5 Year Window: Would You World School?

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)?

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).

Learning at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this summer.

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).

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

Transitioning From Crisis Schooling to City Schooling

We made some more concrete decisions regarding our FIRE (financial independence retire early) adventure this week.

As we mentioned in our previous post (Choose Your Own Adventure: So What Is Next?), we thought it was looking more like we need to postpone Spain and come up with several backup plans because of COVID-19.

This week we moved forward with securing a new apartment lease in Houston’s Museum District which will end in March 2021.  We plan to take off on some type of travels (ideally Spain) in either March 2021 or April 2021.

Visiting our new / future home in Houston’s Museum District near Hermann Park.

So ... now what?  As we mentioned in our last post, Erik will continue to work, and I can build up my side hustles.  What about the kids?

As of right now, we plan to transition from Crisis Schooling to Homeschooling (or what I am labeling as City Schooling for now) in Fall 2020.  It looks like we are actually zoned to a good elementary school in HISD (Poe Elementary), but we felt that schooling on our own temporarily is the best plan (given COVID-19 it may also be the safest plan!).  This was always a backup plan (if we thought we wanted Erik to work longer), but it wasn’t a plan we actually thought we had a high probability of implementing (but then came COVID-19).  I think we should just be thankful for extra time with family, friends, (even if from a “distance”) and an adventure in the city with the kids (and even if COVID-19 alters our way of experiencing the city).

I would not label our transition from being IN a public school building to what is happening right now (global pandemic) as Distance Learning or Homeschooling, but I would label it a more accurate term of Crisis Schooling.  I may not be able to remove schooling during a crisis (global pandemic) in the Fall, but I can at least be prepared for schooling at home.  So how to transition?

Of course it is 2020, and there are an abundance of “Homeschooling” options available ... so where to begin?  I started reading about different philosophies of Homeschooling, and I found this article helpful (from late 2019) - Homeschooling: Which Model is Right for You?  The article specifically talks about: Classical Schooling, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Unschooling, School at Home, Unit Studies, and Eclectic Education Methods.  Classical Schooling ... focused on great literature and philosophy?  Yes, please!  Charlotte Mason ... journaling and nature walks?  Sign me up.  Montessori ... student-led and hands-on learning?  Yes, also.  Unschooling ... student interests?  Yes, yes, yes.  School at Home?  No, thank you.  Unit Studies... actually, I love teaching thematically.  But I probably most identified with the Eclectic approach which basically takes a mix of many methods.  There were definitely too many cons in each one for me to fully identify with one philosophy.

I really like the idea of World Schooling, but since we aren’t currently traveling around the world not sure I can use that label in our own backyard.  So why don’t I just create my own philosophy and method (without entirely creating my own curriculum of course ...that would be a lot of work!)?  One thing I personally like the MOST about the idea of Homeschooling is the option to learn in real life ... hands-on experiences and being out and about in whatever community you are in (I know this looks different during COVID-19 though).  So maybe I should call my philosophy CITY SCHOOLING (instead of World)... ?!

What is CITY SCHOOLING?  City Schooling uses the city as your classroom - parks, neighborhoods, museums, and more.  I also like the idea of thematic studies (or as they describe them above, Unit Studies).  My art education philosophy is Integrative Art Education which focuses on learning about life through art (and often uses themes).  I like broad themes that I can make more specific for each child... let’s take an easy example, like animals.  We can head (walk!) to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) to look for (and analyze!) animals in art.  The kids can draw and write about their adventure in their City Journals.  Maybe that same day, we could head to the MFAH’s Sculpture Garden to do our exercise / PE by running the steps at the Glassell School.  Afterwards we could have our lunch outside (either by packing our own or treating ourselves to a lunch from a Food Truck).  A different day we can walk (!) to the Houston Zoo and maybe each kid can focus on a specific animal they want to learn more about.  We can focus on Spanish that day (they have signage in English and Spanish), and we can do our math focus for the week on the way to the Zoo or at the Zoo.  (And we are looking forward to focusing more on everyday math skills and financial literacy as we take the leap to City Schooling.  How does math affect us today?  How are we saving and spending this week?  How do we reach FIRE and sustain FIRE?).  We will definitely be reading every day, and maybe sometimes we can read in our “backyard” aka the park across the street - Hermann Park.  The Health Museum is right across the street from us.  We can head next door for Homeschool Workshops including Animal Dissection!  You can’t beat that for a science lesson.  What about history?  Back to the animal that they chose to focus on ...we can also connect this to a country where you can find the animal.  We can learn more about the country, people, and history.  Maybe we can supplement this learning experience by heading to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, or we can take the train Downtown to see Erik at lunch.  We can also visit Houston’s Downtown Public Library to learn more about what they are studying.  Best part of all of this?  We can access everything with our FEET!

But what about COVID-19?  Well, the above may be an extreme example of being out and about ... but maybe not.  We would plan to do most of this on weekdays, and I always like to get to places when they open (less crowded and often empty especially on weekdays).  We also may limit our “inside places” time to only 1x or 2x per week depending on what is going on in our community regarding COVID-19.  And we will follow social distancing protocols, masks, etc.  And if we feel we need to or are directed to quarantine, we will of course do so.  Regardless of COVID-19, I also plan to have work at home whether on-line or book work or hands-on, but those are details I still need to research and work out.

And how can we make City Schooling more affordable?  Museum memberships!  We plan to get all the museum memberships; they usually pay for themselves in just a few visits or less.

Exploring our (future) park across the street, Hermann Park.

So there you have it ... this is how we may transition from Crisis Schooling to my own philosophy of City Schooling.  What do you think?  If you had to or wanted to Homeschool, what philosophy would you go with?  Would you create your own path?

-Tara

PS: I also like the idea of incorporating service (and other things!) into our City Schooling, but I will save that for another time to explore on the blog.

Moved Abroad: But What About School?!

Erik recently wrote about his first month of early retirement, and he answered two of the common questions we often hear ...but what are you going to do (aren’t you going to be bored)?  What about money?  You won’t run out?

I am here to answer another common question ... but what about school (for the kids)?

What if “school” was visiting the Alhambra Museum?  Writing or drawing during your visit?

Large fountain at the Alhambra.

But ... what about school?!

The first thing that comes to my mind is ...1) I get the question.  I understand why they are asking it.  But also 2) How much my perspective about learning has changed.  And maybe 3) Our current journey might have a positive impact on others and their ideas around learning.  

Background 

Let’s back up ... prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic I was already reading about, researching, and lurking in social media groups about the idea of World Schooling.  It was possibly in our tentative approximately 5 year plan.  You can read our previous post here.  Being able to slow travel and see the world with the kids seemed like the ultimate learning experience and opportunity for them (and us!).

And then along came COVID-19 and the global pandemic... I started preparing for the possibility of postponing our move to Spain (originally planned for August 2020) and preparing for potentially (and unexpectedly) schooling my children in a non-traditional way for the 2020 - 2021 school year (City Schooling).  I immediately started researching even more.  Lurking in even more groups online anything from Homeschooling to World Schooling to Wild Schooling to Unschooling and so on.  I also started reading more books about different approaches to learning (and one of my favorites being Balanced and Barefoot).

It’s been eye opening learning about all the different perspectives to childhood and childhood “education.”  My goal when we started this unanticipated City School journey in the Fall of 2020 was to escape from my personal biggest complaints with the public school system in the US ... such as inappropriate expectations for their ages, standardized tests, worksheets, too much desk work, not enough time outside / moving / in nature, long days / homework ... to name a few.  Oh, and not enough of science / history / the arts / hands-on experiences, etc.  (I guess I can definitely name more than just a few).  This is by no means targeted towards educators for the most part (I was a public school educator for 11 years!).  These are systematic problems with public schools in the US.  I say the US because that is our experience.

Don’t get me wrong... I can definitely go on and on about my kids and positive experiences in both preschool (church / private) and their elementary school (and how much I love their teachers).  Like I’ve mentioned before, we probably wouldn’t even be in Spain right now if it wasn’t for their exceptional experience in Dual Language at our school.  But this post is about the benefits of a learning experience outside of the traditional school system.

City Schooling to World Schooling 

How has our City School experience (and now transitioned into World School) gone so far?  Honestly, much better than I thought it would go.  The kids transitioned much more easily than I envisioned (and probably better than I did at first).  We fell into a nice flexible routine in Houston and spent much of our time outside of home ...in nature and / or on Field Trips.  We were thrown off some by the holidays and working on our Visas / move, but we now we have nice flexible routine again in Granada, Spain as we wrap up the year and look ahead to different learning experiences this summer.  I’ve tried to play on my strengths - Field Trips / adventures (and connecting that to book work / work at home).  Due to COVID-19, we also unexpectedly discovered 1000 Hours Outside and embraced nature.  And this will be a life-long change and benefit for our family.  I also made play and choice a priority, created a lot of my own “lessons”, let the kids and their interests guide us (our youngest has really developed a love and interest in snakes (thanks in part to our snake experiences at the Houston Arboretum and Snake Discovery on YouTube) which started August 2020), and finally yes, we did purchase some awesome resources too (hello, Beast Academy for math!).

I think the very common societal idea that a traditional school setting is the best setting for every child is definitely a misnomer.  (And yes, I understand that having the choice to do otherwise is a privileged choice though).

But to go back to the question ...what about school?  I think school is only ONE part of childhood (whatever school may be for that child).  One of the most important things about childhood is CHILDHOOD, and often school interferes with just that (in my opinion or personal experience).

What if “school” was ...

What if “school” (or learning) was reading about the history of the Alhambra and then visiting the Alhambra in person.

A photo from our recent Field Trip to the Alhambra.  We read history about the Alhambra prior to our visit.

What if “school” was actively engaging in the US Presidential Election Day in 2020 ...and involves practicing your writing skills by writing a letter to the first female Vice President, Madame Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Writing in Houston’s McGovern Gardens.

What if you could choose the math curriculum you think is best for your family in your “school” and balance that with hands-on or real world math skills ..?  Such as through hands-on math activities at a Children’s Museum or real world experiences like learning about Euros and handling money at a market?

Helping at the market in Plaza Larga (Granada’s Albaicin neighborhood).

What if “school” was science lessons IN nature ... or small group labs (cow eye dissection) at a local museum?

We loved our nature walks and studies at the Houston Aboretum.

Cow eye dissection lab at The Health Museum in Houston.

What if “school” was learning about history and current events by studying Nelson Mandela at home, visiting a local museum exhibition about his life, and learning to make connections to present day (such as the Black Lives Matter movement)?  (And unexpectedly being asked to appear on a local news segment about the Nelson Mandela exhibition).

George Floyd Mural in Houston, TX.

What if “school” involved being able to fully participate in your local community by getting to know your neighbors such as ones that work at a local garden across the street from you?

We loved the McGovern Centennial Gardens in Houston.  We met now life long friends and unexpected teachers for the kids (like Master Gardeners) during our City School adventure.  On this day (photo above) one of the gardeners offered the kids fresh watermelon from the Family Garden.

We especially loved rainy days in the McGovern Gardens.

What if “school” is a day or half a day or even a few hours engaged in service in your community?

We enjoyed a more COVID-19 safe outdoor volunteer experience this “school year” in Hermann Park (Houston).

What if “school” was travel?  What if you had the opportunity (FIRE!) to learn a language and culture (for us Spanish and Spain) immersed in that language and culture?

Granada, Spain

What if you could put the arts and other areas that are considered extras / extra curricular activities at the center of your “school” through weekly trips to art museums (or other art experiences)?  Or what if your “school” had more time to pursue passions and interests such as weekly trips to the golf course (or the time to try new things!).  

Archeological Museum in Granada, Spain

These were all real experiences for us this “school year.”  Is everything always perfect and all ideal Field Trips?  No, of course not.  Life is not perfect, but I could not have dreamed of how many positive learning experiences we did have despite a really difficult year with Covid-19.

Even if you believe a traditional school setting is the best option for your family (or maybe in many cases the only option), I encourage you (and myself to continue to!) open our minds about different learning experiences during childhood or even young adulthood (or adulthood!).

But ...What About All Those Negatives (Homeschool)!?!

I still often hear (and even in some cases thought myself) the “negatives.”  The most common ones ...but 1) what about socialization!?!  2) Or hah!  They won’t listen to ME!  Not like they listen to their teachers ...and maybe to go along with that 3) What do I know about teaching them?  And finally 4) But they need to know XYZ by this age / grade, right?  What if they fall behind?

Honestly the only one above that I was somewhat concerned about was number 2.  Let’s go to number 1 first.  The idea that kids can’t be social outside of a traditional school system is a complete misnomer to me (of course this somewhat depends on the family situation and effort you put into it).  Now 2020 ...and into 2021 is a lot different obviously due to Covid-19, but I would argue under normal circumstances social activities and opportunities are even greater if you were able to school on your own.  My kids had structured and unstructured learning and playing opportunities throughout our City School and World Schooling year with other children their age, of various ages, and even adults.  They met new friends and saw old friends. I think like a lot of things ...it is what you make it.  Just because a child is in a traditional school setting doesn’t mean they are getting ample time to talk or play with others.

They won’t listen to me as much as they would listen to others.  For the most part this went MUCH better than I had initially envisioned.  I think given the right setting and situation children are naturally curious and WANT to learn.  Are my own personal children going to act the same as they would with a classroom teacher?  No, of course not.  I am their parent, and they are most comfortable with me (in fact I’ve had my children already as students since I was their art teacher!).  But I think that is okay.  And I think there are some ways around this to make the situation better for all involved.  My strategies included learning outside of home in public (take your book work with you!).  My kids are much less likely to act foolish in front of others versus at home!  Also balance their time learning with you by also learning with others ...either in structured ways (hello, outdoor adventures at Armand Bayou in Houston) to unexpected learning opportunities like when the master gardeners gave us lessons at McGovern Gardens Family Garden.

What do I know about teaching them?  For anyone that asks this ...you are their parent.  You know what is best for them!  You guided them prior to age 5 and yes, educated them on life then ...why aren’t you their best teacher now?  And for anything you feel like you need help on ...maybe learn WITH them, or yes, you can include other teachers or guides.  For example, my kids did (free) workshops with the Children’s Museum Houston for Tinkercad.  I know nothing about Tinkercad, but of course they can learn from others too.

And finally number 4 ... But they need to know XYZ by this age / grade, right?  What if they fall behind?  Even after being a public school educator for 11 years, this one still irks me.  I think (for the most part) there aren’t necessarily specifics they MUST know by a certain age or grade ...and there is no behind.  It is all arbitrary.  Kids aren’t all the same nor should their education be all the same.  They have different strengths and areas of growth.  They have different interests and talents.  They come from different family situations and from different neighborhoods.  For us instead of focusing on what they need to know by this age or grade...or worrying about falling behind ...I’ve tried to focus on a love of learning through our experiences each week while knowing our path will lead them to where they need to be as individuals.

Looking Ahead For Our Family

But despite everything I said above we do plan (or are in the process of) enrolling them in school next year.  What!?  Why?

Homeschooling is technically not legal per se in Spain.  And another reason... I think the best way to immerse them in the language and culture is through school.  (Luckily I think we found a school that is going to be fantastic for them and does things differently than we were use to in the US ...for example, embracing school outside and in nature).

What have I / we enjoyed the most about schooling on our own?  What will we miss as the kids head back to traditional school next year?

-Time.  Our time together.  This was also a huge reason why we took the path to FIRE.  Although as far as “losing” time with my kids, we had a pretty ideal situation.  I was a teacher, and for their baby and preschool years they were with Grandparents when I was at work (can’t beat family!  Well, for our situation at least).  And when they moved on to elementary school, they were at school WITH me.  But teaching is definitely an exhausting profession, and most of my time outside of school was spent recovering from teaching which is not an ideal use of time.  Luckily their school in Spain will be less time than we did in TX (9 am - 2 pm in Spain.  We were often at school together in Texas from 7:15 am until at least 3:45 pm ...often longer hours depending on my work that day or our schedule.  Leaving at 5 pm or later wasn’t uncommon for us).

-Flexibility.  You really can’t beat being able to go on daily adventures and Field Trips versus revolving around a school schedule or only on weekends.  We also currently have the flexibility to travel since our life doesn’t revolve around the school calendar (for example we are taking a weekday beach trip in May).  We hope to travel even more as Covid-19 improves.  I will never hesitate to take them out of school (within reason) though; I think outside of classroom experiences take importance over inside of the classroom experiences for the most part.

-Their own paths.  This may fall under time and flexibility too.  It’s nice right now to be able to explore their own passions and interests.  We were able to golf every week on the weekdays for my son.  We set out to read a lot of books on snakes and explore them at the Houston Arboretum with my daughter.  (Those are just two examples).  Sure you can try to explore passions and interests even when you are in a traditional school system, but no one can argue there is definitely more time and flexibility to do so if you aren’t in traditional school.

-1:2 Teacher Ratio ... in our family.  And now that Erik is retired, 2:2 especially since he likes helping with math.  Even in elite private schools you can’t get that kind of attention.  Kids are not all the same ...so I don’t personally think generalized and standardized learning for a group of children the same age is the best approach.  But when you have a classroom full of kids and one teacher, the teacher has to make the best of the situation.

-Play / Active Outdoor Play / Nature: Because of COVID ...and their “home learning” this year ...they’ve probably had more time (there’s that word again!  Time!) than ever before to play, actively play outdoors, be outdoors, and be in nature.  And I think all of those things should be at the top of a list or towards the top of a list for important aspects of childhood.  But unfortunately most of those areas are missing from US public schools now.  The good news is their school next year in Spain seems to place a high importance on the outdoors and nature.  I am not sure about the play aspect yet.

To come back to the question, “what about school?!,” my short answer is ...what about school?  Let’s reframe the idea or importance of traditional school.

And as we look ahead to traditional schooling next year, I would like to try to balance some of our World Schooling best practices with a new adventure in a Spanish school.  Time will tell.  So what has the process been like to get them enrolled in school?  Stay tuned for a future post as we are still working through the process.

Granada, Spain

What do you think?  What does school mean to you?  Would you embark on a City School or World School journey?  What are your perspectives on education?  Comment below!

Read Erik’s latest post here.  Embark on your own FI journey with us here.

-Tara

Choose Your Own Adventure: So What Is Next?

Journal art by our son.

Wow.  So the world has changed quite a bit since our last post (Did Your Investment Account Catch A Virus This Week?) ... and that was only last month!

I planned to take a week off or so from the blog since we had Spring Break, but around that time life quickly spiraled out of control globally due to COVID-19.  Needless to say, I decided to take time to cope and adjust (the best that we can) to this “new normal.”

So ... now what?  Of course top priority, we are trying our best (along with loved ones) to stay healthy and stay home.  We hope you are doing the same!

But ... What about FIRE (financial independence retire early)?  What about our investments?  And several have asked ... but you sold your home?  And of course ... what about Spain?  And do you have any backup plans?

The good news is because of the FIRE lifestyle (and where we are at in this journey) we probably couldn’t be set up better for this sudden global pandemic (well, for the most part ... some things can be improved for example ...living in an area where we could enjoy the great outdoors more).  We are still on track to FIRE.  We are already more than prepared for this financial apocalypse (remember you haven’t lost investments unless you sell them!).  We probably sold our home just in time (and we’ve adapted just fine to apartment living / taking care of less space and things).  We are still on track for Spain ... now, quite obviously this may be delayed somewhat (and partly out of our control.. and partly our decision based on the information we have available).  Only time will tell how much ... a few months?  6 months?  A year?  We should know more in the next month or so.  So ... What about backup plans?

One huge plus of FIRE is flexibility - the ability to choose your own adventure.  I had planned to resign this year from teaching full-time regardless of what was happening (we just didn’t really think the global pandemic would happen!), and we are still moving forward with that.  We’ve always had several backup plans (if Spain didn’t happen ...or didn’t happen in the timing we initially planned), but we just didn’t think we would need to implement them.  Always good to be prepared, no?  The most likely Plan B at this point would be to stay in the Houston area for another 6 months to a year.  Maybe we would move back temporarily to Houston’s Museum District with easy access (walking distance) to Hermann Park, the museums (and Zoo), and transit (all of these places would be ideal for World Schooling for 6 months to a year).  (Do I think life is going to be back to normal that quickly?  Well, no ... but hopefully some or all of these places will be open with new approaches to health and safety).  We’ve also thrown around other backup plans (maybe move to Bend, OR for a year? ... maybe try out World Schooling around the world?), but given COVID-19 and other factors ...they may not make the most sense right now.  And another one I threw out there - well, why not Costa Rica (as a backup idea)?

So in a world filled with uncertainty right now, we are definitely grateful to have the ability to be flexible and choose our own adventure (knowing of course much is out of our control at this point due to COVID-19).  But we are looking forward to our next adventure, even if it may not line up exactly as we envisioned.

So what do you think?  How well were you prepared for the global pandemic and financial apocalypse?  What may you change moving forward?

-Tara

Month One of Early Retirement

Here we are at the beginning of May, and it’s hard to believe that I am ONLY one month into my early retirement (ER).  So much has happened since my last day of work on April 1st.  The first half of the month consisted of continuing to downsize our things, spending time with family and friends, and prepping for our trip.  The second half of the month has consisted of settling into our new way of life in Granada, Spain. 

Our new home in the historic Albaicin neighborhood of Granada, Spain.

I have to say ... we are settling in nicely to our new home, and it is going to be very hard to leave this place if / when we decide to.  Life here is much slower paced which is exactly what we were looking for.  I’m learning to really appreciate the little things more.  For example, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays the kids and I get up early (say around 10 am ...ha!) and walk about 10 minutes through the winding streets of our Albaicin neighborhood to the farmers market in Plaza Larga.  This is where we buy our produce; a typical haul looks something like this.  

In this post, I want to focus on two areas of life in ER that I think tend to get the most attention from those who are confused how someone would even think of retiring at 40.

1. What are you going to do with your time?
2. What if we run out of money?

What are you going to do with your time?  Or, aren’t you going to get bored? 

After one month of being retired (and almost a year since Tara has worked full-time), I can say with certainty that I am not going to get bored in ER.  Our days here have been full of exploring, World Schooling, shopping (groceries), meeting new friends, reading, and taking naps (my personal favorite ... how has the US not caught on to the importance of a good nap after lunch?!  Ahhh, that live to work mentality).

A Typical Day for Me

8:30 - 9:30 am: Wake Up

I wake up naturally most days (that is without an alarm clock) between 8:30 - 9:30 am.  From there, I get up, exercise, and make the kids their breakfast.

Sometimes breakfast includes treats from María Panadería.

  

10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Adventure / World School

Then usually between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, we squeeze in some more traditional / at home learning before heading out on an adventure.  Our adventure could be anything from visiting a museum, to visiting the Alhambra, to playing at a local park, or just visiting the local market / bakery for goodies.  

Field Trip to Parque de las Ciencias.

Field Trip to the Alhambra.

Field Trip to the Alhambra (Generalife).

Our park for pull ups and exploring (also featuring our Tortuga day bag).

One of our World School bakery stops.  

2:00 - 3:00 pm: Lunch / At Home Learning May Continue

Last week Tara’s history and art lesson focused on the Alhambra and Tessellations.  You can access her resource here.

Usually after our adventure, we head home for lunch and more World Schooling at home for the kids.  This usually includes reading and writing, math, virtual Spanish classes, science, history, the arts, and budgeting / investing classes (this is a new one that I have put together to teach the kids how / why we do what we do when it comes to anything and everything regarding our money).  Note, Tara will do a post in the near future that goes into more specifics on our current approach to learning. 

3:00 - 5:00 pm: Siesta

After school is wrapped up, it’s time for a nap (for me!).  While I’m napping the kids are usually playing out on the roof deck with their new friend Momo.  This is also a great time to get some reading in.  Luckily Tara set us up with the Houston Public Library on-line resources, so we have free access to thousands of books.  (The kids also have a subscription with Get Epic).

Our landlord’s kitten.  Momo!

5:00 - 7:30 pm: Dinner (Cooking / Dinner)

Once nap time is over, I usually start dinner.  Sometimes while dinner is cooking, the kids and I will head to the park.  Other times we just lounge around.  After we have had dinner as a family (key phrase ...as a family!), it is usually around 7:30 pm.  (Note, the Spanish timing and approach to meals is a lot different than the US way... we haven’t necessarily adapted to all of those changes yet.  Basically, late and light breakfast.  Biggest meal at lunch which would be after 2 pm (followed by a siesta!).  And dinner is more of a lunch ...and late.  We were letting the kids stay up even later when we first arrived, but we decided they needed more sleep.  They are going to bed later than they normally would in the US).

7:30 - 9:00 pm: Chat with Family and Friends 

After dinner the kids usually take their baths and settle in for the night.  We have found this to be a great time to chat with family and friends back home in the states (since we are 6 or 7 hours ahead from Texas and the East Coast).  That keeps everyone busy until about 9 pm or so.

10:00 pm - 12:00 am: Netflix and Lights Out

Between 9 pm and 10 pm the kids go to sleep and that gives us a few hours to relax and catch up on some Netflix.  We usually call it a night around Midnight.

If the first month of retirement is any indication, we are going to stay plenty busy in our ER.  The only difference is now we are spending our time doing things that we WANT to do not things that we NEED to do.  There is a big difference.  

What if we run out of money?

As you know by now our early retirement (ER) plan is based around the 4% safe withdrawal rate.  If you need a refresher on what that is ... read this post.  The cliff notes version is save up enough in low cost investments (like VTSAX for example) and once 4% of your total investments covers your desired cost of living you are set to retire.

Upon planning for our early retirement, I always liked the idea of using geographic arbitrage as a strategy to live below our means and still have a high quality of life.  This idea, along with the desire to live in a Spanish speaking country (for ours and the kids own learning purposes), led us to Spain.  

Through speaking with other expats, I had a pretty good idea that Granada would be a great place to kick off our ER journey.  However, it wasn’t until I got here and settled into our neighborhood that I realized just how great this whole geographic arbitrage thing is going to work.  

May is the start of our first full month in our new home so I don’t have any official numbers to report on what it is going to cost us to live here, but I have a decent idea.  Based on our first couple of weeks here I think we can afford to have a high quality of life here for around $2,000-2,400 USD per month.  That number is for a family of four and includes rent, utilities, groceries, medical / dental, and spending money.  I will put together a detailed post on all of our May expenses in early June (including a three night trip to the beach in May!).  

Comparing this level of spending to our current investments we can afford to live on a withdrawal rate of less than 2% by being in Granada, Spain.  At this level of withdrawal rate there is absolutely no doubt that we will never run out of money, and in fact our investments will certainly grow to a level that is well over and above what we will spend in our lifetime.  Not so shabby.

View of our neighborhood from the Alhambra.

So ... what are we going to do with our time?  We are going to do a lot of learning, exploring (and traveling!), relaxing, reading, playing, and napping!  The best part is we are going to do it all together as a family.

And ... will we run out of money living this way?  Not a chance.

How do you plan to spend retirement?  Or how do your currently spend your time in retirement?  Need assistance with getting set up with financial success?  Reach out, and let’s talk.  You can also comment below.

-Erik

How To Enroll Your Kids In School In Spain

Let’s back up a little bit.  If you are new to joining us, we FIREd (financial independence retire early) fully in April 2021 of this year.  We obtained our Non-Lucrative Visas to Spain, and we arrived in Granada, Spain in April (with a short pit stop in Madrid prior).  Want to back up even further and see how we did that?  Read our About Us and Start Here.

We have two kids currently 10 and under.  Despite embracing an alternative learning style unexpectedly during COVID-19 (we started City School in Houston) ...with a strong interest and practice in World Schooling (more on our ideas around World Schooling here and here), we knew we had (and wanted) to enroll them in school in Granada, Spain.  Why enroll them in school in Granada, Spain?  My understanding is even though it is not technically “illegal,” not many Homeschool in Spain.  We didn’t look into this really closely since we knew we were going to go the traditional school route at this time.  But the more important reason for why they will be entering school is for full immersion into the language.  Luckily I am confident we found them a fantastic school.

I’ve been asked quite a few times since we moved abroad from Houston to Spain or even prior (What about school?) so I would like to share our story today.

View of the school we chose (Ave María Casa Madre) from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain (if you look closely you can see two different building complexes with outside courts for playing sports).

First, it is important to know (similar to the Non-Lucrative Visa process!) the school experience may differ or will differ by city, by school, (by family!), etc. in Spain.  Second, some areas of Spain may teach in different dialects. One reason we chose Granada, Spain is because the kids would learn Spanish in school (yes, we know they have a thick accent here).  For example, I believe in Valencia children learn Catalan (Valencian) in school.  I am definitely not an expert on this, but do your research first.  This influenced us on where we would live.  Third, you need to also understand your schooling options in Spain which to me are different from the US (Again this may vary somewhat by area ... some areas may be more competitive or more children than others.  Some areas with a higher expat population or higher population in general, it may be harder to get your children in the school of your choice.). Finally, you need to know what you are looking for in a school for your children in Spain.

Let’s look more closely at the schooling options in Spain and my final point (what did we want in a school in Spain for our kids?  What do you want?).  

Schooling Options In Spain

There are state schools (public), semi-private (colegio concertado) which means they are private but receive some funding by the government, or fully private schools (colegio privados).  It is my understanding that some of the state schools are also bilingual.  There are also International Schools (private).  I found these two links to be helpful Expatica (Schools In Spain: State, Private, Bilingual, and International Schools), and this link on Expatica (A Guide to Education in Spain).

Some of our walk to school (Ave María Casa Madre) would be up a steep hill, but not much of the walk.  It is about a 10 min walk from our apartment to their school in Granada, Spain.

What did we decide on?  Why?  What is best for your children?  

We initially assumed we would enroll them into a public / state school because we wanted a full immersion experience (and it is free).  This was before we knew about and understood some of the other options like colegio concertado schools (semi-private).  We knew we wouldn’t go the private route because of cost and lack of full immersion (International Schools).

First, why full immersion?  We are in Spain ...why not?  Some parents want a “softer landing” for their kids (again this choice completely depends on the child, family situation, and other factors), but I think for the most part, the majority of kids would do fine with full immersion.  Our children are currently 10 and 8 so I think they will adjust well.  They also had 4 years (for our oldest) and 2 years (for our youngest) of Dual Language in Texas (50 percent of their public school day was in Spanish).  And half of their class (supposedly) had Spanish as their first language. This past school year we did pull them from public school due to COVID-19, but we kept up with practicing Spanish the best that we could (including with live 1:1 classes with Homeschool Spanish Academy).  We are not sure how long we will be in Spain, but one of our goals ideally would be for the children to become fluent and bilingual (and for us adults to get as close as possible to that).  A school offering full immersion would be a great first step in that process.

What type of school did we decide on in Granada, Spain?  Initially I thought we would send them to a local state school in our neighborhood (Albaicin) that seemed to be constantly recommended by other expats.  But I am grateful another expat told us about a colegio concertado, Ave María Casa Madre.  We are confident it will be a great fit for our kids.  First, we like that few expat kids go there.  I think it is great to meet other expats kids and families, but if there are too many at a school our kids may rely or gravitate more towards the English speakers (and therefore not be as fully immersed with Spanish).  But beyond that we heard of many other great things about the school including a quality education, smaller class sizes, and more unique approach to education including a priority on outside learning and integrating nature.  After everything I’ve learned over the past year or more through City Schooling, spending time outside has definitely become a priority (including learning about nature).  And finally, you can’t beat the location, beautiful campus and surroundings (and like I mentioned previously they integrate the surroundings into the education).  Ave María Casa Madre is at the foot of the Alhambra along the Darro River.

Erik’s favorite pull up park is less than 5 min from their school.  It is also at the foot of the Alhambra.  Erik is carrying my Tortuga Day Pack (Granada, Spain).

Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

On Carrera del Darro ... we would take this street up to their school along the Darro River (Granada, Spain).

What is best for your children?  I certainly can’t answer that, but I think knowing what is best for them, what you are looking for, how long you may stay in Spain and so on will help you make that decision.  I would also join Expat groups (I am in several on Facebook), and ask around to get as much information as you can about the school options in your area.

What was the process like to enroll them?  

This Garden is right down the street just a few steps from their school (Granada, Spain).

I was told we would need our padron to enroll them (read the link for more information), but our particular school didn’t even ask for the padron.  Of course I would still try to take care of that ASAP when you arrive though (we are still waiting to finalize ours!).

In early May (school ends mid to late June here) we visited the campus of Ave María Casa Madre.  A friend told us exactly where to go so that was helpful considering the school is kind of “hidden” behind walls and you can easily miss it!  The main office was labeled and easy to find when we entered on the left.  I had what I wanted to say translated prior in Spanish so that was helpful.  The Administrative Assistant only spoke Spanish.  She gave us paperwork to fill out for next (2021 - 2022) school year, and she asked an (what I assume was) Administrator that spoke some English to talk to us.  He was very kind to talk to us about the school and showed us around a bit.  The campus is huge and beautiful.  We happened to run into an English teacher, and she was also very kind and took over our “tour” and showed us around even more.  It was definitely a great first impression.

I filled out the paperwork right away, and I believe we turned it in the next day.  What else did they need?  One thing I have learned about Spain is if we have any kind of appointment or situation where I think we may need paperwork, I carry all our paperwork in my handy Tortuga Day Pack (it has an area for laptop and papers).  I should have written it down since I can’t recall exactly what they took copies of (I always have extra color copies too).  But I believe it was our Passports / Visas and copies of the kids Birth Certificates (and everything else that goes with them).  The Administrative Assistant or Office Manager asked us to return a specific day the following week to see if they were accepted / enrolled for next school year.

What was the paperwork?  It seemed like some of it was for the city / region (Junta de Andalucia) and some of it was for the school.  Most of it was just basic information about the kids and parents such as birthdate, address, and so on.  Luckily it wasn’t too difficult to figure out.  I did use Google Translate to get through it so that made it more time consuming.

Another thing I’ve learned in Spain is you often visit a place multiple times before you get what you need accomplished ...we’ve often heard come back tomorrow, or make a new appointment and so on.  I am not complaining, but I am just sharing our experience.  Luckily since we FIREd (financial independence retire early) we have the time to visit multiple times!  This was definitely the case with getting an answer with the school.  I believe we visited 2 - 3 times to see if they were enrolled before we finally got an answer.  Sometimes I feel like things are literally lost in translation, but it seemed like the kids were accepted.  And we were asked to come back between June 1 -8 to fill out more paperwork.  (Yes, more paperwork!).

Yes, that is another thing.  Spain seems to enjoy paperwork!  

Surprisingly I received an email prior to June 1 with the paperwork attached.  I was told I needed to either fill it out and email it back in for each child, or I needed to bring it to the school (by June 8).  Since they emailed it this made it slightly easier for me since it saved me an extra trip to school.  I had the paperwork printed in color (if color was on the original) at our local school supply / copy shop.

What was the additional paperwork?  One was a letter about their parent organization and supporting the school through monetary means (sort of like PTA or PTO back in the US it seemed).  The donation was minimal.  I did sign us up, but they didn’t ask for payment yet.  There was also more paperwork for the city / region (Junta de Andalucia) which again asked for basic information for each child / the parents.  The last two paperworks were for the school.  One was about personal information and permission such as taking photos of your child.  The last paperwork was for either choosing for your child(ren)to receive Catholic education (or the alternative social and civic values).  We chose Catholic education.  That’s another thing ... as you can probably guess from the school name, Ave María Casa Madre is a Catholic school.  This didn’t factor into our decision making too much, but I do like that the kids will be getting religious education also.  They missed going to our church back home (we stopped when Covid-19 hit - a Methodist church; they really loved the kids programs at the church).

Good news!  At that point they said see you on September 10 so all was final!  What a relief because we really wanted the kids in this school.

Walking outside one building for their school (Granada, Spain).

I realized afterwards that I had a few questions for them so I emailed Ave María Casa Madre, and I got an immediate response. My questions were ... 1) Do we need to turn in any additional paperwork to the Education Department (with the city)?  I was told by a few people this may be the case.  Luckily they told me we did not need to do that - our paperwork was complete.  This may differ by school.  2) What uniform or colors did they specifically need (I wasn’t sure if it differed by grade level)?  They told me or clarified to me where to get the uniforms, but they didn’t say anything beyond that.  We will probably go try to look at it soon before things are sold out in August.  3) What school supplies did they need / school supply list available?  School supply lists are a big thing back in the US, and the cost often adds up quickly!  I was told the teachers would give them books and let them know what they needed when school begins.  It doesn’t seem to be a mad rush of things like back in the US.

There you have it.  Our thoughts on where to enroll in school in Granada, Spain (for our kids at least) and how the enrollment process went for us.

What do you think?  If you are abroad with kids, what did you choose for education or schooling?  Or if you moved abroad, what might you do? Comment below.

Read our previous post on a trip to Málaga, Spain here.  Want to join us on your own flight to Financial Independence?  Comment below or email us at fourtakeflight@gmail.com.

-Tara