Homeschooling Overseas Resources

[lulalu]

Anyone know of any books, or resources for those who are homeschooling overseas? Any been there done that stories? I really want to hear from others who took advantage of the amazing benefits of hsing while also having children learn language and culture and make friends. 

This is the first year in our homeschooling journey that I have felt so alone, and struggled a lot with if this was the right choice. Locals don't homeschool here. And ds is moving along in language well, but still needs work. I have few resources. And reading about others having libraries, co-ops, other families to meet up with, etc. Just makes me second guess doing this with a TCK. Or if local schools although poor academically might provide a richer cultural experience. 

[CAJinBE]

We did both school and homeschool. When my daughters were young they went to local schools, then international school, and finally homeschool for academics. I don't know where you are or how long you will be there, but maybe you could try the local school for a while. It was an amazing experience for my girls and something that ultimately went on their college essays. I think language is easier to acquire in school. Then signing up for sports in the local language helps too. Aren't there any other expats homeschooling near you that you could organize a coop with or at least a support group? 

[sweet2ndchance]

I'm not sure where you are located but American military installations overseas usually have large homeschooling communities. We had both active military members and ex-pats in the ones I was a part of. That could be one way to get involved with some co-ops and meet with other families who are also trying to create a rich learning experience while living overseas.

Another possibility is to find an international school that might have some leads on either former members who now homeschool in the area or possible culture events they might let you participate in. That option would just depend on the international schools willingness to let homeschoolers participate part time.

Again, not knowing where you are located, is it possible that there are missionaries in your area that might homeschool or know about homeschoolers in the area? Is there an ex-pat community or an American Legion? Just another some other avenues to possibly explore for leads to find some other families that you might not otherwise find out about.

Honestly, the most fun we had while living overseas was just getting out and mingling with others, whether they homeschooled or not. That was how we found the most interesting people and invitations to cultural experiences that we might not otherwise have gotten. It didn't matter that they were not homeschoolers. We met people young and old who loved sharing their culture with us because we showed an interest and shared our own culture with them as well when they were interested in our culture. We didn't always have great experiences. Sometimes, we just enjoyed being out and seeing things rather than talking to people and that was fine too. For example, at one point we lived literally on the beach. My kids remember exploring the tide pools during low tide and finding all kinds of fish, plants and animals that they might otherwise only see in books. The fact that it was a Japanese beach was irrelevant. They got to experience wading through tide pools and that too is a great experience. What kind of experiences can you find in your area that you might not be able to experience elsewhere even if it doesn't involve people or culture?

I remember worrying too when I was homeschooling my kids overseas. The local host country schools would not accept military children usually but we had DODD schools available to us. They had culture lessons and guest speakers all the time. Was I robbing them of an experience by homeschooling them? In hindsight, I can honestly say that no, I don't think I did. The DODD schools might have brought bites of culture to the classroom but we were out experiencing the culture and people too. We learned how to communicate and make friends with people when we don't speak the same language. We learned and practiced how to be courteous and respectful of the local people when we are guests in their country. We got to see how they really live, work and play and share in some of it. In hindsight, I can say I think they got a much richer experience than the kids who had disjointed bites of culture brought to them. And they remember so much about it, more than I even realized they remembered now that they are grown.

You know what they don't remember? They don't remember going to the homeschool Lego club at the base library. They don't remember that our trip to the castle ruins was with a boy scout troop. They don't remember the homeschool easter egg hunt we went to or the end of the homeschool year parties that we went to. They do remember playing basketball in the rain with some of our Japanese friends. They do remember asking other kids at the park how to say this or that in Japanese even though their Japanese was limited and the children they were asking only spoke limited English. They remember talking to the cashiers in the stores we went to and how impressed they were with how much Japanese they could speak and the culture details they were aware of. They did not have a "typical" homeschool experience but the experience they did get wasn't lacking in any way. It was just different and quite unique. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

We lived overseas for 4yrs & homeschooled for most of that time.

We saved all year so that I could purchase the bulk of our curricula during a single annual visit to the US because international shipping is ludicrous, but also made good use of PDF curricula. I always made sure to get more levels than I thought we’d need; if we didn’t get to it all that was fine... but I didn’t want to run out! 

We were in a large city & the library system was bilingual, so that was a great benefit. I still stocked up on suitcases full of consignment-store books whenever we came back! Since it sounds like your library won’t be as useful to you, I’d suggest looking into eBook & audiobook availability through a public library account Stateside. 

If you ask around & really dig online, you may find a few other “hidden” homeschoolers around. The community where we lived was very small, but even just one or two other families to get out & experience things with can make a huge difference - particularly during the younger years. 

[lulalu]

I guess I am looking for more resources on success stories, and if it is worth it. I know the overall benefits of homeschooling. Just looking for the BTDT of the challenges and benefits of doing it long term overseas. 

All the books and blogs I find and this forum are so different from our experience. I just need to know it works long term.

We have enjoyed homeschooling the last 3 years. Even if I did a local school I would still need to do work at home. Private schools are way out of our budget and none are close enough to where we live. 

[CAJinBE]

We did it because it was the best option for us at the time. It was hard work, especially high school, and a lot of stress. Our girls are doing well at university so I'm happy with the outcome. However there were times that I felt if there was an excellent and affordable school option available, we would take it. We had less travel opportunities as they got older and were involved in sports. We were pretty much tied to a school schedule anyway. Preparing alone for AP exams was tough even with online classes. Finding testing sites was difficult and stressful. So the question of if it is worth it is very individual. My dh has told me that I should write a book. Maybe he is right but I think everyone's experience is very different.

[Islandgal]

On 1/23/2020 at 10:10 AM, lulalu said:

Anyone know of any books, or resources for those who are homeschooling overseas? Any been there done that stories? I really want to hear from others who took advantage of the amazing benefits of hsing while also having children learn language and culture and make friends. 

This is the first year in our homeschooling journey that I have felt so alone, and struggled a lot with if this was the right choice. Locals don't homeschool here. And ds is moving along in language well, but still needs work. I have few resources. And reading about others having libraries, co-ops, other families to meet up with, etc. Just makes me second guess doing this with a TCK. Or if local schools although poor academically might provide a richer cultural experience. 

I live overseas and have very limited resources. You make do with what you have. As someone said upthread, when I have the opportunity to buy books at a reasonable price, I go bananas, often stocking up several levels at a time. Homeschooling is a rarity here as well, almost to the point of being frowned upon. 

In my experience, regarding the friends, language, and culture, I've found the best way to get involved is to put yourself out there and most times once you make connections, your child or children will as well. Introduce yourself to the neighbours and others in the community. Find a club or join a group that interests you. It may feel a little strange, but in my opinion it's worth it. 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Islandgal

[8filltheheart]

We homeschooled overseas in an area where absolutely no one homeschooled. No libraries, no co-ops. We did have a huge $ advantage, though, bc dh's company saved so much $ by not having to pay for the international school that 1x per yr they would pay for my book/supply order. This was back in the 90s, so our location didnt have reliable internet and we were charged by the minute for use.

My kids played with the neighborhood kids. (None spoke English.) But my lifeline was the expat community. Definitely not all Americans, but all spoke English to some degree and we shared the common thread of learning to adjust to living there. They all had kids, most attending the international school,, but making schedules work for get togethers was everyone's priority, so it worked.

Have you connected with an expat community? That would be my first priority if not.

In terms of language, our oldest was fluent, so much so that when we were at places like playgrounds and he was playing with other kids and then he would run over and talk to me, the other kids would say things like, "you know how to speak English?" .When we traveled to another part of the country one time, he ran ahead of us and was talking to an outdoor street vendor. When we caught up, he turned to me and said, "she keeps asking me if I'm a Paulista" and I keep telling her no. She was shocked and told us she had no idea he was American. She said his accent is Paulista, even making the same mistakes as other native kids. But he lost all of it when moved back home. He did have a great accent when he took a different foreign language in high school. (We moved back when he was in 5th or 6th grade, I'd have to do the math to figure it out bc I can't remember anymore.) Our younger kids could understand everything said to them, but they didnt talk as much as ds. #2 and #5 have a very easy time learning other languages now and #5 has great accent skills. No idea if it is related bc she was just a toddler when we moved home.

In hindsight, it was a huge blessing. While we were living it, the first yr was awful for me. It got better. I never learned the language beyond the rudimentary. Some days I felt like i just survived. I cried a lot. I missed my life here. But, yes, it was worth it.

[Lanny]

OP if you are near  the U.S. Embassy or a U.S. Consulate, try to communicate with the ACS (American Citizens Services) unit in the Embassy and ask them if anyone in the Embassy or Consulate is Home Schooling.  I suspect most of their DC go to International Schools ( $$$$)  but some of their DC are probably Home Schooled.  

One needs to allow $ in the budget for bringing textbooks (ebooks are becoming much  more common now, so they arrive instantly and that saves a lot of time and money for shipping).  The Lab Kits we needed for Science courses made those courses the most expensive of the courses my DD took, but IMO were a lot of fun too. Also the Art courses which my DD loved if we couldn't get what was specified here, or, an acceptable substitute.

Good luck!

 

[KathyM]

I homeschool overseas. I have a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and kindergartener. We live in an area with very few expats, and I am the only person who homeschools in our town, as far as I know. Local schools are poor quality and my children would stick out too much. I would be concerned for their safety at school for various reasons. However, there is a local, non-traditional school that my children attend on Fridays. I'd hoped it would help their language learning and that they'd gain friends, but it isn't really meeting my expectations. My oldest does speak the local language fairly well, but my boys do not, and it is a challenge because I want them to be able to interact with non-English speaking friends easily.  As far as resources, our organization has shipped a homeschool order once a year, but we are transitioning to a new organization, and I'll have to being all my supplies back with me. That will be a huge change. I am thankful for every book and resource I already have. I do have a fair amount of English books because I've inherited books from people who used to live here, as well as receiving those homeschool orders. I use AmblesideOnline as my curriculum. The yearly schedules are all online, and they use many books that are available on Kindle, etc. The AO forum and FB group as well as 1-2 other places give me some sense of homeschool community, while I do have a couple of expat women who provide a general English-speaking community. There are numerous women in those groups who have homeschooled while living overseas, so they have been good resources specific too overseas questions I have.  

As far as language learning and local friends, we are involved in a local church. I also hosted an English club on our porch, but I reserved 30 minutes to play an active recess game that my children enjoyed participating on as well as the local kids. It gave my children a few games they could play when neighbors came over. We've had a tutor come once or twice a week. I just discovered Duolingo now has our language so I plan to use that. In theory, I would teach my kids songs, etc. In reality, I can't quite manage it. My oldest went to a preschool 3 mornings a week, but the others didn't have that opportunity because the one I felt comfortable with closed. I then taught a preschool two mornings a week in my home for neighbor children so that my children would hear the language and have local friends they saw regularly. I wish my kids were fluent. They aren't. It's harder than I thought it would be to facilitate language learning.

My kids' favorite weekly activity is art class. I hire a local young woman to teach a simple craft or art project to several English-speaking children including mine (2 families are western women married to local guys). They love this young woman and they love playing with these English-speaking friends. I would love to do something like that with all local friends to give my children a common experience with them, but I haven't done that yet. 

These are some of my experiences relating to homeschooling. There are things I regret that we don't have. We have said some very sad good byes, and my children miss those people. I wish they each had a best friend. I wish we had museums and hiking trails and field trips. But the truth is, even in America not everyone has that best friend. And not everyone can do those fiend trips. Do my children get amazing experiences? Yes. They've experienced another culture like most of their American peers have not, they snorkel in amazing water, they've traveled...  But it isn't all roses.  

This is a long post. I hope it's helpful in hearing my experiences. I don't have lots of resources to offer and I'm in the middle of homeschooling overseas, so I can't look back with a long term perspective.  Each country has a different culture and educational setting. One child in my town goes to a local school 3 days a week, but does a French curriculum 2 days (she's partly French, partly an ethnic group from our host country). There may be some alternative options you could explore. I haven't found any extra-curricular clubs yet for my children to participate in, but I am going to look a bit more. You might have some. Be encouraged, though, that you can give your child a rich education, and perhaps it could look differently from any of the "normal" options. I hope you find something that fits you and your child in your location!

Edited February 3, 2020 by KathyM