the vegetables I get are guaranteed fresh (having just been harvested: the roots are still on them!), they're organically grown, and best of all, I know that the money is going straight to the farmers who worked hard on them. With this in mind, I don't mind at all sharing the farmers' risk.
And taking the long view, P200 -- or even P400 -- is just the price of one meal at a restaurant these days. It's a small price to pay to support what I believe to be a very good enterprise.
Two weeks into this cycle of veggie subscription, my family is already eating much more healthily than we used to. We've gone beyond our old salad repertoire and now know how to make a greater variety of vegetable dishes. Just last night, I successfully made a spinach soup, and surprised myself at the amount of healthy green leaves that could be consumed in just one bowl of soup!
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Good Food Co. won the I Am a Changemaker competition sponsored by the British Council last year. Read more about Good Food Co. here.
Information on CSA is from here.
Photo by Joel R. Terrell
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One thing I've learned from researching about pre-schools is that pre-schools can be very different from one another. I'm guessing this is partly because there is no mandated curriculum in the Philippines for pre-schools. Some pre-schools have full school days; others have classes as short as 90 minutes. Some pre-schools keep their classes limited to just 4 or 5 students; others may have as many as 20 students in a class. And, as I've already mentioned before, the types of activities students do can vary immensely.
Given the vast differences among pre-schools, I'd like to share some of the things that I thought parents might want to explore about pre-schools they're looking into.
Before starting the pre-school hunt, my husband and I personally found it helpful to ask ourselves why we were planning to send our son to pre-school, and how we were hoping pre-school would benefit our child. This gave us a frame of reference so that when we actually went around visting pre-schools, we had a better idea of what we were looking for.
When we were touring pre-schools, here (below) were some of the things we looked out for. We didn't ask all of the questions I've listed below; many times, the teachers themselves volunteered the information; sometimes, we gathered the answer through observation. But the answers to these questions helped us decide where to send our son for pre-school. (I won't share where we eventually decided to send our son, but I hope that other parents looking for pre-schools find it helpful to read about our own information-gathering process.)
- Approach to teaching and pedagogical philosophy. What is the school's vision/mission statement? Does the school subscribe to a particular pedagogical philosophy (Progressive, Montessori, etc.)? How would the school's teachers answer the question: what is the purpose of pre-school education? What do they believe to be an appropriate education for pre-school aged children, and why? If you have a chance to talk to your child's potential teacher, you can ask him/her why he/she decided to become a pre-school teacher and what he/she likes about teaching. You can also observe how the teachers communicate with the pupils. (Ask yourself if the school's/teachers' answers corresponds to your own reasons for wanting to send your child to pre-school.)
- Teachers' credentials and experience. How long has the teacher been teaching? What are her/his credentials? (This is not a be-all and end-all of course! At all levels of education, there are some new teachers who are great and some veteran teachers who are terrible! Similarly, a master's degree in early childhood education doesn't necessarily make someone a good pre-school teacher.)
- Grownup-to-child ratio and class size. What is the typical class size? How many teachers/grownups are there per child in a classroom? What happens if the school has a lot of enrolees: do they open a new section, add a grownup to the class, or limit the number of enrolees?
- Types of and variety of activities. What is a typical class day like? What kinds of activites will the children be doing? Artwork? Worksheets? Montessori manipulatives? Singing and dancing? Outdoor activities? Does the school tend to emphasize academics or play or a combination of the two? And if it is largely academic-based, how are academics taught: with worksheets? With Montessori materials? With other manipulatives? (Again, ask yourself if this corresponds to your own expectations.)
- Assessment. How is assessment done, and how are parents informed of their children's progress? Are there parent-teacher conferences, and how frequently do these take place?
- Partnership with parents/caregivers. Are there programs/seminars/workshops for parents/caregivers? (I personally don't think this is an absolute necessity but I do think that having such programs reflects the importance that the school gives to the child's parents and caregivers.)
- Security, safety and health measures. What security measures does the school take? Are fetchers required to have identification cards? What is the school policy regarding children's illnesses? Have measures been undertaken to ensure the children's safety?
- Length of class session and frequency of class time. Ask yourself if you think this is appropriate for your child's age and personality.
- Classroom management. Does the teacher allow parents and caregivers to stay in the classroom; why or why not? How does the teacher handle crying or discipline problems?
- Academic learning. What kind of exposure will children get to literacy, numeracy, and vocabulary building? How are these incorporated into the class activities? (This doesn't necessarily mean that the more letters children learn, the better. In fact, I personally think that forcing kids to learn something when they aren't ready might be detrimental. But in my case I found it helpful to know how the teacher incorporated familiarity with letters/numbers/letter sounds into the children's activities.)
- Learning other skills. Think of the other things you want your child to develop in pre-school, and ask how these will be encouraged. How are children taught independence? Socialization (learning to work with other kids, learning to take turns, etc.)? School readiness (learning to listen to a teacher, learning to follow instructions, etc.)?
- Teacher/staff turnover. Is it likely that the child will be seeing the same familiar faces in school from year to year?
- Cost. How much is the tuition fee and are there any other costs (reservation fees, fees for materials/uniforms, etc.)? What payment options are there -- do you need to pay a full year's fee up front or can you pay in installments?
- Flexibility of enrollment (if this is important to you). What happens if you find out later on that the school isn't a good fit for your child? Can you pull your child out midyear?
- Special needs. Parents of children with special needs will of course have questions relating to their children's specific needs.
- Preparation for "big school" (if this matters to you). If you expect your child's pre-school to prepare your child for the entrance exams to certain competitive schools, you might want to ask about this. Some pre-schools will share their batting averages in terms of getting their graduates into particular "big schools." (On the other hand, some parents don't consider it as important whether a pre-school prioritizes entrance exam preparations, and prefer to delay the academic focus until the child is older.)
Finally. Do you think your child will thrive there? I've heard many stories from friends about how ultimately it was their child who chose the pre-school, and this is where trial classes can be very useful. Many pre-schools offer trial classes; some even allow children to join the class for an entire week or two, to help parents decide if the school is a good fit for the child.
(Photo by Anissa Thompson)
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I visited a number of Progessive pre-schools near our house, but only had the opportunity to really observe the class at one. I won't name the school, but I'll describe the classroom activities in this post.
Before observing the class, I had had the chance to speak with the head of the pre-school, who said that the school follows "Developmentally Appropriate Practice" (DAP). The idea behind DAP is that children go through developmental stages, and in a DAP school, the focus is on making sure that the activities and materials help children to develop and maximize their potentials at each stage.
The class itself was 90 minutes long, and I was told that each session follows a routine similar to the one I observed. It was a class for 2 year olds. The sessions for older children were longer, I was told.
The classroom had a very cheery atmosphere. The walls were brightly painted, with a colorful mural on one wall, and the children's art work decorated the other walls. One wall was lined with shelves containing baskets of toys. In one corner there was a small forward-facing bookshelf filled with books. Near the entrance was a small shelf for the children's lunch boxes and shoes. Another small shelf had art materials. A long work table was against one wall, and a large mirror was hanging on another wall. The floor was covered with puzzle mats. In another corner of the class there were small tables and chair where the children could eat. All the furniture was toddler-sized.
The class had one teacher and two teaching aides.
When the children arrived, they were asked to take off their shoes, put them in their individual cubby holes, and come to the mat to join the class. For the first 15 to 20 minutes, the children had time for Free Play. Under the supervision of the teachers, the children were encouraged to get toys they were interested in off the shelves and play with them on the floor as they pleased.
After this, the children packed away the toys, and circle time began. It started with a welcome song, then the teacher introduced a theme (the theme for the day was "my body"). The teacher asked the children to sit on pillows on the floor, and the teacher read a story to the children that was related to the theme. After this the teacher led the children in a song and dance about my body.
After circle time, the teacher led the children in an activity related to the theme. For this class day, the children did some art work and the teacher and the aides helped the children accomplish the artwork. I was told that sometimes the activity was a science activity (playing with water, for example) or an outdoor activity.
After the activity, the children washed their hands and got ready for quiet time. The teacher read them another story, and then encouraged the children to bring out their pillows and lie on the mats or sit quietly for a few minutes.
Finally, it was snack time. The children put away their pillows and went one at a time to wash their hands. The children brought out placemats and plates, then the teachers helped them open their lunch boxes and eat the snacks they had brought. When they were done, they lined up to brush their teeth in the bathroom, with a teacher helping them.
After they had put away their lunch boxes, placemats and plates, the teacher called the children again to gather together for their goodbye routine. The teacher reviewed the day, then led the children in a goodbye song.
In the school I went to, the teachers were very affectionate with the children, hugging them and talking to them a lot. The teachers appeared to try to encourage a fun atmosphere, and the teachers praised the children for the effort they put into their work. When one child started crying, the aides tried to soothe them, first in the classroom, and then after awhile, one aide brought the child outside until he had calmed down, before bringing him back into the classroom.
Based on my observation I think that parents who want their children to learn in a playful atmosphere, with a wide variety of activities (singing, dancing, art work, discovery) might like a Progressive school similar to the one I observed.
I do think that regardless of labels ("Montessori"/"Progressive") that a lot will depend on the individual school and the individual teacher. In that respect, I think that reading about a school is not enough to learn about it and an actual classroom observation is still immensely helpful.
Previous posts in this series are here and here.
(Stock photo by Anissa Thomson.)
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Almost a year ago, I wrote about the things I found out while researching the difference between Montessori and Progressive pre-schools. That post is here.
Since then I've sat in a few pre-school classes. With pre-school hunting season just around the corner, I've decided to update my previous post, based on some Montessori and progressive schools I've observed. In this and in my next post, I'll talk about my experiences observing two pre-schools. I won't name the names of the schools.
I visited one "true" Montessori school near our house. I call it a "true" Montessori school, because apparently there are a lot of schools that are called "Montessori" but don't follow the Montessori method to the letter; those schools are just "inspired" by Montessori, but also bring in some ideas from other pedagogical systems.
There were a lot of things that impressed me about this school: teachers with very good credentials, and a firm and passionate belief on the part of the administrators in the benefits of a Montessori education.
The classroom I visited was a class for 2 to 5 year olds. Following Maria Montessori's philosophy, the school had mixed-age groupings: Maria Montessori's idea was that having mixed-age classes allows older children to teach younger children; it also helps younger children grow in confidence as they become the ate's/kuya's of the class.
The classroom itself was quite large, and very simple. There were no decorations, but the classroom's walls were lined neatly with shelves containing a wide variety of Montessori materials. Individual chairs and tables formed a large square, and in the Montessori tradition encouraging independent work, the chairs and tables were spaced far from each other. In the center was a large square carpet. The teachers did not have their own tables, but instead they went around and brought chairs with them so they could sit beside individual students they were helping.
In the 2-5 age group, Montessori-trained children largely do individual work. In the time that I observed the class, there was no group work. Group interaction was limited to students (mostly the 4- and 5-year-olds) conversing with one another about a movie they had watched, although the teachers (there were two in the classroom) discouraged too much chatter and reminded the children to keep quiet because it was work time. In this respect, I observed that the teachers seemed to encourage discipline among the students.
In the spirit of independent work, each child would go to the shelves where the materials were, pick out a Montessori material to work with, and bring it back either to his/her desk or the center mat, and work on it for awhile. The teachers would approach the children who needed help with their work and would guide them. Each child worked on a different Montessori material. A 3-year-old on the center mat was working with stacking blocks (I think it's called a "pink tower"). One older child was tracing his finger on sandpaper letters, and another was using pencil and paper, tracing his pencil around wooden (or were they plastic?) shapes.
When the child was done with the material, he/she would put the material back on the shelf and get something new to work with.
A two-year-old child started crying and one of the teachers tried to soothe him, first by giving him crayons to play with, and when that didn't work, the teacher carried the child outside; I'm guessing to soothe him outside.
One of the older children tried to come up and talk to me, but the teacher discouraged it and reminded the child that it was work time.
All in all, it was a very instructive school visit for me. I only had about half an hour to observe the class, but based on that, I think that parents who want their pre-school aged children to develop independence and discipline, and want their children to get accustomed to making a distinction between work time and play time, will appreciate the Montessori method.
In my next post, I'll talk about the progressive classroom I visited.
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