Mother Goose Lipa

The succeeding years came by so fast. Julia has slowly unraveled her multiple talents and skills. In preschool, she was asked to play a musical instrument during her PE class. She brought her violin one Friday morning and she readily performed “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in front of her classmates. In one of the school programs when she was in fourth grade, she showcased her singing ability as a lead singer in a doxology. As soon as we heard her, my husband and I were looking at each other with our eyes wide open. We knew she could sing, but we did not know she could sing that well. Other times, she would be choreographing a dance number for her class or randomly performing a dance craze in front of friends and family members.

 

The ukulele has been a fad in their class and Julia watched online tutorials so she can play it. In a short time, she was able to play a piece or two and it was very convenient to pick her from a bunch of cousins to perform during family gatherings. She once played the role of Foxfire in a Moving Up Program and we vividly remember that after her excellent performance, she excitedly proceeded to our seat whispering to us that she might need to stay until the afternoon session, “because the other Foxfire may not be able to come on time.” Needless to say, we knew that she enjoyed every single performance and we enjoyed watching her every single time as well.

 

Her leadership qualities became evident during her lower elementary years. She enjoys organizing meetings for practices and assigning roles for group members so they can come up with a nice presentation. The teachers have been telling us that she enthusiastically participates in class. She would not settle with just raising her hand but would somewhat tap her teacher so she can be called for a recitation. In one of her evaluation during Card Giving Day, teachers were impressed about her academic performance and described Julia “as being on fire”.

 

However, during the start of the online classes, when everything seemed new and unfamiliar, she had to go through some adjustments with a different kind of learning method wherein they were taught to vlog, write a short story or make various media presentation incorporating a whole range of their basic subjects. Fortunately, she was able to enhance her creative prowess in digital art, which she is very passionate about. She enjoyed the whole MGP learning curriculum eventually.

 

Julia admits being a “night owl” and it’s overwhelming to see her working until midnight because it’s when her mind works best. In some occasions, though, she was quite challenged with submitting a handful of projects on time. With patience and perseverance, we were glad that she was able to cope well towards the end of the school year. Her last year in MGP must have taught her to be flexible, persevering and creative. Overall, when teachers showed us her “output” after the first and second trimesters, we were just in awe of the meticulousness and dedication rendered on her every single work.

 

Julia’s journey is our journey, too, as parents. Witnessing her metamorphose from the carefree toddler to an independent and multi-talented teen gives us so much pride and joy. It isn’t easy raising three teenagers during this so called “digital era”, when their world is so different from what we grew up in, coupled with the global chaos brought about by the pandemic. Most of the time, my husband and I will have to pause and reflect, checking and consulting each other if we are addressing pertinent issues or if we are missing out on something. Parenthood has never been this challenging. We would usually do a meticulous balancing act, or a delicate “push and pull”; pushing them a bit when they are shy and lack self- confidence and motivation and pulling them back somehow when they are going beyond their limitation. We could say that a ton of diplomacy, a heap of discipline, loads of prayer and immeasurable love and attention still work to raise children of this generation.

 

Together with the parents, we witnessed how MGP also fully immersed itself on raising our children to be well-rounded, independent, flexible and resilient. The smooth transition to online learning is very impressive. The teachers have been the most crucial part of this change, though, and we would like to honor them for their unwavering dedication and grit to navigate through turbulent waters, so to speak, to bring our children to shore safely.

 

Words are probably not enough to express our gratitude for the fifteen wonderful years that our children Miguel, Joaquin and Julia have spent with you. MGP has been a great part of our lives. And here’s to hoping that other families find their second home in your institution as well and enjoy the same benefits that we joyfully reaped all these years.

 

Thank you Mother Goose!

 

Drs. Carlo and Sarah Fuentebella

Proud Parents of JULIA

MGP Tribeca Class of 2021