well again thank you WT,
after numerous phone calls with administrators and a lengthy meeting this morning with her guidance counselor.....i feel confident that we have come up with a plan. so basically our county will recognize distance learning programs that are also recognized as private schools. and since my daughter is interested in staying in her major (yes, they have that in HS, can you believe it) which is IB/AP and Intro to Pre-Med....she had a schedule next year that was pretty heavy in the sciences. she is scheduled to take AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP World Hist., AP Pre-Cal/Trig, Forensic Science, and Marine Science. Oh, and AP Eng. 2!
So after hours online searching countless sites for a secular online homeschool program that offers honors and accredited AP courses.....it looks like for her Keystone is going to work best. She's already in Spanish 4 Honors this year, so there wasn't even a class for her here next year. She would begin taking Span 101 for college credit or take a new language. And for our son, the same kind of program accepted here will be through The calvert school online.
CAJ, you guys are from MD....are you familiar with this program? Apparently they have a day school and then also their distance learning program. Ever hear of it?
so, i'm patting myself a little for getting thru some of the red tape of figuring out how to keep her credits safe.
which means we will probably not attempt to go thru with a hassle-filled visa drama. we will just stay in the schengens for the 90 and then move on and work our way slowly around and then back in again. i think i'm only going to solidly plan the first month and then we will begin to wing it.
thanks to ALL of you guys for your input, advice, and thoughtfulness!!! in this world of a me, me, me society....you guys gave your time and focus for someone you don't know and may never even get to meet. and that makes me feel great for coming here. Now, i'm sure i'll be back with more questions, but this was my biggest concern and i want to let you know.....i feel MUCH better now!
gratefully yours,
b

Hopefully its not too late to jump in.

All three of our kids missed a year during our travels - our oldest missed grade 8. I did do home schoooling with him in math and science - too bad you are not comfortable doing that.

We tried distance learning but it did not work for us. The farther the kids got from home, the more 'fuss' they raised about having to do schoolwork.

All three kids did well on their return. The oldest finished his IB two years ago and is now in second year engineering. The middle child has one year to go in her IB and is doing phenomenally well. The youngest says she's starting IB next year in grade 10.

thanks zoinks,
i love hearing how so many families have incorporated this into their lives. yeah, for my daughter, i definitely don't feel confident teaching pre-cal/trig. especially since i didn't go past Alg.2 and Geom. And that was 24 years ago....yikes!!! the main thing is that the county is very clear on what they recognize and give credit for, so unless we are truly taking a gap year, we kinda need to sorta play by the rules. both kids asked if they could start as soon as school is out, so they could get a jump on it. i think they'll be ok.
peace,
b

So glad to hear you are making great progress in this area! It is understandably a concern, but I always believe if there is a will, there is a way. If you go fast, it will be hard to keep up with the work, but if you go slow it should be no problem. Maybe sometimes you will do a combo, so will make up for the faster times, when you slow down.

We have found that it is good to stick to a schedule,so we get our work done first and then go play and tour. Usually homeschoolers can spend much less time because it is a one on one, so they have more freedom and tend to like that. You may find that you all begin to really love the freedom!

Even without the long stay visa, a long stay should be doable. There was someone here who did 3 months in various countries, which is another way to go. You could do like 3 months in UK, 3 months in Provence or Paris, 3 months in Croatia, then 3 months in Spain and be perfectly legal and this could go on and on by adding 3 months of places like Turkey, South Africa, Morocco,Dubai etc etc between the 3 months in Schengen. I have seen people do this, it is harder now ( but not that hard). If you rent places by month and in off season it can be very cheap. Western Turkey is more modern than parts of Europe and filled with delights. Morocco is also a must see, but can be harsher.

quote:

The calvert school online.
CAJ, you guys are from MD....are you familiar with this program?

Well, I am not CAJ, but I do know people who have used the calvert school online. One was an extremely gifted boy who started college at 9 and is doing Grad work at MIT now as a young teen. His mother said if she had to do it again, she would just unschool, but it worked okay for them and they do let you go at your own pace and you can do several grades at once if you need that.

Hope that helps! It really will all fall into place. You are doing a great job and I think your kids will thrive on this experience.

I just read this today and I have to add it to the conversation:

http://weblogged.wikispaces.com/New+Internet+Literacies

Since you liked the Ken Robinson, TEDTalks link, I think this goes along with it nicely.

We are living in a world that is changing very quickly and by roadschooling, your kids get moved out of the dependent mode to a more independent mode of learning.

There will be things on your RTW trip that will immerse them in other languages, cultures and ideas which will spark even more self driven learning.

I think that independent learning is essential for all kids, but even more so for the gifted and talented, to really thrive.

I am an old dog trying to learn these new Internet Literacies, but see the potential. We lug a piano and violin on our RTW trip and had to find solutions with the limitations. We have been thrilled with our internet teacher who lives in Chicago and teaches my daughter via Skype. I know kids around the world who collaborate on a band via skype even though they live at great distances ( one is a kid who lives on the road with his family).

Thankfully, todays technology ( even for a tech dummy like me) makes all of this much easier than it has ever been in the past.

another great article WT! i feel like i'm in a lab group with the smart kid in the class and i'm like "lucky me!"

part of the calvert school is an interactive online class via webcam with a teacher (once a week) who conducts games and activities based on subject matter. looking at the syllabus' of each of their grades -they will both be studying ancient world history. along with our own parent-led activities and outings, i think this will be a neat addition to our schooling.
thanks for the word of confidence on calvert. i did see that he can move at his own pace and that is awesome!
i get more excited each day.....now i just need these 2 extremely interested families get into a bidding war on our fabulous home! wish us luck!!
peace,
b

Sorry - I had to let fly my previous post before I was finished... the kids needed help with homework.

I was going to go on to say that IB is a tremendous amount of work - I am amazed at how much time my kids spend on homework. Most of it is doing research, with many long hours poring over library books to get citations for their work (minimal internet is allowed). The other key thing they start in grades 10 and 11 is to finally express a personal opinion and argue their position in teh social sciences. After so many years in school, this is a major change.

Both of these things (amount of research... expressing own opinion) may not come through as easily in a distance learning/ homeschooling environment.

I wonder if you shouldn't come up with some backout options.. boarding school? Stop at a foreign IB school for a term?

i hear what you're saying zoinks and our backup plan will be to just take the "gap".
our kids are already a full year younger than all of their classmates, so even a year would still not make them the oldest ones in their grade.
i'm perfectly willing to assess as we go on their timetables and such...but thankfully they have had exceptional instruction in study skills and independent research starting in 5th grade. (they are waaaaaaaay more organized than their mum) i certainly don't want to push anything that makes things more laborious than they are comfortable with... but i am hoping the character they've exhibited in their work here (with thankfully no nagging) will remain to be their character and don't do a complete personality switch with the change of continents
we had considered several of the IB schools in spain, france, austria (where i have family) but would prefer to move more. or we may come back home...who knows? right now, i just want to make a plan for next year and see how that goes.
peace,
b

Gap year is the ultimate backout... but one point to consider is that you may find the two kids end up being treated differently on their return.

Our oldest missed Grade 8 entirely on our trip. With a bit of help in math and science, he just went on to Grade 9 normally on our return. He was among the top students in his class again after a few months of catching up.

Conversely, I could not imagine any of our kids missing grade 10 and jumping back in to Grade 11.

The worst case is that your daughter is held back on a gap year, while your son advances. The kids may have trouble with that... just a thought

Here's our trip, by the way. We've been back for coming up to 6 years now! http://canadiancarlsons.com/travel.html

I am aware of the Calvert School - in fact it is one of the organizations the Montgomery County (Md) Public Schools recommended working with... They also recommended Learning Communities International (the person who runs LCI taught in Montgomery County for 30 years...)

We met with a middle school counselor last week - and will meet with our county's "homeschool coordinator" next week. The interesting thing is, once we have gotten to a person (instead of a bureaucrat) we have gotten nothing but encouragement from our public schools.

The "system" has a policy, but individuals within the system have committed to working with us.

All a long way of saying - this is very doable. You have to define your goals and set your parameters - but it is very doable whatever you hope to get out of it.

BTW, loved the Ken Robinson video (thank you WT).

I have some thoughts about the meta-message to our kids in all this, but I'll save that for another post when I have more energy and clarity.

For now, I just want to say I appreciate all the information shared here. Thank you all.

CAJ

quote:

Both of these things (amount of research... expressing own opinion) may not come through as easily in a distance learning/ homeschooling environment.

I have no personal experience on this yet,so do not know what may be accurate or not. I DO know a lot of very bright, gifted homeschoolers though who have managed to thrive and get into top Uni's ( sometimes at a young age). Some have managed to thrive on AP/IB classes. Some how they all found ways around the challenges that you are speaking about.

I think that when you are on the road, you have to think about your child's education more like a homeschooler, since you are more responsible, and one can learn a lot from them. Harvard, Yale and Stanford all appreciate what they bring to the table.

My totally homeschooled niece managed to go to Rice Univ. very early ( which is THE top school for her Chemical Engineering major) and graduated at the top of her class years younger than the rest. She had some wonderful internships during the summer in her field out of state and was recruited for a top paying job after graduation at a very high salary. She bought a house and paid off her loans while allowing the company to pay for her night school while she got a master's degree in Chemical Engineering (also from Rice). She is not even an ambitious type.

I know a ton of stories like this and studies show that homeschooled kids do better than private or public schools at Uni's, so my guess is there must be some good ways around the challenges that you mention.

It is true that books outside of English speaking countries can be a challenge, (but some of that can be handled through e-books) and time will be a challenge if one is going fast. Internet can be a challenge as well, although internet cafe's are almost everywhere. Homeschoolers can homeschool all year round, which can be an element that helps with the time factor. We continue to homeschool in English, even when my child is in the local school in Spain ( because she is mainly there for the language, culture & literature immersion of her second language).

I know that the sixintheworld's two eldest children managed to do online learning as they went at a pretty fast pace around the world in a year. They also had no experience with homeschooling or distant learning before leaving ( I believe). They are very friendly, so you might be able to write to them via their website for their experience of the pro's and cons ( especially CAJ who knows they are doing just a year).

I will be interested in seeing how this works out for all of you, so keep us in the loop, by reporting to this thread from time to time as you go. What works, what doesn't, how you adjust if you need to , how you make it work etc. It seems it can be a great resource for others down the line as we all learn a lot from each other. Every family has a unique trip and process, but input on the pros and cons supports us all.

Good luck on selling your house bbtz! Also get a good plan on how you will move out and leave on the trip all at the same time, as it is tricky ( and ultra hectic at that point where you lose all references points). It is not like moving and it is not like leaving on a trip...it is more challenging, because these things get combined. ( I was up most of the night the last night). Still, it eventually all comes together.

This is probably going to be harder with the backpack method than what we go through. We do some traveling like that ( with just a daypack using hotels, pensions, rentals etc sometimes for months & bring our computers, violin and homeschool basics with us) but find our home on wheels a much easier way to go and can carry MUCH more. We like the RV method so much we are looking into shipping it around the world. I was amazed how quickly we adapted to the small space & it has a way of keeping our day-to-day life similar to home. We could not do everything that we do without this extra room ( digital piano, printer, homeschool books & supplies etc).

It will be interesting to see how you all meet the challenges! I know you will find a way that works for you!

( Thanks for posting your website Zoinks!)

" It will be interesting to see how you all meet the challenges! I know you will find a way that works for you!" -WT
(i haven't figured out the quote thing ; ) )

yeah, i guess in these situations it's great to get all the info one can. and there are definitely plenty of naysayers out there....kind of like when women who like to tell expectant first time mothers their birth horror stories. i never understood that and when i talk to one, i know they have heard plenty of that, and tell them instead about the truest unconditional love you will ever feel, at that very first moment of meeting this little person. Also just as true as the horror stories but waaaaay more positive.
i also faced lots of skepticism when i moved to nyc (at 17), by myself, knowing no one, with my little savings in my pocket. plenty of people thought it was not doable....but here i am 22 years later thriving with a great life, kids, and a husband that is the love of my life. most would have shook their heads and said "it won't be easyyyyy". except for those who reallllly know me, understand my gumption, if you will. i'm pretty much the type that when i make up my mind about something....it's not CAN i do it, it's HOW will i do it. and my kids thankfully have the same attitude. most would call it stubbornness, because we tend to teach kids to live in the parameters that work easiest for US. i call it teaching them to think and act on their behalf, with their own consequences. it has worked pretty well for us so far.... and given our track record, and how we often do things that other families would say were impossible......i think we'll be ok.

quote:

and given our track record, and how we often do things that other families would say were impossible.

See, this is why you are doing this and why it WILL work!! We have always been good at "impossible" too.

It really is not that hard once you get out of the prep phase. Making the decision is the hardest part, and you have that behind you. The next exhausting part is the prep and solving all the basic details, which you are in now. ( We gave ourselves a year after we sold our house and it went by really fast, but some people seem to do this very quickly).

Sure you will probably have some trial and error,but we were amazed at how almost everything we planned work out well. We only found our village where we winter on the internet....and it is perfect! We made a few goofs, but it was easy to readjust.

Don't listen to the nay sayers ( just as you did not when you were 17). You would not believe some of the things we were told before leaving. One friend thought we were crazy and was worried about our lives.....and now she thinks we were brilliant and is thinking about doing it herself! LOL.

You will be fine and you will find a way to make it work. If you could do it at 17, why not now? It is a great adventure and a wonderful way to live. We were not sure when we took off if it would suit us, but now we find it would be very hard to go back to a "normal" life and wonder if we will ever stop.

Carpe Diem!

BBTZ,
I have no grande advice...just a momma to five with dreams of doing such a trip, and like you it is not, "will it happen" it is "how will I make it happen". Just not an option it is going to happen!!! When I tell folks and I nervously chuckle and add, "I'm not kidding", I would say 100% of them say, "Oh I know your not".

I know you just had a light bulb moment but wanted to say as a stranger to you I had that light bulb moment for you all once you shared your going. This will work!!!! I just know it will. This is where you have to think thank goodness your kiddos are so smart and ahead, for what if they were behind, struggled etc ??? That is where the real decisions need to be made, they are so smart just so you can pull this off.

I too enjoyed the Ted Video...We homeschool and I think I differ than most in that for some reason I don't look for my children to go to a Harvard etc... though I clearly do not "unschool" I have a strong curriculum and expect the kiddos to master certain things. Not knocking unschooling in the slightest just sharing what we do and will never know if I am doing what is right for us or not.

Many of the most successfull youngins in our world were sitting around a table in shorts and flip flops coming up with some of the greatest companies in modern time. My oldest didn't join our family until he was 6 years old, he had no family till then, and because of that I want to hold on to him and not let him go to college until he is 19. He is smart, I suspect gifted but not off the charts by any stretch. As folks question my decision to have started him in school later even though he is smart I still think to myself as morbid as it sounds that I will never know if it is the right decision or not, not stats etc... can tell me. I mean we will never know what door or window will open at anytime...and in the same breath (the morbid part) what awful scenerio they could come upon or we hope also miss out luckily due to the timing.
For example would his friends (who I think have as much influence as our schooling) be better if I could look into a crystal ball if he went to college at 18 vs 19. Is there a chance he might get into a car with a semi drunk driver at 19 that he wouldn't have even known if he started at 18. So much of this we just don't know. I'm rambling but just wanted to try to say go with your gut...

I think this Gap year is going to work out great for you...thank goodness they are younger that is even more of a breather...thank goodness they are not only smart but VERY smart. What a gift. I am so not worried about you all or the kiddos...they sound like they are meant for this adventure.
I so look forward to following your journey!!!!!
WT Awesome links!!!!

Well, I'm no parent but I might add a few things here.

1. All the friends I had who went to international schools found them to be a waste of time if they were Gifted and Talented, since the parents usually had oodles of money and just wanted an expensive babysitter.

2. The parents of another G&T 9 year old girl just lugged around the math and reading curriculum around, and frankly, the girl read at the 8th grade level at 9 years old, so reading came natural to her. Math is another issue. They'll be living social studies, especially with their foriegn friends.

3. You can teach reading and writing by assigning essays about the places travelled to, or things they did, and get books via used book stores, and yes, if you are going to be in spain, Amazon.Com delivers there. Lists of reading for various grades exist, and most of english class is reading the assinged readings and writing about them. You can do that too. You don't need to be a genius to direct that activity, especially with a G&T set of kids.

4. Math.. well, you can always hire a tutor for that.

5. If you get the kids into a bilingua education program, they can learn a foriegn language, and then attend school in THAT country, for a real international experience.

6. Keep close tabs on the kids. I know one really bright 11 year old girl who lived with her parents, and ran with an older backpacker crowd. She was talking about dropping acid last time I heard about her. Not sure if she actually did it, but the crowd she was around had access. Kind of scary, very scary. Then again, this was Panjahachel, hippie heaven.

Heres something encouraging. Even if they end up missing a year, the experience should be so positive and enriching for them that they won't mind in the least!!!! Especially if they learn a foriegn language fluently out of it.