WHAT IS WORLD SCHOOLING?
I’m black and abroad and when I left my high paying tech job and decided to travel the world with my daughter. I wanted a better and more exciting life for both of us, and I’ve never looked back!
My daughter doesn’t attend school, and instead, learns from the world around her and the different countries that we are lucky enough to visit. After all, who wants to sit in a classroom and learn about Rome when you could see it with your own eyes?!
So what is world schooling? World schooling is a lifestyle. We are permanently black and abroad. We don’t just world school on the weekends, and there’s no need to take a holiday from it. As we travel, every experience is a chance to learn something new. So I approach our life on the road together as one big classroom containing unlimited learning opportunities.
The best thing is that anybody can do it! In this post, I want to show you how easy it can be, and by biting the bullet and going for it, you’ll give your children life’s best opportunities.
What is world schooling?
World schooling starts with a love of travel, a love of the world, and a desire to learn. Whilst worldschooling, children learn about history, culture, geography, climate, and society – and that’s without even having to try!
When world schooling, every part of the day is seized as an opportunity to learn. Whether that’s by converting currencies in Cambodia, identifying fish whilst snorkeling in Thailand, or visiting tribes that other children are reading about in school books.
The more we travel, the more my daughter (and myself!) learn – it’s been an incredible way for us to develop an immeasurable passion for adventure and education.
Have I convinced you yet?
Benefits
The benefits of worldschooling are limitless – here are just a few of the best things about it.
Children can follow their passions
It’s a common thought that schools kill creativity and the desire to learn. Children spend years being taught about subjects which they have no interest in, with minimum time being spent on the subjects that they enjoy learning about. This could be history, music, art, or languages. No matter their interests, children are able to follow their passions as much as they want to through a world schooling approach.
Immersion
The easiest way to learn a language is by living in the country – the same goes for every topic that is covered at school. My daughter is immersed in experiences that other children are sitting in a classroom learning about. This makes her so much more interested in the subject, and she’s always keen to find out more!
Cultural respect
Before we head to a new destination, my daughter and I learn everything that there is to know about the country. We learn about the customs, the religion, the food, and even a little of the language. Introducing children to cultures and different ways of living opens them up to a respect for all people – no matter where they are from, the food they eat, or their beliefs.
Ability to adapt
Some people think that worldschooling leads to a lack of stability. But for me, it’s the contrary. My daughter has learned to be confident in herself instead of relying on her ‘home’, and her ability to adapt to new countries, food, and living situations is incredible.
Creativity
Going on a family holiday is the fastest way to see children inventing new games, meeting new friends, and creatively exploring their new, temporary home. Worldschooling gives children the same creative opportunities for as long as you keep traveling. It’s amazing to see the ways in which children choose to connect with and learn about different places.
Courage
Traveling requires children to be brave. They’re constantly meeting new people (especially adults!), speaking new languages, and interacting with new environments. Helping children to develop their courage is so important in building their self-confidence, and is a vital life skill that can’t be learned.
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Difference between homeschooling and worldschooling
Homeschooling is when children taken out of school – or never start attending – to educated at home. Worldschooling is similar, but instead of staying at home, the whole family travels the world!
Some parents find that homeschooling can be limiting. After all, children only have access to their close environment, and sometimes it might not be enough. With worldschooling, nothing off-limits and every topic can explored and understood thoroughly.
For example, when learning about the Vietnamese war, we’ll go to Vietnam and see the realities of it first-hand. That the kind of experience that just can’t reproduced at home or in a school environment.
Different ways to world school
There are lots of different options available if you’re considering homeschooling. Some parents choose to put their children in various schools along the way (maybe to learn a language), whilst others take an ‘unschooling approach’. Unschooling means that children given very little (or no) educational guidance, but instead learn from actively exploring and taking part in opportunities around the world.
Most parents opt for a ‘homeschooling whilst traveling’ approach. This approach involves teaching children about landmarks or countries, as well as visiting them, watching documentaries about them, and maybe writing about them. The great thing about homeschooling is that school ‘subjects’ don’t have to fit into boxes – instead, children can study multiple disciplines from just one day out or experience.
The important thing to remember is that world schooling is not ‘one size fits all’. How one parent chooses to world school might not work at all for your family. Follow your gut and your children’s inherent desire to learn, and you’ll quickly work out which method works for you!
If you love the idea of world schooling but are not sure about the logistics of it or if it would work for you, commit to just one year. One year to travel, experience, and learn about the world – I almost guarantee that you won’t go back to ‘normal’ education!
It’s the best decision that I ever made for myself and my daughter, and I encourage you to just give it a go.