planning to do a mix of public and homeschool. advice??

[majormajor]

we probably have a fairly unique situation, but i'm hoping to get some advice on making this work out as best as possible for us.

DD will start K in the fall (my other DD is almost 2). however, my husband is from europe and my in-laws live there. we'd both like the give the girls the benefit of a bilingual and bicultural upbringing as much as possible, so our plan is to spend 1-2 months a year in europe during the school year, and then spend at least one year living there full-time once both girls are in school. the month or 2 we're there will be during the school year, and i'd like to homeschool DD at that time.

i'm meeting with her school principal next month to discuss the plan. ideally, i'd like to get the curriculum she'll be missing and start with that. i'm fairly certain the school will be fine with it, they've worked with families like ours before. but am i being naive to think that it'll work as easily as i think it will? what are the challenges of homeschooling in this situation that i'm not aware of? is there anything i should do in advance to prepare?

to me, this is also a way to give homeschooling a trial run without having to talk my DH into it. what are the odds we're going to love it so much that we'll switch to homeschool full-time?

thanks everyone for your advice!

[Savoir Faire]

...personally, I find that an odd situation. Why not just homeschool all the way then...instead of putting them in, pulling them out, putting them back in again.

Also, might want to make sure that you're going to a country where homeschooling is legal.

[Marimami]

My impression is that schools nowadays are far more strict about attendance because much of their funding comes from how many students they have enrolled. I'd be surprised to hear of them accommodating something like this.

I also don't understand why you wouldn't just homeschool full time to support this lifestyle.

Holli

[Linda on the move]

In some European countries homeschooling is illegal and a jailable offense.

We lived out of the country for a while and homeschooled and it was very isolating (I didn't speak the language and we lived in a rual area.) What would you be doing during those months? If you are busy doing their American curriculum, how will they be getting the most out of being in Europe?

There is a really big difference between going through a text book and doing everything that a teacher does while teaching school. I have a child who attends school part time, but she is there for defined subjects. She would not succeed just showing up at random. The teachers actual *teach* at our school.

I also think that going back and forth could making forming friendship difficult. As your kids get older and get excited about what their girl scout troop is doing or their friend's birthday party, leaving the country for a few months may not seem like a big treat to them.

[ollyoxenfree]

For the shorter visits, if you are only in Europe for 1 or 2 months, I suspect you will be considered a non-resident visitor on an extended vacation and schooling laws will not apply to your dc. The authorities there are unlikely to care if your children do some independent studying while they visit that country for a short period. It may be different if you are there longer than a couple of months.

Will you be entering on a travel visa? It may be different, if you are a dual citizen or taking up residency there (establishing a home and business, bank accounts, paying taxes, traveling on passports issued by that country etc.). Of course, you should research what laws may apply to be certain that you don't have to register for school - and pay international student fees, as well.

Personally, I think it sounds like a great idea to visit overseas frequently - I know families who do it, but during school vacation times - extended Christmas breaks and/or over the summer. I suspect that the support of your local school is going to be important if you are planning annual lengthy absences, so I would start there before making any plans.

ETA: When we've traveled with our dc, the best learning has come from taking advantage of the inspiration we find on our journey. Historic sites, geographic features, cultural activities, museums, art galleries, zoos and wildlife centres etc. etc.....I buy children's books, cookbooks, sometimes school social science workbooks and pick up as many information pamphlets as possible as we go.

Good luck!

[blessedwithboys]

why dont you just go in the summer?

in my state i would have to enroll to start the year, then notify the district that we were withdrawing to be HSers, then re-enroll in public school when we returned, rinse, lather, repeat. it would draw lots of attention and invite too much nosing around in our personal affairs for the distrcit to keep seeing our names come across their desks. not worth it, imo.

[majormajor]

thanks for the perspectives everyone.

when we visit for 2 months or less (probably less), we'll just be vacationing, so local schooling laws shouldn't be an issue (though i will have to look into what happens if we buy an apartment to stay in. but that won't be before our next trip). i was figuring that it'd only take an hour or 2 a day to cover the school curriculum (DD's only going to be in K), and the rest of our time will be spent visiting family and being tourists.

we really don't want to go in the summer. we love our house in the summer, we have a garden... it's the best time of year to be here. we'd rather skip out for someplace new in the winter or early spring.

you're probably right that DD will not like the plan as much as she gets older, but we'll just take it as it comes. right now she's not the kind of kid that gets really attached to her friends, but she's still young, so that'll probably change. hopefully she'll make some good friends over there, so going will be fun for her. we're not going to drag the kids there a lot if they don't enjoy it.

[Dar]

You won't lose US citizenship so the European homeschooling laws won't apply. Also, I believe that all of the Schengen countries allow visits of under 3 months without requiring a visa.

That said, while I can see this working for a kindergartener, I think it would be really difficult for an older child. If you don't want to homeschool fulltime, you can either withdraw your child from school for each vacation and then re-enroll her later, but if she's in any special school situations (charters, magnet school, etc) then she'll probably lose her place. If it's a regular public school then that shouldn't be an issue, but the school may not be very happy with you. On the other hand, if you do this then there won't be any required assignments or anything - you can do whatever you prefer.

The other option would be to see if your local district has an independent study program, or allows students to do independent study contracts (some schools do this even if they don't have a formal program). This way your daughter could remain enrolled in the school and there would be more continuity, and she could pretty much learn the same stuff her classmates are learning. The downside would be more supervision and less freedom for you, during your trip.... you might have to mail or fax in work samples or document assignment completion.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree

For the shorter visits, if you are only in Europe for 1 or 2 months, I suspect you will be considered a non-resident visitor on an extended vacation and schooling laws will not apply to your dc.

but the children have citizenship in the country they are visiting. They have citizenship there whether or not they have passports for there and whether or not their parent has naturalized in the US. They aren't visitors in the country, they are legally citizens.

I think it would be foolish to do this every year and not carefully follow the laws. One year, they most likely wouldn't notice. But it all stays in the computer and it could really cause a mess in your lives if you figure that the rules just don't apply to you.

[majormajor]

the girls actually don't have citizenship yet, but they will one day. we'll want to put them in public school when we're living there year-round, so we'll have to get their citizenship by then.

hm, very good points all, thanks! i'm thinking a chat with the consulate is in order just to make sure we're not doing anything they'd frown upon. i don't want to run up fines or anything!

[Dar]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

but the children have citizenship in the country they are visiting. They have citizenship there whether or not they have passports for there and whether or not their parent has naturalized in the US. They aren't visitors in the country, they are legally citizens.

Depends on the country, and on the father's citizenship status.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by majormajor

the girls actually don't have citizenship yet, but they will one day. we'll want to put them in public school when we're living there year-round, so we'll have to get their citizenship by then.

getting citizenship isn't the same as getting a passport. They already have citizenship (just like all Americans have US citizenship even if they never get a passport their whole lives).

I don't know of any country who doesn't automatically consider the offspring of citizens to be citizens. It's based on the child's birth certificate.

Most people with dual citizenship travel into each country with the passport for that country. So our kids use their US passports when entering the US and their British passports when traveling in Europe. It's easier, shorter lines, fewer questions. DH stays with them going over, I stay with them going back.

Spending so much time over (esp when you go over for a year) could also do funky things to your tax status, so check with someone who really knows what they are doing.

It could also effect your DH's status in this country depending on what his current status is. (My DH was moved of the country by his job during his green card process and it really screwed things up.)

[californiajenn]

I think it's a great idea to travel! It might be more difficult as your children get older but you'll cross that bridge when you get there. I agree that most countries won't care if you're only there a few months of the year.

Just an FYI to everyone, CA allows students to do independent study for up to a month and the school still gets funding. Worked well for us, as dd's dad lived in Hawaii.

Regarding actual "schooling", I would use the local area as a spring board for learning instead of a traditional curriculum.

[Dar]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

getting citizenship isn't the same as getting a passport. They already have citizenship (just like all Americans have US citizenship even if they never get a passport their whole lives).

It depends, on a lot of things. Probably, but it depends. In the Ukraine, for example, children born abroad to a Ukrainian father who doesn't have a permanent residence within the Ukraine are not citizens at birth. There are also exceptions in Russia (and most of the population of Russia lives in Europe).

I find this all sort of interesting... my daughter could technically claim Irish citizenship, and we've considered pursuing it...

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by Dar

Also, I believe that all of the Schengen countries allow visits of under 3 months without requiring a visa.

Yes, they would be entering the country as tourists and homeschooling laws do not apply to tourists.

It's often not a question of citizenship, though. My son is not a Swiss citizen but local homeschooling laws apply to us because we are residents. This is the case in most European countries from what I've read.

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

I don't know of any country who doesn't automatically consider the offspring of citizens to be citizens. It's based on the child's birth certificate.

The United States is one such country.

My DS was born in France and was absolutely not automatically considered to be an American citizen, despite that fact that someone born and raised in the U.S. had just given birth to him. He wasn't granted American citizenship until we applied for it at the American consulate. Before that, when we'd go to the U.S., I had to fill out a separate landing card for him and he came in to the country as a tourist, not allowed to stay more than 3 months.

Applying for his citizenship wasn't exactly the easy task you might think either. It wasn't just a question of proving my citizenship, I also had to prove that I lived in the U.S. for a certain number of years (10 I think) and that a certain number of those years had been after the age of 14 (5 years I think). I ended up having to provide high school and college transcripts, birth certicates, marriage certificate, etc. and all the documents had to be under 6 months old so I had to send away for copies of all this stuff even if I already had the originals. And both my DH and I had to be present to apply for his American citizenship even though only one of us is American. It was very far from being automatic.

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by californiajenn

I think it's a great idea to travel! It might be more difficult as your children get older but you'll cross that bridge when you get there.

ITA with this. Maybe at that point you'll decide to homeschool completely, or you'll arrange the trips differently, but you can see how it goes. Travel is a big reason we homeschool (well, we have lots of big reasons) as all my family is in the U.S. and DS and I like to spend lots of time with them there and be fully available when they come here. We do other trips here and there too and it's great to not be tied to a school calendar.

[EVC]

Yeah, the citizenship question is a little tricky. I am a US citizen, dh is a Ukrainian citizen, and dd was born in Armenia.

I can tell you that dd has American citizenship, but we had to APPLY for it. It was not granted automatically--it involves quite a bit of paperwork, actually.

She does not have Armenian citizenship (despite the fact that she was born there), nor does she have Ukrainian citizenship (despite her father's citizenship).

Another issue: Ukraine, for example, does not recognize dual citizenship; therefore, by virtue of her current American citizenship, she would not be granted Ukrainian citizenship if we were to apply for it (she would have to renounce her American citizenship first, then go through a naturalization process). When we travel to Ukraine, she is foreign citizen, just as I am.