If you are a parent / caregiver of some kind ...maybe you've thought about what is best for my kids now? elementary age? ... middle school age? ... high school? And beyond?
I've thought recently about a 5 - 7 year window we have for our kids before they reach high school age (not counting this next year since we plan to be in our same home / school).
Once we reach FIRE / Financial Independence (FI) we will have the flexibility to travel with our kids full-time (or part-time if we choose). As of right now we plan to try Spain for at least a school year. But what about beyond that ... ? Spain another year? World School? NYC for a school year (and to be close to family)?
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| CO (Rocky Mountain National Park) What if the world was your classroom? |
Wait ... what? Have you heard of World Schooling? I think it can mean different things to different people, but to me it means basically schooling through traveling the world. You are teaching your kids on your own (like Homeschool), but instead of being in one place (or home) you are on the road / traveling. There's actually a really large World School community (I've joined a few groups via social media). They share curriculum, ideas, network, and even plan in person meet ups, etc. I think it would be an awesome opportunity to slow travel for a year or two and World School the kids. I love the idea of doing hands on learning in a museum, at a historic site, and in nature (to name a few).
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| Learning at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this summer. |
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| Taking advantage of the free day / free family workshops at the MFAH this summer. |
Of course World Schooling comes with some concerns for me ... 1) My kids (and most kids) listen to others (teachers) better than they listen to their parents when it comes to learning. 2) The work load is put on my shoulders.
I am not too concerned about losing the social aspect of school since getting social time with other children would not be a problem (in my opinion). I am also not too concerned about learning how to succeed in a traditional school setting since my kids have been in a traditional school setting since pre-school (and I am guessing most of their schooling will be traditional).
So to overcome concern #1? I think that will be all about setting expectations and routine. Even if we are traveling, we can still set a routine. Also they can take advantage of learning from others on our travels through the different World School groups and even outside of that (just like you may sign up for different tours or adventures on vacation!). Concern #2? Well, the good news is I will be RE (retired) so I will have the time to dedicate to teaching them. And we can do anything for a year. Right?
So our thoughts right now are maybe 1 - 2 years Spain (school years), 1 - 2 years World School (school years), and 1 school year NYC. If we go for the maximum amount of time (2 Spain + 2 World School + 1 NYC) that would add up to our son's 5 year window before high school. Of course, plans can change, and maybe we will want to be back in the US before that. We shall see!? (And what about those summer months? Right now our main idea is to be in the US with family most of the time).
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| Exploring CO (Waterfall Trail at Snow Mountain Ranch, June 2019) in our Vivobarefoot land & water shoes. Texas kids found snow! |
What do you think? If you could FIRE ... or when you FIRE, would you World School? What obstacles am I not thinking of? What benefits might you see?
-Tara
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