Homeschooling middle schooler and beyond

[kellyh]

We're in the same boat (pun intended), although we're currently cruising. We're on our second year using Calvert (this year grades 6 & 3). I've heard the grumblings about Calvert's changes too. We're using their old curriculum this year because it was on sale last Jan. From what I understand, it seems like Calvert's shifted to a project based curriculum vs the traditional learn & test method. We've loved the '20 lessons and test' program and we, like you, are looking around at options for next year. Oak Meadow looks perfect for my soon-to-be 4th grader...not so sure about my soon-to-be 7th grader...although I've been told that the higher grades transition to a more traditional learning approach.

If you're on Facebook, check out the Boatschooled Facebook group. It's all about homeschooling on boats. https://www.facebook.com/groups/boatschooled/

I'm also in the middle of posting a series of articles about boatschooling on my blog. http://cruisingmomblog.com/category/boatschool/

[sausalitosailor]

Hi Maz-
Thanks for your post. We are asking a lot of the same questions.
Our son is 13 and in his last year at a Marin Charter school that he has attended since 1st grade.
Our goal is to home school him through high school while sailing western Mexico and the South Pacific.
It’s great to read about other families planning on and succeeding at this sometimes intimidating goal.
Let’s keep the conversation rolling.
// John

[No Sprogs]

Originally Posted by sausalitosailor

Hi Maz-
Thanks for your post. We are asking a lot of the same questions.
Our son is 13 and in his last year at a Marin Charter school that he has attended since 1st grade.
Our goal is to home school him through high school while sailing western Mexico and the South Pacific.
It’s great to read about other families planning on and succeeding at this sometimes intimidating goal.
Let’s keep the conversation rolling.
// John

Hi John (and anyone else who's interested),

Still researching. Just had an info-presentation with Connections Academy, a public school home school with coverage California and specifically in Napa (our) county. Didn't see Marin listed. Our 13 year old will be going in to 8th next year, and it sounds like with their program he'll need to take state mandated testing in the spring of 2020 which will be tricky as we'll aiming to be somewhere in the Caribbean. Sounds like mostly online, but you can go with sporadic internet access for stretches here and there. Not sure how they'll feel about continuous stretches. Am going to have a call with school rep later this week. I'll post how it goes.

We're not on facebook. Never have been and really, really don't want to be either. I've got this horrible sinking feeling that we might need some sort of account before we depart as there seems to be a lot of reliance on it for resources and social connections when traveling.

My husband just found another lead called AOP's Switched-On Schoolhouse. Sounds like it can be done offline. Apparently, it's what Sailing Zatara is using. I'm going to try reaching out to them as well – but not on facebook!

To us, what's most important is a good curriculum and good support from the school. One of our other children did home schooling for a year with another program that had a great curriculum and appalling support from the school, and that was while we were here on land with regular internet. We absolutely do not want to be in that situation this time around. Please let me know if anyone has any other thoughts or leads.

Maz

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Maz,

I've no idea whether or not this would fit for you and your family, but ham radio is one way to stay out of the FB community and enter the communities you will visit from a different point, altogether.

We found the marine mobile ham nets to be excellent sources for both contacts and local gossip about such things as where dinghies went walkabout, or where was really nice, and why.

Just a notion, thought I'd put it out there. Hams do a lot of good in the world in the event of natural disasters, too. My Jim became one at the age of 10, so anyone in your family might, as well.

Ann

[Dsanduril]

If you'll take some advice, and hopefully some encouragement from an old(ish?) f*#t...

My parents took me out of school when I was 13 and my brother 11 and we spent five years on a circumnavigation aboard a homebuilt trimaran in the 1970s. I finished the 7th grade in formal schooling. We were boat schooled after that. The first year was Calvert (this was a long time ago) with mail in assignments. My parents weren't too thrilled with the curriculum, so after that it was just parental teaching and learning from life. En route as we got closer to home I took the GED, SATs, and Achievement Tests, mostly at US military installations around the world.

Getting back at the age of 18 was a culture shock, but I did get in to university and ended up as an engineer and contractor. I also managed to get my USCG 100-ton license at the age of 18 based on our sailing experience. My brother had a little bit harder time as he went back into high school, but we both adapted reasonably well.

I still sail a lot, we're sitting in Martinique as I write this, having just completed another pass around the globe. Below are a few thoughts on education on a boat that you can take or leave as you desire.

Language - American education programs are generally woefully lacking in foreign language education. Depending on what you choose for general schooling you may want to look for additional language resources. If your initial cruising grounds will be the Caribbean then French and Spanish are natural choices, but just about anything will be useful. Encourage the kids to get out and meet local kids (I'm a natural introvert and still managed that) and the language will be that much easier.

Responsibility - 13 is not too young to stand watch. Have the kids "hand, reef, and steer" for a couple of hours every day. I started night watches (solo) at 14, my brother at 13. Having responsibility for the boat and crew is a big step in growing up. If there's interest also have them help with maintenance. Boats always need maintenance, and having the kids take responsibility for some systems will help them learn.

Flexibility - Schedules are great, and especially useful for formal schooling. But sailing/cruising doesn't always mesh well with schedules. Be willing to be a little flexible when some other learning opportunity presents itself. Sitting in the home of someone from a completely different culture and sharing a meal (and getting to see first hand how they live) trumps classroom work any day. And it helps make better world citizens, something of which we are in desperate need.

Music - Music is a great social door opener and another thing that is hard to deal with in correspondence courses. If your kids have any interest in an instrument try to encourage it.

Science and Math - unless you, as parents, have a background in science and math this can be tough. In cruising you're already naturally immersed in history, and social studies, and most of the other humanities types of courses. But in today's world science and math are pretty important. It's easy if this isn't your background (I don't know if it is or not, so please don't be offended) to let it slide a bit. Don't. Make a point of making sure this gets as much emphasis as everything else.

Lean on other cruisers - Sure, there are cruisers out here who won't want to associate with a kid boat, especially a teen boat But there are lots of others of us who enjoy sharing our experience. The cruising community is incredibly diverse, with tons of experience in just about every field you can imagine. Don't be shy about asking if some of those people will give your kids a few tutoring sessions. Sometimes it's easier to learn from someone other than your parents, and sometimes a different approach helps too.

That's my experience, some of it may be hopelessly out-of-date, but hopefully you'll find some of it interesting or worthwhile. It't not always easy (maybe growing up never is?) but I can't think of a better education than what you propose.

[No Sprogs]

Originally Posted by Smart555

Oh, it’ nice to hearing that you familiar with our story actually, it was not easy, but we were happy to the right boat that we fell in love!
Concerning books, no, of course, they have got much more of them! Calvert sent us two big boxes for girls. But in reality 85% of education they do online. There are chapters from books and a lot of additional information. Plus the important service they offer is teacher support and collaboration. When you stay in one place for a while it’s OK but if you’re hopping from island to island it takes time to find WiFi and time. But everything is possible! Sailing lifestyle is awesome

Hello Smart555,

How's it been going with the finding of internet/wifi in the Caribbean? Now that you've had a bit more insight on the Calvert system, is it something that you would recommend using in that region, or do you wish that you had something that you spent less time online with? I'm very interested in your experiences and opinions. As I said in an above post, I've been talking to Connections Academy which uses a lot of internet, but seems to also give great teacher support. I really want to have that support if I can. How are Calvert with regard to responding to queries and guidance? Thanks so much for your time, I really am very grateful.

Maz

[No Sprogs]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

If you'll take some advice, and hopefully some encouragement from an old(ish?) f*#t...

That's my experience, some of it may be hopelessly out-of-date, but hopefully you'll find some of it interesting or worthwhile. It't not always easy (maybe growing up never is?) but I can't think of a better education than what you propose.

I'm not going to quote your whole message here, but I wanted to tell you that I have really appreciated your thoughts and insights. It's given me a great deal of food for thought, and I am very grateful for the time you invested in me to give me such an honest answer. I believe that we have very similar philosophies on the subject, but although I feel confident that this learning experience will be beyond anything a traditional school would be able to offer our son, I want to ensure that he the structure and certifications that will allow him to transfer in to another education system should the need arise. We will be looking for a structured format that we can integrate with the life lessons that we will all be learning. I had a slightly unorthodox education myself, and at one stage ended up in a traditional school with students that were a full two years younger than I. It didn't matter that I was capable of being with my similarly-aged peers, I was judged to be fit for that younger class just because my parents didn't have the necessary paperwork. It made me feel very self conscious at the time. Mind you, I did end up going to college at 16, so it didn't hold me back. Thank you so much, your comments have added validation to our convictions about how thrilled we are to be able to offer our son this opportunity.
Maz

[No Sprogs]

Originally Posted by kellyh

We're in the same boat (pun intended), although we're currently cruising. We're on our second year using Calvert (this year grades 6 & 3). I've heard the grumblings about Calvert's changes too. We're using their old curriculum this year because it was on sale last Jan. From what I understand, it seems like Calvert's shifted to a project based curriculum vs the traditional learn & test method. We've loved the '20 lessons and test' program and we, like you, are looking around at options for next year. Oak Meadow looks perfect for my soon-to-be 4th grader...not so sure about my soon-to-be 7th grader...although I've been told that the higher grades transition to a more traditional learning approach.

If you're on Facebook, check out the Boatschooled Facebook group. It's all about homeschooling on boats. https://www.facebook.com/groups/boatschooled/

I'm also in the middle of posting a series of articles about boatschooling on my blog. http://cruisingmomblog.com/category/boatschool/

Thanks kellyh! This is good to know. We're leaning heavily in the Calvert Education direction, so I'm doing a bunch of research there and trying to get as much feedback as I can from users of their program. Just finished watch Smart555's kids' video on the subject – very informative!


Maz

[chrisgreenwalty]

When I move to London from New York, I was faced with the same problem. I was worry about my 11 years old kid what school should he enrol in? Finally, I decided about London Grammar School. And this was a great decision for me.

[Sam8989]

I'm both hands for homeschooling if there is such an opportunity. I personally was home-schooled towards the end of my school years and it was great for me. I liked how the learning was tailored to me specifically and working one-on-one, rather than in a large class of 28+. For more topics on education, click here

[Octopussy]

Greetings!

We used the Florida Virtual School (FLVS.net) for my son's education freshman year in high school. They do K-12 online ed. It's AWESOME. We did Advanced Placement classes, etc. And, I have to say, he got more individualized attention during his one year in FLVS than during his entire middle school years in a "brick and mortar" school-- even when he was in a special "magnet program"!!

[also, even though you are Cali residents, you might be able to claim FL residency. We did... we flew to FL, and filed paperwork to claim "domicile." PM me for more info] -- OH... and THEN YOU ARE RESIDENTS and get online schooling for your kids for FREE!

While I know that you may be looking for something more "laissez-faire"... you can do an "asynchronous" style with FLVS where you would just have to ensure you have Internet a couple of days a week. The kids can work offline the rest of the week. (granted, you might have to manage sailing schedules around final exams or other major assignments that they'll need Internet connectivity-- but, it's all a compromise!)

We were full-time liveaboards during my son's freshman year of high school. (thought it would be longer... but, you know... "life" happens!)

We then paid an "umbrella school"--Atrium School in Lake Worth, FL-- to "oversee" his online/homeschooling education. For a small fee, they issued legitimate school transcripts. Granted, we had to have FLVS submit his grades to them, and then we had to submit grades, lesson plans, etc for anything we did above and beyond his FLVS classes.... but they validate it with the proper paperwork.

It's worth having the transcripts. We ended up moving to Europe (long story... unexpected... thought we'd still be sailing... but thoroughly enjoying new (albeit land-based) adventures!)... and having a "legit" transcript was key to our son assimilating back into a traditional school structure (U.S. or EU/UK).

Additionally, you mentioned that you are a UK citizen... and while I am an American, I have lived in the UK/EU for most of the past 20 years. So, while I am not an expert, I know that we have had to take our son's educational documentation into account... because he has been applying to EU/UK universities.

The standard in Europe is very different. My son is getting ready to go to a UK university, and his American education was not sufficient for direct application/enrollment. He did 3 yrs of American high school (he got his diploma one year early), and did one year of American university in order to be eligible to apply to a UK Uni.

I know this is "down the road" -- but not as far down the road as you might think. (TIME FLIES!-- and sometimes plans change!) And, unfortunately, you need to think about all of these issues.

SORRY... please, I am not trying to preach... just talking from *fairly* recent experience. Especially because I have been living a "cross-pond" educational conundrum.

HOPE IT HELPS, and PLEASE PM ME if I can offer any more advice/ insight.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

[Renx]

Hi Maz
I guess you are currently aboard now and stuck in to a schooling system. I just wanted to add that we are from the UK and have homeschooled our kids for 2.5 years now aboard our boat. The eldest is now 13 years old and we have found a good system with Cambridge IGCSE and sourced all the textbooks from Collins international. So she can do her Uk Equivalent IGCSE's anywhere in the world for a small fee to sit the exams. the younger ones 8 and 10 are following the CPG textbooks but we mark it as we go along so nothing is online...just in case. We do however use a lot of online videos and websites to back up our teaching such as BBC bitesize and youtube. I am planning to get all these resources on our website to be freely available as soon as I find time ! Happy sailing !

[No Sprogs]

Thanks so much for this Octo and Renx – sorry, I haven't checked this thread in a while and just read it. This is all so useful. I need to do some more research as we're now finishing up middle school and high school is looming. I am a product of the US/UK education systems. My memories of this section of my school life are that the UK curriculum was much more thorough and challenging, but a heck of a lot more stress because of the various tests. I was able to customize my education a bit and take what was then the A level classes which were offered at my school but didn't have to sit the A levels themselves, as US universities didn't require them. I was much less stressed than my peers. (I did end up at a UK uni without the A levels in the end, but I think that my "Life Experience" also helped my application.) I will think about this all an PM you if I have any specific questions. Thank you!

[JennyD]

Originally Posted by No Sprogs

Thanks so much for this Octo and Renx – sorry, I haven't checked this thread in a while and just read it. This is all so useful. I need to do some more research as we're now finishing up middle school and high school is looming. I am a product of the US/UK education systems. My memories of this section of my school life are that the UK curriculum was much more thorough and challenging, but a heck of a lot more stress because of the various tests. I was able to customize my education a bit and take what was then the A level classes which were offered at my school but didn't have to sit the A levels themselves, as US universities didn't require them. I was much less stressed than my peers. (I did end up at a UK uni without the A levels in the end, but I think that my "Life Experience" also helped my application.) I will think about this all an PM you if I have any specific questions. Thank you!

I know this is an old thread, but I want to share my experience. We taught our daughter not on a boat, but in the absence of Internet access according to a special training program. We passed any testing effortlessly and without stress. In addition, we had a clear plan, and the seven months went great.

[Jfjunior]

Originally Posted by No Sprogs

Greetings all. First of all, I apologize if there's already a concise thread on this subject; I have been doing an awful lot of research on the message boards and cannot seem to find anywhere that answers my specific questions.

My husband and I are in the process of buying a boat with an intent to start living aboard it permanently from approx Jan 2020 on. Our youngest will be starting 8th grade in the autumn of 2019. I am trying to find a good homeschooling program that will work for us and we will be comfortable with. Ideally, it would be something that would transition nicely in to the high school years.

Initially, we will be sailing around the Caribbean and the next year (probably) in the Med. My son has dual nationality with the U.K. but has only ever been exposed to the US school system. However, I would be happy to look at both countries' options.

As we will be doing island hopping, we will have intermittent internet so we do not want a program that is reliant on it. I have looked at Calvert Academy and Oak Meadow, but am not sold on either. Recent reviews of Calvert indicate that they are shifting to a more online teaching style with an additional focus on group projects. I'm not sure how we'd manage that. OM seems to be more Waldorf-ish, which is not a style that my son is used to and I don't think he'd adjust well to. However, school in a box is definitely more appealing. If I am wrong on my impressions of either of these two schools, I'd love to hear about it.

I have looked in to the UK homeschooling options, and it seems to vary from council to council. I have to go in and talk to my local council about if and how they would support this, but as I don't live there it's a bit of a stumbling block.

We currently live in California. Our local school district does not have a supported home school program. I have heard that other areas of the state do offer home school options, and would love to hear other people's experiences or thoughts on this. I have no problem with changing our county (or state) residency, all with the goal of providing my son with the most appropriate, accredited, and satisfactory learning opportunity.

What I'm really looking for is specific experience or advice as to where to look for options. Maybe someone out there has done a recent Calvert 8th (or above) grade course and hasn't felt that they needed to rely on the internet? Or maybe I'm wrong in terms of my assumption that reliable internet is scarce in the Caribbean? Or even if you're in a school district that offers and amazing home schooling program so you don't feel cut off from a structured school agenda? I've looked at various posts by families that seem to be much more imaginative and creative with their tailored schooling on boats. I am not that sort of person. I would appreciate a straightforward program which is clear on what he needs to do and learn, and something that my husband and I can support him with.

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time and trouble to read this post, and I appreciate your help and advice if you have some to offer.

Maz

Been with friends in similar conditions for several months. Their teacher prepared a special course in printed form and everything was ok.