Moving Out of the Traditional School System
By Ema Naito
Every parent who had a school-age child during the pandemic has a lockdown-and-school story. Ours was that our eldest child switched out of the traditional school system into one that was less conventional. Circumstances and luck made our decision fairly straightforward, but it forced me to rethink my attitudes and values as a parent.
Our children were born and raised in Bangkok, speaking four languages at various levels. They attended the Japanese elementary school (as I'm Japanese) so they could learn the language and get a good basic education at a reasonable cost. We expected to eventually switch them to an international school, as matched our multilingual, multicultural, multinational family.
Switching school systems under lockdown
When our eldest started Japanese middle school, Bangkok was in lockdown. All learning was online. Unlike the elementary school, the middle school for weeks didn't arrange any real-time sessions for the students. Every day, these 12-year-olds were expected to study for six hours, reading textbooks, watching videos of their teachers (not all teachers made videos), and doing assignments—all alone. (I’ll spare you the details of the drama at home and my complaints to the school.)
After three months, we realized this was not working for our son. He was miserable and had lost all interest in learning. It was time to look for other options.
We found a small homeschooling center offering a non-traditional education in English. Students studied the standard subjects through US- or UK-accredited online course providers, while their real development came from project-based learning: the students worked in teams to research, develop, and present their ideas on a specific topic.
The setup seemed good enough; everyone was studying online anyway and our child needed time to adjust to learning in English. Given the reasonable registration and tuition fees, we decided to make the switch.
The rise of my parental doubts
The experiment went well. Our son seemed open to the new experience and embraced the challenge of learning in English, despite its frustrations. His smiles were back, as was his curiosity. Project-based learning seemed to suit him and exploring and mastering new content to invigorate him.
After a few months, schools in Bangkok opened up again. And I began to worry whether we were supposed to get him back into regular school. Switching from the Japanese system to an American one was one thing. I had done that myself and knew that it was entirely doable, even with its challenges. But taking our child out of the traditional school system entirely? Was he really learning anything with those online videos? Would he really get a high school diploma? What if he doesn't learn what he needs to function in society? What if we're robbing him of a proper education?
Taking a good look at my values
All this time, my husband was very happy with the new school. He engaged with the school administrators, teachers (coaches, as they're called), and other parents, and especially enjoyed all the "outliers"—the unconventional educators and families—that gathered there. I recognized that my worries came from being outside what was familiar. It made me reflect on my values and confirm what was important to me, my husband, and our son.
What mattered? That our child's curiosity and interest in learning was encouraged. That he be allowed to be himself, to excel and be celebrated for his difference. That he sees how children and families come in many shapes and sizes, and that "common sense" can mean vastly different things. That he develop the skills to find his footing and thrive in an ever-changing world.
Am I convinced that the online courses are any good? Not really. But am I happy that the switch works for my son? Absolutely.
It’s a good thing that life sometimes forces us to reflect on our values and assumptions. I'm glad it reminded me to question all the "shoulds”, the assumptions and expectations that I held about what schools were supposed to look like, because it freed us up to new (and hopefully better!) possibilities for ourselves and our children.
About the Author
Ema Naito is a plurilingual English-language editor who loves plain language (www.theclarityeditor.com). Based in Bangkok, she helps multilingual authors around the world write effectively for international development and in the social sciences. Ema is a former BAMBI News editor, a mom to three kids, holds a master's degree from Columbia University, sings classically, and practices Hawaiian hula dance.