1. GInstead of gaining knowledge from
a lecture, 15-year-old Emelia eager-
ly takes charge of her own learning.
She studies mainly through a national Finn-
ish online school. She and her two sisters,
Rebekkah, 14, and Amanda, 11, are able to
finish early in the day without homework.
These sisters then pursue their interests
in hip-hop, ballet and soccer; participate in
their community; spend extra time with their
mother by playing tennis and socialize with
friends from all over the world. Even with
everything that they’re able to accomplish
within a short day of homeschooling, their
mother, Johanna, says: “Life is simpler.”
Beijing families often face a conundrum
with schooling. American expat Liora found
that her affordable and nearby international
school did not challenge Rachel, 10, in reading.
“She came home saying, ‘I didn’t learn anything
new the whole year.’” Americans Julie and Jim
decided to homeschool
their daughter Laura, 16, “in
part relative to cost of inter-
national education.” Other
parents interviewed chose
to homeschool because of
deficiency in Mandarin,
concern for spirituality or
desire for a robust educa-
tion. Homeschooling comes
as a fresh breath of air for
many expat parents looking for educational op-
tions Beijing just doesn’t offer.
Structure and setting
“The term ‘homeschooling’ refers to the edu-
cation of children outside the formal setting
of a school, private or public,” explains Maria
Hadijcharalambous, a family therapist at Vista
Medical Center. In China, it is legal for expatri-
ates to homeschool, as long as that child is not
a Chinese citizen. Even with this concern aside,
homeschooling your child every day for a full
school day is daunting. “I think people are in-
timidated by the responsibility of their children’s
education,” Liora says. “They want to do it well.”
Sticking to a routine is essential for suc-
cessful homeschoolers. “We designate a struc-
tured portion of our day as school time,” Julie
says. Having a start and end “helps us actually
accomplish the task at hand.” American expat
Glenna’s two children, a 16-year-old son and
14-year-old daughter, have
one hour for each subject
and a lunch between 8am
and 2pm every school day.
“They are quite indepen-
dent in their studies at this
point,” she says. Glenna
sees herself more as an “ac-
countability partner and
facilitator” rather than a
teacher.
The biggest praise Beijing parents have
about homeschooling is unanimous. “We love
the flexibility of being able to travel and cele-
brate holidays as we choose by creating our own
school calendar.” Julie says. The homeschooling
schedule freed another family to attend a lan-
guage school together the first year they lived
in China. Johanna agrees, “We’re able to have a
more carefree life and more time for hobbies.”
Beijing parents have also found success
with blended schooling, particularly parents
overwhelmed by the thought of a full day of
homeschool. Expat mother Liora can relate: “I’m
not the type of person who can be with my kids
all day.” Every day, her 10-year-old goes to school
for half of the day to study Hebrew and Chinese,
but then she comes home primarily to progress
in English reading. Even at such a young age,
she’s able to make “some really smart decisions”
in what she chooses to learn for the day.
Daviana, a Beijing parent from Argentina,
and her husband, Luke, chose blended schooling
out of concern for the needs of their 4-year-old
son. “We don’t feel it is right for our child to be
at school for so long, considering his personality
and who he is,” she explains. “We feel four hours
in the morning is enough for him.” Daviana
sends her son to Beijing SMIC Private School
in the southeast, which offers a Montessori-
inspired Chinese kindergarten. SMIC gives
parents a price cut in tuition if children attend
for only half the day. (Chinese kindergartens
EDUCATION
Learning at
HomeWhat it’s like to
homeschool in Beijing
“Our kids will not
be living at home
forever, and there is
so much we want to
teach them and
experience with them”
Beijing Parents & Kids | 47

2. vary in their policy on half days, however; two
kindergartens in the same area will not decrease
tuition for half days or require one parent to at-
tend with the child for the half-day program.)
The importance of co-ops
Like many other Beijing parents, Daviana takes
advantage of this part-time homeschooling to
instill the family’s Christian values in her son
through Bible stories, songs and crafts. “[That]
happens twice a week, and the other afternoons
are playtimes if he doesn’t take a nap,” she says.
Johanna’s three daughters start their day with
a daily Bible reading before they begin their
online studies. Both expat mothers Glenna and
Julie deliberately integrate faith into their home-
school philosophy. “We include spiritual devel-
opment that sees and values the worth of self in
relation to others and the benefit of compassion-
ate service to family members as well as those
outside of our home,” Julie says.
Glenna was thankful to find a homeschool
co-op that provided common faith friendship for
her and her children. In the weekly gatherings,
she says that “kids have two hours of classes
followed by a free hour when moms are able
to [have] fellowship with one another and hear
speakers address a variety of topics.” The con-
nection with these families is one of Glenna’s
favorite resources in Beijing.
When Hong Kong citizen Jack turned 15,
he and his mother, Iris, joined a homeschool-
ing co-op located on the north side of Beijing.
Iris enjoyed the experience. “International and
Chinese families join together so that kids can
learn two languages,” she says. Jack is now a
sophomore at a community college in Maryland
and plans to attend the University of Maryland
for his junior and senior year.
But joining a co-op is a time commitment
and decreases some of the flexibility afforded to
homeschoolers. “You can’t join last minute,” says
mother-of-three Johanna, who has participated
in two co-ops (and taught in one). “We missed
the deadline for registering this year.” Johanna’s
daughters enjoyed the experience of a weekly co-
op meeting, but “they don’t get a lot of studying
done on that day.” The first co-op they partici-
pated in was smaller and met in their apartment
complex. “It was just for the neighborhood and
was less organized,” she says.
Choosing a curriculum
Beijing parents who need an alternative to inter-
national middle and high schools often turn to
online resources. Iris recommends Homeschool-
Works4U.com and PottersSchool.org for Chris-
tian parents unsure about how to teach certain
topics. Members of the Yahoo! Group Beijing
Homeschoolers have recommended online pro-
grams such as K12, The Keystone School and
Calvert School.
With two teenagers at home, Glenna says
she is in college-prep mode. “I use an online
resource called The Homescholar, which has
taken the worry out of writing course descrip-
tions, making transcripts, preparing for testing
and college applications,” she says. Expat mother
Liora recommends Time4Learning.com. She has
also scoured the Internet for free homeschool-
ing resources and created a torrent, which she is
glad to share with others. (Readers may contact
Liora through the Beijing Mamas Yahoo! Group,
which she moderates, or the Beijing Expats Face-
book Group.)
American citizens can take advantage of
free online high school programs, depending
upon their state residency and that state’s virtu-
al classroom availability. States with top-notch
high school education—such as Vermont, New
Hampshire, and Connecticut—have programs
that are fully subsidized for state residents
or at least partially subsidized in conjunction
with enrollment to specific public schools. New
Hampshire’s program, found at www.vlacs.org,
is available to non-citizens and non-residents at
US$920/full credit and US$460/half credit (plus
a US$30 registration fee), while Vermont’s pro-
gram, found at www.vtvlc.org, charges US$450
per half credit. Other countries, like Canada and
Finland, also have virtual online schools avail-
able to citizens for a small tuition fee.
For curriculum, Liora has used books from
Scholastic and A Beka Book. Glenna gets her fam-
ily’s textbooks in the U.S. when they’re on break
during the summer. “As much as possible, we
learn by reading, exploring and discussing our
discoveries,” says the mother of two teenagers. “I
try to encourage critical thinking and problem
solving in all subject areas.” American mother
Julie orders educational material online and has
it shipped to her. “It includes ready-made lesson
plans that we customize minimally.” Sonlight
is a popular Christian curriculum organization
that ships its materials to China. In addition, the
Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills se-
ries is available on Amazon.cn for kindergarten
through sixth grade for ¥122/grade.
What’s after school?
Many expat families in Beijing enjoy
childcare support at a lower cost than back
home, and tutors are no different, which makes
homeschooling even easier. Johanna’s three
daughters have enjoyed the variety of profes-
sional, private and low-cost tutors. They have
tutors and coaches for Mandarin, painting,
tennis and soccer. Glenna’s teens have time to
work and play. “My son plays club soccer one
day a week and plays with other expat kids on
another day,” she explains. “He also teaches
soccer to a group of younger kids and has a
computer programming internship with a
Chinese small business.” Both of her kids tutor
Chinese nationals in English, and her daughter
also babysits.
Homeschooling challenges
The homeschooling experience in Beijing isn’t
perfect. Internet connectivity is the most frus-
trating aspect of homeschooling here for Glenna.
Family therapist Hadjicharalambous points out
other possible factors to consider are cost, time,
ability to instruct, lack of contact with peers and
development of social skills. “Teaching and par-
enting at the same time is difficult and can be
emotionally and physically draining,” she adds.
Dr. George Hu, a clinical psychologist
at Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics,
agrees that parents who homeschool should
help kids foster the ability to develop friendships
with children their own age. “Children need
to learn how to establish and maintain social
relationships with peers, and to develop and
utilize skills such as conflict resolution, working
together, and how to assess the effects of one’s
own behavior on others,” he says. Both agree
that parents who homeschool must provide op-
portunity for conflict resolution to develop these
important social skills.
Dr. Hu also says that some families may
need extra support from outside the home. “[F]or
children with certain special needs, a consultant
may be necessary to train the parents on how to
teach to children with those needs.” On the other
hand, Hadjicharalambous believes a well-orga-
nized and tailored homeschooling program has
the potential to be a better program for children
with special needs since it could provide a one-
to-one ratio and avoids traditional classroom
obstacles.
Despite the potential drawbacks to home-
schooling in Beijing, Johanna says, “We’re able
to have a home base. There is an element of re-
laxation—we’re able to share life.”
It’s clearly the right choice for Glenna’s
family as well. “Our kids will not be living at
home forever, and there is so much we want to
teach them and experience with them,” she ex-
plains. “Since we have the time and the opportu-
nity right now, homeschooling is a great option
for our family.”
Homeschooling provides flexibility to
explore the sites that expat living offers. Expat
mother Julie says she and her family love going
to museums, parks and other famous landmarks
in Beijing and beyond. “It is a joy and a privilege
to walk with our children on the Great Wall, ride
camels in Xinjiang, visit nomadic tents in Tibet,
browse medicinal markets in Guangzhou, river
raft with water buffalo in Yangshuo, and much,
much more," she says. “At the end of the day,
watching our children love life is an irreplace-
able reward.”
EDUCATION
Vanessa Jencks
is a freelance writer
and a mother of two
48 | October 16-November 12