Everything is school

sAuckland, New Zealand

Leo is in 6th grade and Ari is in 3rd grade; Josh and I are their teachers. Technically, we are registered as home schoolers, though we’re more like road schoolers. Khan Academy has been an important part of their academic learning, especially for math and ELA. They use Kindles to read library books and we journal our experiences. Some days for us are “school days,” meaning academic learning, yet we are more conscious of what is always true: we are students of the world. Weaving learning of all kind into our day-to-day is rewarding.

Here are some things we’ve learned about:

Paddle boarding, snorkeling, salmon behavior, Andean history, colonialism and conquering, shamanism, elevation sickness, language, how to pack a suitcase, currency conversion, Chinese history, geography, airlines/airports/reward miles, how to ride a subway, dividing decimals, literature of Middle Earth, geoglyphs, llamas vs vicunas vs alpacas, desert climate, sleeping on a bus, taking panoramic photos, paddling class 3 rapids, making meal plans on a budget, buying groceries on a budget, global retail chains, riding a tandem bicycle, spelling, geology, writing for an audience, writing for yourself, identifying the theme of a text, the American stereotype, and troubleshooting technology.

Most valuable of all, we have lots of opportunities to practice lessons of self. Learning how to manage frustration, work through boredom, breathe through the unexpected, tune into our needs, communicate without words, recognize blessings and joy, and argue well.