Nurturing brilliance: The power of homeschooling

“Nurturing brilliance: The power of homeschooling”
SunStar Davao, June 15, 2024

More than a decade after they began homeschooling their kids, Ivo Bolipata and Sofie Marquez Bolipata are now reaping the rewards of their efforts.

                    

Their eldest son Josh, aged 21, is pursuing Applied Mathematics at Ateneo de Manila University and may also delve into advanced studies in artificial intelligence.

             

Seventeen-year-old Lance is entering 11th grade and has been interning at E-rovoutika Electronics Solutions since last year.

Meanwhile, their youngest, 11-year-old Yofi, is exploring coding, and robotics, and has plans to participate in clubs like debate and theater.

12^th Robotics Championships

In the 12th Robotics Championships recently, Lance and Yofi were among those who represented the Philippine team in the Arena Antonio Alexe in Oradea, Romania. Among 126 teams from 15 countries, their team excelled.

In the freestyle (all ages category), where the Philippines achieved gold, team captain Lance presented the E-Vital Bot, an autonomous robot designed to conduct basic vital checkups in barangays, aiming to eliminate the need for individuals to spend hours waiting in hot basketball courts.

On the other hand, in the Freestyle (high school category) where Team Philippines secured the bronze award, Yofi showcased the Artificial Intelligence-powered E-Grab Bot for autonomous trash collection while Lance assisted in the question-and-answer segment.

The Philippine team also took home the gold medal in the Humanoid category, along with a bronze in the Mega Sumo event.

Tailored education

The Bolipatas’ homeschooling journey began when Sofie asked Ivo to check the school where their eldest son, Josh, was studying when he was 9 years old.

“After careful probing of their program and their teachers, I just knew that given Josh’s aptitude (he was tested and diagnosed a genius), he could do much better if we taught him ourselves. The same is true for Lance who, at 5, was already solving radical equations. Yofi, on the other hand, is already exhibiting early college level literary skills as early as 8 or 9 years of age”, shares Ivo.

The Bolipatas enrolled their children to an accredited homeschool program provider so that the children can have accredited grades for college requirements, while giving instructions in areas of knowledge that is well beyond the requirements of the provided curriculum.

Cultivating genius

“Homeschooling was not an easy journey as Ivo and I had very different styles of teaching. We did share the same objective: to equip the kids to become survivors, wherever they may go in life,” intimates Sofie.

“We also based our program on quantitative and empirical data when it comes to our kids' capabilities. We measure their potential through official I.Q. and aptitude tests. We use feedback from experts in the field to assess what our children could and could not do,” she adds.

 

Throughout their upbringing, the family heavily discussed economics, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and engineering topics. Encouraging their children to nurture their creativity and imagination, Ivo and Sofie emphasized hands-on experiences and extensive travel.

By exposing them to various progressive countries, they illustrated the importance of a robust foundation in mathematics and science and showcased how robotics engineering can offer meaningful solutions to real-world challenges.

           

Incredibly rewarding

In addition to their academic pursuits, both Josh and Lance are accomplished Gan Soo Do blackbelts under Master Steve Grandeza. They have likewise competed and achieved medals in various martial arts disciplines like Judo, Jiu-jitsu, and Arnis.

           

Josh is currently active in Judo and has secured a place in Ateneo de Manila University's varsity training pool for UAAP competitions. Lance and Yofi occasionally train in Jiu-jitsu, with hopes to continue Gan Soo Do and Jiu-jitsu training when time permits, considering their current commitments.

The brothers are also avid players of the globally recognized tabletop game, Magic the Gathering, renowned as the most challenging game by the Guinness World Records.

“We are blessed with resilient children who are gifted with immense potential.  Homeschooling has its challenges, not only for us, but most especially for them. It is reassuring to see that despite our many flaws as their parents, they continue to thrive and excel. Witnessing their growth and development is incredibly rewarding,” Sofie gratefully expresses.