When we made the decision to move abroad to Mazatlán, México, everyone asked what will you do for school? Initially I set out to homeschooling my three kids. I have an M.Ed. in elementary education. I have six years of classroom teaching under my belt. Nearly three years as an Assistant Principal also taught me a lot. I figured, ‘homeschool, can’t be that difficult!’

I was wrong.

Not that it’s difficult, nor impossible. Far from it. But it is a commitment. It is a daily decision to show up and show out for your small audience. It means that for any number of hours, 4-5 days a week or more, you are committed to educating young minds. That’s if you go the more traditional route.

About a month in, I was visiting local elementary schools with registration fees in hand for when we found the right one.

For me, it was a decision to ensure that my kids were getting daily guided instruction, socialization, as well as learning Spanish. This enabled me to do my own work, while they did theirs. It allowed them to learn Spanish, make new friends, and participate in numerous activities with kiddos their age. For us, worldschooling (with a little after-school homeschool) has worked out best thus far.

Click Here to see them in action at school.

Every family is different and there is no shortage of amazing education options for families who want to travel the world. How do you know which one is right for you? Mostly by trying and seeing which resonates the best with you and your kiddos.

Here are three of the main educational methods employed by parents living abroad or living the location independent lifestyle.

Homeschool

A traditional model is a parent or private educator guiding students in structured educational activities on a regular basis. This is done in a home or non-school setting. Some homeschooling models are stricter than others. Having a set schedule, is not necessary, but some semblance of organization is key. Some parents spend whole days on one subject area. Others have set times of the day for the major subjects, language arts, math, science, etc.

A major benefit of homeschooling is that families can move around as frequently as they desire without much disruption to curriculum. Many parents create their own curriculum. There are many reputable homeschool curricula available online as well. Some states even provide free virtual educational programming for qualified students. Parents using this method often report high rates of academic success. Additionally, they are able to tap into their kiddos’ natural interests and guide them in a focused manner.

Worldschool

*Note, worldschool can also include homeschooling but for my purposes here it references a brick and mortar institution.*

Here, a family enrolls their child(ren) in a local school in their area. This can be a public or private school, local or international. Kids attend a brick and mortar institution with certified instructors and learn alongside their peers. Additional benefits include extracurricular activities and events. With this method, it is important that the parent and student feel comfortable with the school’s philosophy, teaching, mission and vision.

For families who are situated abroad in one locale for a longer period of time, this method works very well. In many major cities across the world there are a wide array of schools to choose from. International schools, American schools, Canadian schools, local schools, both public and private, all make excellent options. One drawback for families who intend to travel more freely is the expense of enrolling multiple times within one school year. Additionally, multiple transfers take its toll on students. Some nomadic families choose to homeschool and enroll their students in social activities rather than school.

Unschool

This method is all about exploration and life learning. Typically parents choose not to have set programs or curricula for their children. Rather, they depend upon daily life occurrences (both intentional and incidental) to serve as the foreground for their educational activities. A daily walk to the park becomes a nature lesson. An exploration of a local museum becomes a history or art lesson. Formal instructional activities are usually requested by the child, not required by the parent.

Unschooling is growing in popularity. It is very useful for nomadic families, because it allows for frequent travel or movement. Parents use the travel in itself as a means to educate and students’ experiences are enriched by the diverse and varied environments they encounter. Parents can choose to incorporate set curricula at certain points if they require, but as an ‘unschooler’ it certainly is not expected, nor required.

Before choosing any of these methods, I highly recommend consulting with your local state’s schooling requirements. Some states make home/world/unschooling easier than others. For example, my home state of Illinois has very flexible homeschool laws. I do not need to register my kiddos as homeschoolers. In other states, students are registered as homeschoolers and may be subject to annual testing. I highly recommend researching your state’s laws.

The Terror Squad (my three littles) attends a local private Mexican elementary school. Their school day runs from about 8am-2:30pm. They learn in Spanish and take about one-hour of English, two times per week. My husband and I supplement with homeschool style instruction in English about four times per week. The hubby and I have time to run our businesses during the day while the kiddos are at school. Once home, we are free to have fun with math, science, reading and writing in English to ensure they are still ‘on level’ with their peers back stateside.

There are many options to choose from. Education is a very personal decision for each family to make for themselves. In your quest to find your perfect fit, there will be ups and downs, successes and challenges. Whatever you decide, I encourage you to do what is right in your heart, do your best to tune out the naysayers, and always put your kiddo’s best interest into the mix!

 

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