Catholic Filipino Academy

Attention: Parents Worried About Their Kids’ Future…
Whose Fault Is It When Your Kids Don’t Succeed In Life?
No, It’s Not Enough That They Get High Grades. To Achieve Spiritual & Financial Success, They Need A Unique School That Only You Can Provide…

Among my 5 siblings, do you know who had the lowest grades in school?
I did.
At Grade 2, I was already failing in Math. My grade was 72.
In desperation, my mother hired a private tutor for me. Thank God, after 1 year, my grades went up.
It became 75.
Not because I learned anything in Math. But because the private tutor my mother hired was also my Math teacher. (I have a wise mother.)
Here are a few of my other “academic credentials”:
• Throughout my academic life, I developed a love affair with the numbers “75”. Somehow, it never left my report cards.
• I failed in an entrance exam to High School. (Ouch.)
• I never became an honor student. (Gee, how does a medal look like?)
• Once, I took a spelling exam consisting of 40 words and got only 2 of them correctly. Perhaps I was mildly dyslexic, but during my time, there was no such thing. I was just plain stupid, period.

Today, When I Do Business, People Never Ask For My Report Card. Instead, They Ask For My Financial Statements & Total Net Worth.

Among my 5 siblings, do you know who has the highest net worth?
I do. Yep, the same guy with the lowest grades.
These past few years, I’ve become financially independent.
Not yet a real multi-millionaire, but getting there.
My sister, who was the Valedictorian in her school, still works for someone else. I, on the other hand, now enjoy 11 sources of income—with 4 businesses of my own, with a few more in the works.
But hey, don’t just look at me.
Check the real big guns you know…

Check The Multi-Millionaires You Know. Did School Really Make Them Successful?

In the past 28 years of my work as Preacher and 8 years as a Businessman, I’ve met a lot of multi-millionaires. (By the way, who ever said rich people were evil should stop meeting drug lords and gambling lords. The rich guys and gals I know are wonderful human beings.)
I’ve interviewed them, preached to them, asked for donations, stayed in their homes, made them my mentors, and did joint ventures with them.
Do you know what shocked me? I found out that the richer they were, the more their formal education had absolutely nothing to do with their millions.

Just yesterday, I talked with one of them — a 37-year- old millionaire who recently donated a million pesos to his church. (A million! Gosh, I’d love to do that one day.)
He said, “I went to school, but it was my father who really taught me after school. At age 8, I already worked in our store. And we had no summer vacations. It was work from the day we stopped having classes — and that’s where my true education came from.”
You’d think he was complaining. But he wasn’t. He owns three companies now — thanks to the discipline, financial wisdom, and entrepreneurial skills he gained from his father.
And where are the honor students?
Oh, they earn good money — working for my multi-millionaire friends. As their managers, lawyers, accountants, IT specialists…
Because it takes a different kind of school to produce real millionaires.

Like How To Raise Happy Families. Or Spiritual Depth. Or Ethical Living & Selfless Service…

It’s not just the money. Far from it.
The greatest success is still who we become as human beings and our eternal relationship with God.
We want an education that prepares us for eternity!
You might know my story.
By age 12, I gave my life to God in a prayer meeting and have served Him ever since.
For 28 years now, I’ve given myself fully to God’s work for the poor and for evangelization.
And where did I learn all that?
Not in school.
All my young life, I belonged to Catholic communities, prayer groups, and ministries. We did the wildest things in the world hands-on: giving retreats all over the country, leading organizations, and building orphanages…
My character was formed not in the classroom but in my family and in the ministries that I was doing as a teen-ager.
Friends, it takes a different school to form the Christian character in your children.

Who will help your child attain TOTAL success?
What kind of school will help your child attain that? Ask yourself…
• Will students with the highest grades in school end up having the happiest marriages? Will they know how to raise happy kids of their own?
• Will students with the highest grades be the most compassionate people in the world? Will they serve humanity and be selfless? Will they be the most ethical human beings of society?
• Will students with the highest grades love God with all their hearts?

Again, you’ll find no connection between high grades and these “deeper” successes in life. Let me tell you why traditional schooling will have a hard time helping your kids in achieving Total success:

Schools Use Fear & Teach Kids Not To Fail.
But Success Can Only Happen If
You’re Not Afraid Of Failure.

In traditional schools, kids are afraid of exams and are afraid of committing mistakes. So students graduate and work with this acquired fear still within them. They become immobilized, constantly hearing in their minds, “Don’t make a mistake!”
But I’ve learned that in business — and in real life —you’ve got to be willing to make mistakes. You’ve got to stretch, try things you’ve never done before, and learn from failure.
Please read this carefully: I’ve discovered that the most successful people in the world are people who’ve failed more times than the non-successful person. This is connected to the second problem…

Problem #2:
School Exams Teach Us There’s Only One Way To Answer.
But In Real Life, There Are Millions Of Ways To Answer.

Remember your written exams in school?
There was only one answer allowed. It was in the textbook or it was how Teacher explained it. And if you don’t get that, you fail. (That’s why traditional schools train us to be employees—not entrepreneurs—because entrepreneurs need to discover a hundred options to solve problems.)
Many times, we were taught what to think, not how to think. Because of this, schools train us to be excellent Test-Takers, not necessarily excellent Thinkers.
(Note: This is a second article I’m writing on Homeschool. In order to appreciate what I’m saying here, you have to read the first one, entitled, “Why Are More And More Parents Sending Their Kids To the Best School In The World: Their Own Home.” Email me at catholicfilipinoacademy@gmail.com and ask for that article.)

Problem #3:
Classrooms Increase IQ.
Hands On, Real Life Situations Increase EQ.
(Note: Some Call EQ By An Old Fashioned Word: Character)

If you think I’m accusing schools to be inefficient and incompetent, you’re wrong. I’m not. They do what they do because that’s all they can do.
Their very structure and system limits them (1 teacher to a class of 30, 40, 50, 60 kids, plus a fixed number of subjects, books, and exams…, what do you expect?)

But homeschool is so flexible and adaptable, you can give your child hands on, real life situations to increase his EQ or Emotional Quotient—which researchers say is more important to success than IQ.

For example, in Catholic Filipino Academy, a part of your child’s education should be to have a little business. (Why reinvent the wheel? Look at the multi-millionaires today and many of them were already selling something as kids.) Your child will learn practical stuff like money, math, marketing, networking skills — but will also build his character of perseverance, hard work, and confidence.
Another example: CFA also asks kids to have “volunteer” opportunities constantly — visiting the poor, serving the orphans — so that they gain a spirit of compassion. That’s real education!

If Schools Don’t Help Your Child Become A Total Success, You’ve Got To Take Charge Of Your Child’s Education!

That’s why I’m a firm believer in homeschooling.
Because in homeschooling, parents say, “I’m no longer passing the responsibility of my child’s education to other so-called ‘Experts’. I’m now in charge.”
And when you finally take responsibility over something, good things happen.

But I don’t know what to do!
For many parents, making a choice to homeschool their children is like Indiana Jones taking a leap into the darkness, screaming, “Yaaaaaaaaaah!”
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
You can actually walk into a very lighted room. (Walk. Not Leap.)
And here’s the truth you may not know: You don’t homeschool your children alone. That lighted room has lots and lots of people in it, and you can spot those who have lived in that room for years. They wear happy tee-shirts that say, “Experienced Homeschool Parents. Been Doing It and Loving It For Years…”
All you have to do is ask for their help to walk you around the room.
I repeat: You don’t homeschool alone.
You do it with an excellent Homeschool Provider that will be your faithful partner in homeschooling your children.

When my wife and I decided to homeschool our child, we searched for a Homeschool Provider. But after a while, we realized that most of them in the Philippines were Non-Catholic. We were looking for the Homeschool Provider that would provide our child with good Catholic homeschool textbooks, plus help our child receive his First Confession, First Holy Communion, and later on, Confirmation. And we found none.
But that wasn’t just our problem.
We also discovered that many Homeschool Providers weren’t faithful to our 10 core principles of Homeschooling. Many of them merely “transferred” school to the home. Their system and curriculum were rigid and standardized, with lots of tests and grades used as fear-based motivation. But my own research said that this wasn’t authentic homeschool. Nor was it true learning.

Call us picky, but our criteria involved core approaches—not just preferences.
• Where was the Homeschool Provider that could help us create a personalized curriculum based on our child’s passions, learning styles, reading type?
• Where was the Homeschool Provider that didn’t believe in tests and grades, but motivated the child by directing them to their passions?
• Where was the Homeschool Provider that believed that learning should be fun?
• Where was the Homeschool Provider that wasn’t just based on (1) Study, but also included other essentials such as (2) Work and (3) Service? So that our child doesn’t just have high IQ, but also high EQ? And thus have more chances in succeeding in life?
So we prayed, “Lord, help us find a Catholic Homeschool Provider.”
Ultimately, God answered that prayer.
But in a very strange way…

We tried ordering our Catholic Homeschool Textbooks from the U.S. — at very high costs and high shipping fees. We comforted ourselves that they were good books.
But we had two huge problems.
First, we had no one to ask for help — at least formally. Oh yes, we had homeschooling friends. But they were homeschooling their kids using other methods. So who would answer our specific questions? (Yes, we were exactly like Indiana Jones flinging ourselves into the darkness.)
Second, we realized our son wouldn’t receive a Report Card from a DepED Accredited School—which will be a problem when he goes to College. (In the eyes of the government, he was an out-of-school youth and a problem to society. Poor kid.)
That was when we came in contact with other friends who also wanted to homeschool their children — facing the same problems. And they asked me, “Bo, can you help us? Can you organize a Homeschool Provider here in the Philippines?”

Now let me tell you about myself.
Forming solid, enduring organizations has been my life.
Like I was born to do it.
Asking me to form an organization is like asking a Singer to sing, a Painter to paint, a Dancer to dance, and a Cook to…well, cook. (I was fourteen years old when I first organized a group. It was a small prayer group of twenty people called the Light of Jesus. Today, that organization has thousands of members all over the country and beyond.) Through the years, I’ve formed six (6) other organizations that continue to achieve their respective missions.
So I said, “Sure!”
And my wife gave me her 1000% support. (She didn’t want our son to be considered an out-of-school-youth anymore!)
I formed a team of the best Homeschool Mothers I knew: Rita Yokingco, Mayette Salvedia, Lizette Paman, and many others!
All of us hit the ground running and went to work immediately—writing Lesson Plans, Programs, Systems… Gosh, it was unbelievably exciting work! I could barely sleep dreaming about it! (That’s an exaggeration. In my exhaustion, I slept well. But when I woke up, the first thing on my mind was CFA.)
So after intense labor, Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA) was born.

Friends, I’m very thrilled I can offer this excellent Homeschool Provider to you. It’s a labor of love dedicated to you and your children. (Okay, I’ll try not to cry.)
In the next few pages, I’ve asked my dear friends and Co-Founders of Catholic Filipino Academy to tell you how you can homeschool your children by enrolling them in CFA. You will hear from Tina Galvez, CFA Directress, Rita Yokingco, CFA Assistant Directress, Mayette Salvedia, CFA Vice-Directress for Communications, and Lizette Paman, Vice-Directress for Curriculum Development. These four wise and wonderful women will explain to you in detail the 16 outstanding blessings of joining the CFA Program. (Yes, 16!)
Get ready to be overwhelmed by how good the CFA program is. (A side note: I’ve also found out that if you want something done, give it to a woman—or a group of women!)
Read their letter—and you’ll be excited to homeschool your child!

PS. I know you’ll love CFA. It’s run by Homeschool Parents for Homeschool Parents. Not by people who just study it and don’t live by its core philosophies. Read the following letter and you’ll be happy that there’s such a thing as Homeschool — and that there’s such a thing as CFA to help you “walk into the well-lighted room.”

PS2. Before you read their letter, you can take a look at some of the Questions on CFA that I’ve Answered. (See Attached.) Or read Rita, Mayette, Lizette and Tina’s letter first, and then go back to my Q & A.

Question: Do you accept High School kids in your program?
Sorry. For this school year 2007, we only accept Nursery, Kinder, Prep, Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. For High School, contact us again next year, and we’ll see…

Question: I live in Mindanao. Can I enrol my child in CFA?
Yes. We can even serve Filipino Parents in other countries. We’ve designed everything to work via e-mails, phone calls, and shipments.

Question: Does CFA mean you teach all subjects in Filipino?
No! (That’s my son’s waterloo!) We use English for most subjects.

Question: Are non-Catholics allowed to enrol?
Everyone is welcome! But if Non-Catholics join CFA, they must understand that our activities and textbooks support the Catholic faith.

Question: How much does it cost?
The CFA basic tuition is only P14,700 per year, per child. That’s more or less the prevailing rate in other Homeschool Providers. But while others charge huge sums of money for their imported textbooks, we in CFA only charge around P5,000 per year for local Textbooks.

Question: So I really will teach my child at home? Can I really do it?
Do you love your kids? You are qualified to homeschool your children if you love them, if you love to read to them, if you love to spend time with them, if you love to discover life and the universe with them.

Question: How long will I homeschool my child each day?
Unlike regular school, you don’t have to teach your child for six to eight hours a day. You can do so in two, three, perhaps four hours a day. It depends on your child’s age and year level.

We are here to help you. For all other questions, email us at catholicfilipinoacademy@gmail.com.

Those of you who reside in
Metro Manila and the suburbs, we strongly encourage you to go for our scheduled face-to-face orientation.

When You Join The
Catholic Filipino Academy,
You Receive 16 Wonderful Blessings You Can’t Get Anywhere Else

By
Rita Yokingco, Mayette Salvedia, and Lizette Paman-
CFA Co-Founders, and Tina Galvez

We totally agree with Bo Sanchez: You don’t have to do it alone.
Hi everyone! Together with Bo, we’re Co-Founders of CFA.
Even before CFA began, we — Rita, Mayette and Tina — have been working with Bo in various capacities for a combined number of 37 years! That’s how long we’ve supported — and put up — with his wild dreams! Lizette on the other hand is a new (and fantastic) addition to Bo’s team.
Why did Bo choose us as his CFA Co-Founders?

I, Tina, homeschooled my son for 6 years. He’s now studying at the Ateneo. I’m now the Directress of CFA and it’s been great helping other parents homeschool their own children.
I, Rita, homeschooled my three kids for 9 years. And I can tell you from the heart, it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience. My eldest daughter is now in college and is serving the Youth Group of our Catholic Community. She’s growing up to be a very beautiful young lady. (I’m biased.)
I, Mayette, have been homeschooling my eldest son for 3 years. I also taught in three private schools until I resigned in 2006 to focus on CFA. ¬ Yes, my sons are all tall, dark, and handsome like their father. (Rita and I are mothers. What do you expect?)
Bo asked us to share with you how we in CFA can help you homeschool your kids. So here are the 16 wonderful ways we can help you become the best homeschool parent for your child. Hang on tight — this list of blessings is overwhelming!

1. You Get To Start Homeschooling Your Child Right Away
If you expect us to give you a three-month training program on homeschooling, you’ll be disappointed.
Why? Because we live by our core learning philosophy: The best way to learn is to actually do it! So we won’t give you a three-month training program. We’ll give you a three-hour Quick Start Training Program (QS)—and then be available to you for questions as you learn the ropes while doing it.
At CFA, we’ve nicknamed our three-hour Quick Start Training Program (QS) the “Reprogramming” Program. “Reprogramming” because there are a lot of things you need to unlearn about…uh, learning!

There are two ways to get the Quick Start Training Program (QS).
The first way is to visit our office and speak to one of our Parent Coaches. Together, we can select the Training Materials, Lesson Plans, and Textbooks you need. (Warning: We can only take a limited number of students because we have a limited number of Parent Coaches. Please call us as soon as you can.)
For those who live in the provinces or in other countries, you can use the second way: You can enrol your child by phone or fax, and we’ll e-mail or mail you the Quick Start Training Program (QS). We’ll then guide you by phone or e-mail as you answer the questions in the Program. Once you complete the forms and payments (either through credit card or through bank deposits), we’ll ship your Training Materials, Lesson Plans, and Textbooks to you, so you can start Homeschooling right away.

2. You Identify The Learning Style Of Your Child — So Your Child Will Learn Easily & Quickly
We will give you a series of questions that will help you discover the learning style of your child.

3. You Discover Your Child’s Passions — So You Can Use Them To Make Your Child’s Learning Fast, Fun, And Low-Stress!
We’ll encourage you to identify your child’s passions. That way, you reduce your stress and your child’s stress — because you no longer have to push, scold, pressure your child to do school work!

4. You Identify The Reading Type of Your Child —So Your Child Will Develop A Love For Reading
There are four “Reading Types”, and we’ll assist you in identifying the reading preferences of your child. This will enormously help you find books that will increase a love for reading — which is one of the most important foundations to his intellectual growth.

5. You Choose The Building Blocks Of Your Homeschool, Listing Activities For (1) Study, (2) Work, And (3) Service. Your Child’s Education Will Be Balanced, Effective, And Exciting!
For a long time, education meant reading textbooks and answering workbooks. We believe that should only be 20% of real education! According to the Moore Foundation, education means three things: (1) Study, (2) Work, and (3) Service. In (1) Study, we’ll help you choose “Real” Books (Non-Textbooks) and “Living” Books (People) for your child. In (2) Work, you’ll also list down your child’s household chores and possible small businesses. (Or if they could work with friends who own small businesses.) Finally, for (3) Service, you’ll list possible service opportunities — volunteering for the poor and broken of society regularly. Now that’s real education.

6. You Get Our Unique CFA Standard Lesson Plans (SLP)— As Your Daily Guide In Homeschooling Your Child
You won’t find this anywhere! Because our Parent Coaches created our unique CFA Standard Lesson Plans or SLP. It’s Catholic and based on Filipino textbooks. It is called Scheduled Lessons, and it’s pretty detailed: It contains a schedule for the entire year — and will tell you what subject you’ll take up, what book you’ll read, what activity you’ll do everyday.

7.You Get Optional CFA CLUBS For Your Child — To Give Your Child Weekly Fun Times Of Learning With Others
For those who live in Metro Manila and surrounding suburbs, we’ll provide what we call “Clubs” for your children. Most of them are “Indoor Clubs,” a few of them are “Outdoor Clubs”.

Indoor Clubs can mean an Arts Class, Guitar Lessons, or a Business Workshop (where kids actually sell something). We’ll also have a Drama Workshop and Production Play — where your kids can be part of a Musicale! Other Indoor Clubs will be offered as the months go by.
Outdoor Clubs can mean actual farming and fishing, kite-making and kite-flying, etc.
Note: All Clubs are optional. But you need to reserve early for each Club. (Note: Fees apply per Club.)

8.Your Child Gets A Catholic Education & The Sacraments
We want to strengthen the Catholic faith of your child. Aside from using Catholic Textbooks for your child’s Christian Living, CFA shall organize The Sacraments of First Confession and First Holy Communion at the appropriate ages. We also give an annual Recollection to you and your children in a Camp setting. (See next item.) Believe us, this is a far cry from the traditional (and sometimes boring) Recollections and Retreats you’ve had as kids!

9.You Get To Join The CFA Parent-Kids Camp
Each year, we take the parents and kids camping. This is one of the most awaited activities of the year, so don’t ever miss this! This is where we inspire everyone to grow closer to God and to one another. We do this through fun and creative games, activities, talks, and prayers.

10.You Get The Best Local Textbooks — And Save Money!
We’ll recommend to you local textbooks because they’ll strengthen the Filipino culture and identity of our children. And obviously, because they’re inexpensive. (We want you to save money.) But we can also recommend a few foreign textbooks if you can afford these extras — especially Catholic Homeschool textbooks.

11.You Get Guidance as you need it through your Parent Coach
Homeschooling can be tough.
In fact, you’ll be asking yourself (many times during each day!) whether you’ve made the right decision — or made the most tragic mistake of your life. Especially when you’re lost and don't know what to do. And especially when concerned relatives gang up on you and tell you that you’ve gone insane pulling out your child from school!

We’ll be here to support you during these times. You may reach your parent coach or any parent in your support group.

12.You Get Encouraged By CFA Support Groups
We’ll also be organizing support groups for homeschool parents that meet on a quarterly basis. Again, this is all optional, but sharing ideas with other homeschool parents will be beneficial to you.

13.You Get Taught By The Monthly CFA Newsletter
You’ll also receive our CFA Newsletter for FREE —which will be chockfull of useful teaching, encouragement, inspirational stories, and helpful tips on homeschooling your child.

14.You Get Trained Through Our Parenting Enrichment Seminars
We offer a series of in-house Seminars given by Top-Notch Experts on Parenting, and other topics on Family Life.
Sample Topics: How To Increase Your Child’s EQ (Emotional Quotient); How To Discipline Your Children With Gentleness And Love; How To Raise Teens In Our World; and many, many more! (These are all FREE for parents of CFA enrolees. Families not enrolled in CFA shall pay fees.)

15.You Get DepEd Accreditation For Your Child —And Receive A School ID, Report Card, And Diploma
First, your child will receive an official CFA School ID. (We’ve found this to be very important to a Homeschool child — to have a sense of “identity” and “home”. And to complete this picture, we’ve also made stickers, T-shirts, and other paraphernalia with the CFA logo available at the CFA Store.)
Second, your child gets a Report Card through our mother school, Powerkids Academy — and a Diploma upon graduation. As long as you submit the required marks (We’ll explain this at the Quick Start Training Program or QS), you’ll receive a Powerkids Academy/CFA Report Card for your child at the end of each school year. This shall be your official Transcript of Records should you decide to let your child go back to a regular school.

16.You Choose Special Awards To Give To Your Child Each Year — On Stage!
On our Moving Up and Graduation Day every March or April, all our students will march up the stage. And you will award the CFA Gold Medals on your children for specific honors that you will choose. Was your child especially industrious? Or helpful? Or was he great in Science? Math? English? You choose the awards your child deserves — and give them these awards in front of all his Classmates and Clubmates in CFA during our Moving Up Day.

To summarize, here are the 16 Blessings of being part of CFA…
• You Get The Quick Start Training Program (QS)
• You Identify Your Child’s Learning Style
• You Define Your Child’s Passions
• You Discover Your Child’s Reading Type
• You Choose The “Building Blocks”
• You Use The CFA Standard Lesson Plans (SLP)
• You Get The Best Local Textbooks
• You Get Guidance from a Parent Coach
• You Get The CFA Support Groups
• You get CFA Newsletter Each Month
• Your child gets to join Catholic Activities & receive The Sacraments
• You get to join our CFA Parent-Kids Camp
• You get to join Parenting Enrichment Seminars
• Your child gets to join CFA Clubs
• Your child gets School ID, Report Card, and Diploma
• Your child gets Special Awards on “Moving Up” Day