I've been living in loja Ecuador with my daughter for two months leaving my husband and 19 year old son in the states. I'm not so sure about my 12 year old daughter education. I enrolled her ion liceo de loja, the same school her brother went to when we lived here. In that time my daughter was 3 or 4 while her brother was 12. He was able to adapt and learned the language faster because of the Spanish he knew before.
But our daughter is a totally different case.
While they do have English classes the only classes she's not failing in is math. I've noticed she's been a lot more anxious and stressed than usual. Not saying she was calm before, but now I very obvious how much this is affecting her. Several times I have found her crying in her room because "it's too much". She has broke done twice in school, the first time she texted me telling she didn't feel well. I thought she was sick and picked her up when I asked what was wrong she ended up crying in front seat saying she was scared of possibly re-doing the year. She's alway been in the top 10% of her year so I understood and had a talk with psychologist but she didn't seem to get it. Just this Monday she told me that she lost it in first period and ended up crying while drinking tea to calm her down. It took almost two hours. Then that was followed up by how her music teacher lectured her on why she didn't do the homework. He said "stop making excuses and do the work" and ended up emberesing her in ground of the class.
On the topic of teachers as far as I know it of her 12 teacher she only gets along / likes 4 the rest seem like they don't really understand they she don't know what their are saying. The other week Im pretty sure she faked being sick and was willing to get blood test, just so she didn't have to see her science teacher. I can also see some form of anxiety when she's asked to read out loud, write, and or even talk to friends in fear of teasing. In a parent teacher conference her science teacher, that I'll just call Vlady told me she wasn't doing her homework, which I wanted to respond to saying that I put notes in her agenda saying that it confused her but I kept my mouth shut.
Please I want her to socialize and meet kids her age but I'm considering homeschooling, any suggestions will be appreciated
Should I switch to homeschooling?
Consider pulling her out of school for a couple of days for home-schooling and see how that goes. Or try it for a weekend.
If you do that, you may have a clearer idea of what longer-term choice to make .. and whether you're up to the task of teaching her ongoingly.
Also, think about supplementing the home schooling with Spanish-language tutoring by a recommended teacher outside the school setting. That could possibly give y'all the option of having her return to the school next year when she can communicate better in the native lengua.
cccmedia in Quito
Hi, as a homeschool dad, I think your daughter is traumatized. It's really unfair to transfer a 12 year old to a foreign country with a different curriculum in a FOREIGN language. Of course her grades will drop. It's hard enough for 12 year olds to write a simple essay in English. Your daughter now has to write it in Spanish.
12 year olds, that's middle school year age. It's an extremely important time as it sets up their skills to excel in High School. Your daughter is at a great disadvantage because of language and as is she won't learn those skills because they are being taught in not her native language.
My advice is to homeschool if an English curriculum school is not available or cost prohibitive as is often the case overseas. Homeschooling is however daunting for middle school kids and especially high schoolers.
As an example to forewarn you, are you knowledgeable (or willing to learn) : Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, American History, World History, SAT/ACT preparation, etc?
Homeschooling for junior high/h.s students is a full time job. It's very rewarding and if organized properly your daughter will be much happier.
I don't doubt Travel XC's statement that homeschooling is a full-time job.
But if your goal is to forward her education while preparing her to re-enter school next year, I don't think that so many technically-challenging courses need to be considered for your one-year curriculum.
Obviously, Spanish does, to be handled by a native-speaking tutor.
Math is important as she has been succeeding in her school in math. Algebra I could make sense.
Some of those science subjects -- for instance, chemistry and physics -- are not necessarily required for high-school graduation, and IMO are extremely advanced for a girl her age. (U.S.) American history can wait, or you can use U.S. television coverage of the 2016 elections and the chaos on Capitol Hill to supplement history-book learning .. and show how the political and governing processes work (or don't work).
Por amor a Elvis -- she's 12 ! She doesn't have to be preparing this year for calculus and the SAT exams.
cccmedia in Quito
My point was if you're going to homeschool a 12 yr old (7th/8th grade), for 1 year, then what after that? I think it's very important to have a long term plan for homeschooled children. As for course selection sure, Pre-Calculus is not necessary, but what if her kid excels in math? Surely she should take the Algebra 1-Geometry-Algebra 2- Precalculus route as she can enter freshman year college and tale Calculus 1. The same applies for hard sciences (bio,chem,physics) yes physics is not needed, but if your child excels in that? You'll limit him/her because you can't teach them?
Articles to help you in your expat project in Ecuador
Foreign languages have always caused me a bit of anxiety... Heck, my english is a little suspect sometimes. I ...
Need to learn Spanish? Want to attend a high school, a university, or trade school in the Andes? Come to Ecuador ...
Ecuador is famous as a retirement haven. But you might not want to wait until retirement age to move there and ...
What kind of food will you find in restaurants, cafes, and private homes in Ecuador? Many restaurants in Ecuador ...
Family is everything to an Ecuadorian. The extended family unit is the most important aspect of life in Ecuador ...
Ecuador, as a fast-developing nation, has laws that are constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: the ongoing ...
