MANILA, Philippines – True education prepares a child on how to live in the real world. Life is more than test-taking and memorizing facts. It is about applying skills you learned in order to live a quality life. Thus, effective education makes a mark in a child’s life on what matters most, inspires them to excel and prods them to aim on how to make a mark.

Intentionality is one of the important ingredients of a high EQ (emotional intelligence). Intentionality means, the willingness to make an impact. Most children have the natural tendency for intentionality. It gets warped or snuffed out when adults disregard, discourage orderide their intents and efforts.

The achievements and greatness of most successful adults began when they were young. They had their own ideas and persisted with it. There is a world class guitarist I recently saw on TV who cannot read notes. What is amazing is how he taught himself how to play the guitar just by listening to music and watching others.

Quite a number were encouraged immensely by supportive parents.  Think Lea Salonga.

Then there were those who reached near breaking points before reaching their personal breakthroughs because of persistent parents who believed in them more than they believed in themselves. Chinese parents are known for instilling hard-work and discipline to their children, whether the children like it or not. Thus, there are numerous individuals with Chinese descent who excel in playing musical instruments, ace academics, top sports and become excellent professionals in medicine and scientific fields.

Making a mark has many paths of origin. For me, the best one is when the child personally decides to make a mark. That is true enlightenment. Such individual choice is a mark of merit in itself. The actual achievement is secondary.

Our Preppi School Principle is to discover the child.  Before a child and even parents believe or know what their child can do, we believe that they CAN. Each child was born with potential gifts waiting to be practiced to achieve excellent performance. We take it seriously to discover such gifts and tap their genius. We have professionals to assess each child.

Many times, many parents do not take my recommendations seriously. BUT! If the parent believes and does something about it, OMG! It is a definite prospect that is sure to bloom. Only time will tell. Each child has a different time frame to bloom.  Mark my words, they WILL make a mark.

Parents play a key role in subtle persuasion and active support so that they can witness in living color the mark that their child can and will make.

Parents ought to give children different opportunities to experience various things so that their children can decide what and where they can specialize. Children have to control their knee-jerk reaction of saying “no” before trying anything.Be open-minded. Support them. It makes a difference if you guide and nudge them graciously. Hovering and harassing are old school methods that reap negative effects on the child. There are better ways.

Then there is another story about a girl who loves to do gymnastics. Actually, our professional gymnast instructor has assessed that many of our preschool students have great potential to be a real gymnast. Some pursue it. Gymnastics is rigorous and many quit because their drive and determination have depleted. Quitting is more of an attitudinal or physical issue than a talent issue.

It is frustrating to see fresh gold buds shining bright but never given a chance to pursue. Not this girl. She was cut in the same bolt of cloth as her mother, the gymnast instructor. Through positive parental support, this lil tyke pursued gymnastics. True to her Preppi School training, she was happy and relaxed in what she did best. After doing Asian stints in between the tedium of school work, she was given a scholarship in Texas for gymnastics training, possibly for the Olympics. It’s all a matter of time.

Then of course, we have a host of academic achievers. Filipino parents tend to focus more on academics so they are happy that their graduates excel in the big schools of their choice. Learning as a lifestyle has been inculcated early on. Some who go abroad are accelerated due to their high literacy training. The best one was accelerated 2 grade levels up, to think she started with us when she was already five years old – no read, no write and full of tantrums. She bloomed into a well –balanced educated girl that impressed the Canadians, her new home.

One of my classic favorite is a talented girl who can sing, dance and speak in public. She joined all my workshops and developed her talents. The best part about her is that she has developed the heart to serve, lead and care for others. Her current school has given her servant leadership awards because of her loving acts. From ages three to seven (formative years), her parents allowed her to join in our educational missions for the poor.  She was my joyful little teacher for 5 years. It’s a matter of time when she will make her adult mark in others’ lives.  Right now, she is making a mark on each life she interacts with because of the goodness of her heart.

These are real lives but I purposely withheld the names because my focus is in the intentionality and the efforts spent on making a mark, not on the ego.

My wish as an educator is for parents to encourage their children not only to make a mark of good academic grades but to make a mark in terms of good actions and behavior to bless others and make our country proud.

If you have not discovered your child’s greatness, may I? I believe in every child that God has made. Each is so full of promising potential destined to make a mark for our future world.