Of all the unconventional paths our family has followed these past few years, none have been as much work, and yet as rewarding, as our decision to DIY our children’s education. It wasn’t our original plan, but not much about our life in China has been.
I was not opposed to home-schooling when we first started discussing it. I have several friends in the US who home-school, some of whom have even written books about it. I always thought that we would give it due consideration, and then conveniently discern it was not for us. That was, however, not what happened.
Our relocation to this remote corner of Beijing left us unable to access many of the educational choices other foreigners have. Most international schools are far away, and local schools are unable to accommodate our holiday schedules. The next logical option was home-schooling.
After taking this first step, we had to confront an overwhelming number of curricula choices. A packaged curriculum would have been easier, but we elected to DIY. In pursuing our own course of study, we have found ourselves tasked with every minute detail. I was dumbfounded to discover that there are so many competing educational theories behind spelling lists, and that for penmanship there is apparently a point of no return after crossing the Zaner-Bloser/D’Nealian divide. Beyond the minutiae, though, it has been a fascinating challenge.
Home-schooling is so well-established in the US that many museums, zoos, and even parks have regular programs specifically for these students. Beijing certainly has these attractions in abundance, but there has not been a push for similar programs. So, we designed them yourselves. We take what could otherwise be a tourist visit and transform it into a school lesson. For instance, another home-schooling mom and I have escorted our children to a few museums in the city.Rather than just walk them through the exhibits, we encourage them to break out their sketchbooks and take their time to study and draw.
Of course, the best part of DIY schooling in China is, well, China. Even if Myles were enrolled in a conventional school, our family would want to take advantage of every travel opportunity. Home-schooling allows us greater flexibility. If my husband has a mid-week business trip, we can accompany him without worrying about missed school days. We have also connected with other DIY-schooling families to take field trips outside of Beijing. Last fall, a group of us went to the Yizhou Fossil and Geology Park in Liaoning province for a few days. Digging for fossils in a real dinosaur quarry was, for parents and kids alike, an unparalleled experience.
As with any DIY project, it’s good to know when to call in a professional. Myles’ interest in drawing and painting has long since surpassed my own capabilities. It’s been amazing to me, someone with little artistic ability, to watch how he flourishes under the right teacher’s guidance. His Chinese-language instruction, too, I have outsourced to a tutor a few evenings a week. He won’t achieve fluency at the same rate as if he were at a local school, but his interest is piqued. The important thing is that he wants to learn. And sometimes that is half the battle.
Jennifer Ambrose hails from Western Pennsylvania and misses it terribly. She still maintains an intense devotion to the Pittsburgh Steelers. She has lived in China since 2006 and is currently an at-home mother. With her husband Randy and children Myles and Brigid, she resides outside the Sixth Ring Road in Changping, northwest of Beijing. Her blog can be found at http://jenambrose.blogspot.com.
