Next to one’s biological parents, teachers are considered the people who are the second mother or father of a child. Because of that general notion, most parents leave their responsibility of discipline to their kids’ teachers, whether realized or not. Teachers are complaining not because of the low academic reception of many students but because of the moral decline of these students which usually lead them to academic decline as well.

I say parents should be the first teacher especially during the formative years of the child which is from age 2-7. Not only should the child be taught all sorts of tricks but all the more the moral lessons that will shape the child’s future. It will not only be good at home but also while the child is in class. It will give the child more attention to what the teacher is academically teaching. Being poor is no reason not to teach kids moral lessons but sad to say those bad habits show in school! I know because I see them. I talk to my kids’ teachers and they seem to have all the same problem with their students which, if not given attention right away will go on and on until the child reaches the age of beyond repair.

Should that stop the teachers from improving themselves? No! Teachers usually encounter a specific student only for a maximum of 1 school year for primary students and just a semester for trimester students so why should those students be the reason of the teachers’ further development?

With MS Curriculum, new instructional techniques will be learned through exploration of topics not only in literacy but also diversity, integrating technology and interdisciplinary perspective in education.

I have 3 children. Three opportunities to toilet-train tots. My mom had 6 opportunities of her own and 5 to learn from her directly.

As early as my children learns to walk (9 months), I started sitting them on the toilet. Yes, the adult one. I never used any of those tot versions. It would be guess-work at first as I’d never know the schedule. When I sit them I’d make the shwi-shwi-shwi-shwi sound to induce them to pee. If after 2 minutes there’s nothing, I’ll stop and get back after an hour. When it’s successful, I praise them with ‘very good!’ and from then on get them back every 3-5 hours, depending on the amount of liquid they have taken. As for the stool, I make the u-uuuuu….u-uuuuu sound to induce them. This way, I get less wet and soiled diapers.

Every year, the children get to travel at least 6-8 hours straight during the Feast of Tabernacles. No toilet. If there is, I don’t want to use any public toilet for my babies. That’s the time I’d use disposable diapers.

In my own family, we have started a habit. After dinner, around 6pm, when we are all watching news and some programs after that, my 2nd daughter will pull out our favorite boardgame with tiles of letters that scores variedly from 1 to 10, and depending where you place them, letters or words can score as is, double, or triple. Perhaps you know what I’m referring to: SCRABBLE.

I bought a scrabble set a month ago when I found a cheap set. I wanted to buy long before but couldn’t afford it. The set I found was real cheap even materialwise but that’s ok. What’s important is it can do what it’s supposed to do: develop one’s brain to build vocabulary.

Our kids are aged 8, 11, and 14. All girls. Our youngest pair with my hubby so we still make 4 players. At first I thought to be easy on them. Just a little. As days went by they’ve learned how to strategize. They may still be limited to the words they know but they learn new ones. With the strategies they learned, last night I had the lowest score!

It was and is a fun way to learn and teach your kids and everyone else as well, English vocabulary. Scrabble helps you think doubleway: words and where to place them to maximize the score.

Last night was something interesting: one started with ooze, that became oozer, then snoozer, then snoozers, and that’s towards the end of the game when you have a few tiles left and supposedly a few to score but last night the letter Z was used many times over. And I wasn’t even one of those who played any of those words.

Last March 20, 2008, at 6:30pm the children of UCG-Manila were recognized to their accelerated level, whether for the same Youth Bible Lesson training modules as continuing YBL students or the United Youth Corps as they graduated from the YBL.

Training up a child is of prime importance for the parents of UCG, believing and holding on to Proverbs 22:6 which states, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.” It is the parents’ responsibility to see to it that the children are brought up knowing about God and the Bible while they are under the care of the parents so that when they grow up, when formative years are past, the Way is inculcated in their hearts and minds with the right examples the parents show for the children to emulate. Actions still speak louder than words. Preaching starts at home and by your good deeds/good example.

The Youth Bible Lesson Recognition Day of the UCG-Manila congregation this year was the first and is intended to commence every year to encourage and boost its children. Kids as young as 3 were also participants as they were categorized as level Pre-K, which actually starts at 5. You would be surprised at what those little minds can take and it’s just very heart-warming that they listen, learn and know.

The event was the highlight of the Summer Outing held at the White Paradise Resort in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, which was a noon-to-noon Church activity. A sumptuous dinner followed to everyone’s content.

Feb. 23, 2008 was the start of the scheduled monthly Youth Day for the UCG-Manila congregation. By this it means that the youth will have special assignments in serving the brethren that estimates to 80-90 every week, every last Sabbath of the month. On the mentioned date, the Children’s Choir, joined by ages 3-10 kids, gave the Special Music singing “Children Were Made For Love.” The singing of hymns was led by DJ Remo, opening prayer by John Benedict Belga, and closing prayer by Joshua Infantado, who are all teens.

Apart from this monthly schedule, flower arrangement, setup of the public address system, and distribution and maintenance of the Church Library materials are currently fulfilled by the teens and they have been doing so for almost a year now, which built in them the confidence to do the job well while being able to serve in those areas. They get to become responsible children.

These same children also undergo Youth Bible Lessons which is part of their training ground so that at an early age they are aware of the Bible and its teachings. It is normally for ages 5-19 but children as young as 3 are also excited to take the very first level lessons…and they know, since kids ages 2-7 are most receptive during these formative years. The idea of including the ages 3-4 make them feel involved and in place. (It also keeps them from running around while the others are being evaluated for their lessons.) It also teaches them early how to control themselves that later in life when they decide to take their advance education online, they have already developed the habit of longer attention span. The program is also one way of fulfilling Malachi 4:6, turning the hearts of the fathers (parents) to the children and the children to the fathers (parents). The future of the children lies in the hands of the parents, who should “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

March 20 will be the YBL Graduation Day which will recognize those who finished the YBL course and those who will go to the next level. It will be held at the White Paradise Resort during the Manila Church summer outing in Calamba, Laguna.

With the children, everyone in the Church is involved.