# Home schooler



## fuzzydice (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi - I live in DF and have found that my 9 year old is having some troubles in school. Given we'll only be here a little while longer, I'm thinking of homeschooling him. Does anyone have experience with that here? Is there any homeschooling community to speak of (secular or otherwise)?


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## DebMer (Dec 31, 2011)

I know two families on the outskirts of D.F. who have homeschooled from preschool forward. One of them has two high school age girls now and the other has kids ranging from toddler through high school. They've never had issues with officials. I think their communities are mostly their churches and neighborhoods rather than other homeschoolers. I can ask them about homeschool groups in the area, if you like.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Generally, Mexican schools are horribly bad. If you can do it, homeschool.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Longford said:


> Generally, Mexican schools are horribly bad. If you can do it, homeschool.


Except for the ones that are good. Homeschooling might be okay if the adult doing the homeschooling has some ability, interest and persistence. Or it might be worse. It is no panacea.


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## fuzzydice (Mar 13, 2013)

DebMer said:


> I know two families on the outskirts of D.F. who have homeschooled from preschool forward. One of them has two high school age girls now and the other has kids ranging from toddler through high school. They've never had issues with officials. I think their communities are mostly their churches and neighborhoods rather than other homeschoolers. I can ask them about homeschool groups in the area, if you like.


That would be awesome! He's a bit of a bully magnate here in Mexico, unfortunately, and I don't want to blow his self-esteem during our time here. On the other hand, I don't want to isolate him, either. Is there a way in this forum to send private email messages?


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

Longford said:


> Generally, Mexican schools are horribly bad. If you can do it, homeschool.


If you are talking about public schools then yes they might be bad. of course there are exceptions, but the private schools, like in many countrie in Latin America the schooling is exceptional. Mexico has many, many private schools that are very, very good. Longford you cannot bunch so many schools into one group called horribly bad!!!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

fuzzydice said:


> That would be awesome! He's a bit of a bully magnate here in Mexico, unfortunately, and I don't want to blow his self-esteem during our time here. On the other hand, I don't want to isolate him, either. Is there a way in this forum to send private email messages?


After you have a few more posts, you will have access to the private message system.

One other thought occurred to me. I don't know what your family's or your son's language skills are. If your son is not already fluent in Spanish, then attending school with other kids is an opportunity not to be missed. I had dinner the other day with a friend whose kids attend a French school in Guadalajara. The kids are fluent in English, Spanish, and French.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> After you have a few more posts, you will have access to the private message system.
> 
> One other thought occurred to me. I don't know what your family's or your son's language skills are. If your son is not already fluent in Spanish, then attending school with other kids is an opportunity not to be missed. I had dinner the other day with a friend whose kids attend a French school in Guadalajara. The kids are fluent in English, Spanish, and French.


My kids went to the Austrian school back in Guatemala and speak Spanish, English and German... GOOD POINT TUNDRA!!!!


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Guategringo said:


> If you are talking about public schools then yes they might be bad. of course there are exceptions, but the private schools, like in many countrie in Latin America the schooling is exceptional. Mexico has many, many private schools that are very, very good. Longford you cannot bunch so many schools into one group called horribly bad!!!


Longford:

I have read some of your opinions in this forum, I asume You live in México, I am just curious as to why do You live here?


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Guategringo said:


> If you are talking about public schools then yes they might be bad. of course there are exceptions, but the private schools, like in many countrie in Latin America the schooling is exceptional.


You're a greenhorn who knows not of what he speaks, is what I think of your comments.  I doubt there's a self respecting Mexican will send his/her child to a public school if they have another option. In a wide swath of the country, eachers are amongst the most disrespected professions in what we in the USA describe as the elementary school grades. Just because a school is is an _escuela particular _doens't mean it offers a good education. Many, probably most of those schools, will take just about anyone who can pay the monthly tuitiion. But, yes, there are, in the D.F. as one example, maybe a haldful of good _escuelas particulars_. And most Mexicans cannot afford to send thiir children to this type of school. Not a good commentary for a community of that size. Also in some few other large cities, you find some good private schools. Some of the universities are good, some not so. It was, for decades, the policy of the Mexican government to keep the populace ignorant and on the farm. Deny them a good education and you minimize serious opposition to endemic corruption and abuse. And that legacy is a major contributor to today's problems in the country.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Longford said:


> You're a greenhorn who knows not of what he speaks, is what I think of your comments.  I doubt there's a self respecting Mexican will send his/her child to a public school if they have another option. In a wide swath of the country, eachers are amongst the most disrespected professions in what we in the USA describe as the elementary school grades. Just because a school is is an escuela particular doens't mean it offers a good education. Many, probably most of those schools, will take just about anyone who can pay the monthly tuitiion. But, yes, there are, in the D.F. as one example, maybe a haldful of good escuelas particulars. And most Mexicans cannot afford to send thiir children to this type of school. Not a good commentary for a community of that size. Also in some few other large cities, you find some good private schools. Some of the universities are good, some not so. It was, for decades, the policy of the Mexican government to keep the populace ignorant and on the farm. Deny them a good education and you minimize serious opposition to endemic corruption and abuse. And that legacy is a major contributor to today's problems in the country.


Your comments are not valid, since we do not know your scholarship level to qualify the education system of a country like México, what we do know is about You misspelling in your own native language


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## fuzzydice (Mar 13, 2013)

He speaks a little, and that's one of the biggest cons for the homeschool route. My thoughts around homeschooling really have nothing to do with the quality of the education; we've actually been very happy with the school he's in from that perspective. It's more a question of finding a good fit for him. I know that if he spoke Spanish many of my concerns could be addressed b/c I'd have a broader range of schools to choose from. I'm in a bit of a catch-22, unfortunately.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

Longford said:


> You're a greenhorn who knows not of what he speaks, is what I think of your comments.  I doubt there's a self respecting Mexican will send his/her child to a public school if they have another option. In a
> 
> I agreed with you Mr. Longford about the public schools. Reread my thread.
> 
> ...


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

What can I say?
Agree on that!


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## DebMer (Dec 31, 2011)

fuzzydice said:


> That would be awesome! He's a bit of a bully magnate here in Mexico, unfortunately, and I don't want to blow his self-esteem during our time here. On the other hand, I don't want to isolate him, either. Is there a way in this forum to send private email messages?


You can PM me once you have 5 posts, I believe. 

If you want him to stay on track with American curriculum, you could enroll him in K12 | Online Public School, Online High School, Online Private School, Homeschooling, and Online Courses options , which is public school online. This would be a good option for somebody who's homeschooling for a limited period of time.

I imagine there are a lot of other activities your son could be involved in that would give him exposure to Spanish-speaking children.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

Longford said:


> Generally, Mexican schools are horribly bad. If you can do it, homeschool.


That is utter nonsense.

Most teachers in public schools are fully qualified, some with actual University degrees in either education or their subject matter if they teach secondary school and above (I and all my relatives studied in public school, and most of the ones of my generation acquired professional qualifications, that education has allowed some of us to fend for ourselves against graduates of very prestigious graduates from other educational systems....).

But this being an expat forum, I suppose that many expats will have their children in private schools, these are some times run by people with no background in education, with teachers with no formal teaching training. 

In that case yes, if your children are in a private school one should be more careful, selective and ask the right questions. My mother (with a Master of Pedagogy) and two of my aunties worked extensively in the Mexican educational system both in private and public schools, their expertise would add to close to 80 years combined, I am pretty certain the picture above is accurate and fair, so yes there are problems, but the system is not abysmal.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

jlms said:


> That is utter nonsense.
> 
> Most teachers in public schools are fully qualified, some with actual University degrees in either education or their subject matter if they teach secondary school and above



By "fully qualified" I expect you mean in the British sense of the word, which means having the proper paper qualifications, in the case of teachers, the proper degree. So most public school teachers have actual university degrees - what about the rest of them? Isn't it true that many of these degrees are from two-year normal schools, rather universities?


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## anothergringa (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi. New to the forum and just want to add that I am also beginning to investigate the legalities of homeschooling in Mexico as well. So any information shared from actual experience would be of interest.

Also, I would mention that having lived here full time for about seven years, I´m comfortable saying that the educational system doesn´t leave me impressed, nor does the level of parental involvement in the education process. I work with kids coming from the private schools in our area, and, here, the success stories are the kids who are naturally-driven themselves not school-driven results. There are bound to be some good schools scattered throughout the country, but most of us who are raising the homeschooling question have already determined that our families have needs that would be better served at home.

Just some added info about us.... Our home / extended family is fluent in Mexican Spanish, so, in our case, there will be no loss of contact with the Spanish language by choosing to homeschool. And we have enough neighborhood contact and friends throughout the country with kids to satifsy our social goals. However, enforcement of properly used and pronunced English, as well as coverage of necessary English curriculum cannot be found in our community outside of our home currently. Our children are dual nationals, so we have no need to cram the Mexico / Spanish experience into a limited window of time.


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## sag42 (Mar 22, 2012)

Most private schools in Mexico are not good. There are a few in some of the larger cities that are ok. I have a daughter in a private school, now going on 4 years, in one of the highest rated private schools in the city. A long ways from being quality, not even ok. In my opinion a waste of time and money. We are going to go the homeschool route.


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## anothergringa (Mar 15, 2013)

fuzzydice said:


> Hi - I live in DF and have found that my 9 year old is having some troubles in school. Given we'll only be here a little while longer, I'm thinking of homeschooling him. Does anyone have experience with that here? Is there any homeschooling community to speak of (secular or otherwise)?


Not asking you to post your homestate in the USA here, but I would add some support to the mention of the K-12 program (or other organized curriculum). Many states in the USA offer use of the K-12 curriculum (or another) for free if you are still maintaining your residency status there in some active way. This website may give you some details related to your home state ( HSLDA dot ORG ). The K-12 program is very paper intensive / somewhat rigid in the lesson plans according to several moms in another group where I am active just in case that would be a pro or con for your child´s learning style.

Not sure if you have the need / desire to document your child´s school for Mexican record-keeping or not, so that would be a separate issue. If you do intend to return to the States within the next school year or two, and you want to show proof of uninterrupted schooling, most states have guidelines on how to report that you took your child out of a standard school setting and began homeschooling on (date XYZ), and that can serve if you intend to re-enroll in non-homeschool at a later date / school year. That answer will vary from state to state ( some require practically no record-keeping and others require examples of student work / lesson plans taught, etc. )

Good luck.


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## Mexico Jo (Apr 19, 2013)

Hello all,
I'm a single mom that has just moved to Cancun with my 6 year old daughter. I currently am an online university student taking my business degree. I am also currently home schooling my daughter in grade 1 too. The only problem with home schooling her is that I do not have someone to teach her the Spanish side of things. I was wondering if anyone knew of a responsible part-time nanny agency I could use to give her the perspective of the Mexican world. Even a part-time guide to help me adjust to life in Cancun.
Anyone have any suggestions or personal references I would appreciate it!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Put her in school. That will solve her problem, and yours.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> Put her in school. That will solve her problem, and yours.


What kind of school? I doubt if recently-arrived expats can put their children in the public schools and private schools can be expensive.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

True; it probably would have to be a private school, but the mother seems fully occupied with her own education and few are qualified to give a good education without a very broad background, lots of experience and, preferably, certification in at least one discipline. So, if at all possible, it would probably be best for both mother and child to find a way.
For language alone, simply finding a Mexican playmate for a few hours each day might help a lot. A six year old still has a veritable sponge for a brain.


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## Mexico Jo (Apr 19, 2013)

*What?!?*



RVGRINGO said:


> Put her in school. That will solve her problem, and yours.


My issues is not an actual problem, I'm looking for positive resources. You definitely don't have any answers, so why even bother to reply with a response like that and then you come out sounding like a dumbass? A valid response would be more appreciated.

Anyone with valid responses out there?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Poor, poor child!


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## DebMer (Dec 31, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> ... few are qualified to give a good education without a very broad background, lots of experience and, preferably, certification in at least one discipline.


From the National Homeschool Research Institute: Research Facts on Homeschooling | Research



> Academic Performance
> 
> · The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.)
> 
> ...


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## DebMer (Dec 31, 2011)

Mexico Jo, as you begin to network and make friends, I think you'll connect with people who can point you in the right direction so you can find activities and people for your daughter to interact with. The first step in connecting with new Mexican friends will be yours, as I'm sure you'll want to know the people who your daughter will be spending time with. You might be able to form a mutually beneficial arrangement with a stay-at-home-mom who has a few kids of her own. She could earn some extra income caring for your daughter for several hours a day/week/whatever, and your daughter will learn Spanish while having fun with new friends.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding between Mexico Jo and Rvgringo.

Jo - Looking for a nanny would indicate that you need someone to care for you child, hence Rvgringo's idea that you have a "problem". I get what you are looking for but the term "nanny" might give a different idea than you intended.

The idea of a nanny agency is not very common in Mexico. Nannies are more frequently hired independently and are generally paid very, very little. Because of that, many nannies may not even be able to read/write their own language well. I'm guessing that's not what you want for your daughter's education.

I think you may be best served by looking for a private Spanish tutor for your daughter. A good tutor could also help to orient you to how things operate in Cancun. If your Spanish level is high enough a Spanish speaking tutor will work well, but if you can't speak the language well, then you'll need a bilingual tutor which will probably be more costly. Your daughter will pick up Spanish so fast that your head will spin, especially if you find a good tutor!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Mexico Jo said:


> My issues is not an actual problem, I'm looking for positive resources. You definitely don't have any answers, so why even bother to reply with a response like that and then you come out sounding like a dumbass? A valid response would be more appreciated.
> 
> Anyone with valid responses out there?


Let's keep in mind that personal attacks on other posters are not allowed on this forum, so let's all watch our language please. Please refer to the Forum Rules posted in the first green banner at the top of the page and have a look at Rule #1. Thanks for your cooperation.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Mexico Jo said:


> Hello all,
> I'm a single mom that has just moved to Cancun with my 6 year old daughter. I currently am an online university student taking my business degree. I am also currently home schooling my daughter in grade 1 too. The only problem with home schooling her is that I do not have someone to teach her the Spanish side of things. I was wondering if anyone knew of a responsible part-time nanny agency I could use to give her the perspective of the Mexican world. Even a part-time guide to help me adjust to life in Cancun.
> Anyone have any suggestions or personal references I would appreciate it!


In Mexico, we generally do not have nannies agencies, mostly in Cancún I would not think there is one.
Some people, domestic and foreigners, have girls that act as guardians for their kids, they would help out with daily chores, clean the kids up, sometimes even play with them.
The ting here is that they are not prepared for those tasks, most of them are not well educated and their spanish command is very very poor, I would not recommend to do that as the kids end up speaking badly.
If that was my case, I would register my daughter in a school, maybe just for the socializing and language parts. And continue with the home schooling if that was still necessary.
I did that when my daughter was under kindergarten age, aiming for the socialization part.


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## anothergringa (Mar 15, 2013)

*some suggestions*



Mexico Jo said:


> Hello all,
> I'm a single mom that has just moved to Cancun with my 6 year old daughter. I currently am an online university student taking my business degree. I am also currently home schooling my daughter in grade 1 too. The only problem with home schooling her is that I do not have someone to teach her the Spanish side of things. I was wondering if anyone knew of a responsible part-time nanny agency I could use to give her the perspective of the Mexican world. Even a part-time guide to help me adjust to life in Cancun.
> Anyone have any suggestions or personal references I would appreciate it!


Hi Mexico Jo. I hope the ignorant generalizations above about parents`being unprepared to properly homeschool their children didn´t put you off from this forum. Anyone who knows crap about educating children would realize the ineffectiveness of trying to enroll any child into a new school using an alternate language during the spring of any school year, regardless of the overall education plan being pursued. 

I teach English here in Mexico part time and think a possible option for you may be the following: visit some of the schools in your community for your child´s same age range, both public and private and ask parents waiting to collect their children at the end of the day if they would point out to you the school´s English language teacher (s). Yes, I know you are not looking for English instruction, but amongst those teachers, you should be able to find an instructor who has at least one of the certifications I mention at the end of my reply, and because they are already used to presenting grammar and vocabulary in an orderly and native manner, you will probably find one who can adapt their lesson plans, flashcards, and other didactic material to teaching Spanish in a coherent way to your child. Also, since summer break is coming up, you may find someone who would enjoy a tutoring job over the summer for a few hours each week. In my experience school directors in Mexico are notorious for overstepping their authority with their staff and exercising favoritism for mediocre employees, so that shapes my reasoning for suggesting you use the parents to to make contact rather than going into the school's main office. I would encourage you also to find some other Spanish speaking children for your child to play with ... some day care centers accept older children as afternoon charges, and in Cancun you are bound to have some children´s sports activities ( Tae Kwon Do gyms, climbing gyms, gymnastics or dance schools, etc.) where your child could not only enjoy an organized activitiy, but in a setting where the Spanish would be "acted out" largely - physical acquistion of language is still a relevant learning path for your child´s age range. The House of Culture (La Casa de Cultura ) in most communities also will have some sort of art classes, music , dance etc. 1 to 3 afternoons a week that might key in with your homeschooling plan, plus put your child in an environment where she is "acting out" language and making friends.

English as Second Language teachers working in the Mexican schools can be a bit of a hit or miss in terms of quality of English instruction, but you are looking for Spanish which they will generally have as their first language and can present perfectly. I would look for someone who has achieved the "Cambridge First Certificate in English" certification or the TOFEL (they will have a copy of their actual scorecard if they have taken an official exam). Don't let the "First" part of the Cambridge title throw you off, it is a decent preparation exam for entry level "basic" language teachers and a teacher who has completed it may have a stronger basis in explaining grammar than a TOFEL certificate holder, who may have better overall English, but which is more adapted to University participation than actual teaching. I always advocate working with a teacher who has a basis in the student's native language, not so that the student's native tongue will be used, but so that the teacher is prepared to respond to all questions / words the student is willing to exchange, not just the details of a particular lesson plan - - which of course on any given day may or may not capture the student's attention.

Good luck getting settled and with your studies. I also agree with the earlier replies that the young girls who often try to work as nannies or babysitters here in Mexico are not often of the quality that you want to leave your child with for hours at a time. Of course they are well intentioned, but the sense of responsibility or preparation that most of us would usually expect in a babysitter is simply not present usually. The sort of dynamic day plan that you as a homeschooling mom might develop for your child would be completely foreign to most of them as the idea of a day filled with learning experiences is simply not the norm in the average Mexican household (translate: boredom for your child ) . Even Mexican families frequently dismiss the young lady they have hired simply because they regularly exercise poor judgement in whom they include in play dates, their language, and where they place their attention (usually in their cell phones). If you want to hire a nanny in any form, I would suggest an older woman who isn´t likely to mix up her babysitting hours with her boyfriend interests and who has already raised children of her own.


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

The family sending all ten of their home-schooled children to college by the age of 12 | Mail Online


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

TravelLover said:


> The family sending all ten of their home-schooled children to college by the age of 12 | Mail Online


The plural of anecdote is not data.


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