In our 12 years of homeschooling, this year is our eighth year of homeschooling with Peniel.
‘Peniel’ or Peniel Integrated Christian Academy of Rizal Inc (PICAR) is one of the leading homeschool providers in the country. Peniel started as a small school providing a Bible-based academic curriculum to students in 1996. In 2008, they opened their Home Education Program with four students. Today, the number of homeschool enrollees reached over 3000.
Why Homeschool with Peniel?
I was already homeschooling our first child when I heard about Peniel. Other homeschooling moms gave me a lot of positive feedback. After praying and talking about it as a family, we enrolled in 2013. We moved because of the following reasons:
- Affordable tuition fee
- One portfolio a year requirement
- Accessibility of Teacher Au (Principal) and school staff
- Academic support to children and emotional support to parents
I have no ill feelings towards our previous provider. They supported us for four years. We are also grateful for the training and encouragement of our consultants. But for our family, it was time to move.
Homeschool Life with Peniel
What I love about homeschooling with Peniel is how Teacher Au and the the staff make the journey less stressful. Aside from the quarterly exams that they send via email, I can always call or send a message to Teacher Au.
I would ask her how I could teach a specific topic in Math, and she would assist me. In our early years with Peniel, she would meet all Peniel homeschooling families in the south for book distribution or meetings. Cainta is their home base. So, I appreciate the effort to travel and meet with the parents.
Also, she knows our children so well. She saw how they have matured over the years. She was also very proud of our eldest child when he graduated from junior high school. It was also our son’s last year of homeschooling with Peniel.
Peniel is not just a homeschool provider. It’s family.
Peniel in the Pandemic
Parents scrambled to find a school for their children when the president announced there will be no face to face learning this school year. And one option for them was homeschooling. Friends sent messages asking about the entire process of homeschooling. I try to answer as much as I can and always refer them to Peniel should they pursue this path.
As the number of homeschool enrollees increased, Peniel also upped their game. I am not sure if they added more staff, but I noticed unfamiliar names sending me email updates.
My most favorite upgrade was the student portal. Both the parent and the student have access to the portal which includes the syllabus, PowerPoint presentation, and exams for each subject. The portal is a one-stop-shop! It also includes the grading sheet in Excel form, which is an excellent tool for parents. No more lengthy computations. We only need to input our child’s raw scores per subject and the program will compute the grade.
The PowerPoint presentations are likewise helpful because I need not search YouTube on how I could present the lessons. Peniel has provided links for that. Although, I could still add more if I choose to.
Kudos Peniel
With so many inquiries posted on Peniel’s Facebook group at the start of the lockdown, the posts became overwhelming. Some old-time homeschoolers like me tried to help by answering some queries. But not everyone was glad. I would see negative comments or posts, which is unnecessary. In the middle of the pandemic and uncertainty, people are still nasty.
Then, there was peace in the group. Peniel set webinars for parents looking into homeschooling. Enrolled families (old and new) also sat in a webinar where they introduced the portal and gave updates. The old-timers couldn’t help but applaud the efforts of Teacher Au and her team. What a way to start the school year!
There is no perfect homeschool provider. Peniel is not perfect either but it continues to improve and cater to the needs of the homeschooling families. To date, Peniel has seen over 500 successful college graduates who were once homeschoolers. And I am certain that their home education and support of their parents is what they bring with them to the future.
Our youngest daughter is now in 8th grade. We don’t know if we will pursue homeschooling until junior high school. I am confident the Lord will show us when the time comes. Homeschooling with Peniel is our best homeschooling decision!