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Bajatripper
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Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
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As kids, my brother, sister, and I spent five years living in La Paz, attending public schools. All of us have gone on to lead productive lives as
adults. Two of us have Masters from US universities.
I now live full time in La Paz and my daughter--who is now 13--attended a public elementary school here for five of six years. For the last three
years, she has alternated yearly between living in Washington State and La Paz. She has done exceptionally well in school in both places and is, of
course, bilingual. This coming year will be her last, for a while, in La Paz since I want her to be ready to attend a US university. My plan, with her
approval, is for her to attend one year of high school here, just to keep her proficiency in Spanish.
During her first years in Mexico, I worked with her in English so she would be prepared. This is quite easy as there are numerous books on the market
that offer the basic skills necessary to stay current in English (and any other subject, for that matter).
With that background, I can say unequivocally that you should bring your kids down. And I wouldn't worry too much about finding the "exceptional
school" in which to enroll them. Just make sure to stay on top of their education and things will work out fine. The transcultural experience will
make them better human beings.
I wouldn't worry at all about your kids' ability to adapt; kids are like putty, very maleable. Your kids will take their cues from you, the parents.
Give them positive reenforcement, and they will respond accordingly; but the inverse is also true.
If you have any questions for one who has "lived it" for two generations, please don't hesitate to U2U me.
[Edited on 7-31-2010 by Bajatripper]
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monoloco
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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Our daughter attended several years of public school in Todos Santos/ Pescadero then finished high school in the states. She went on to graduate from
college and is fully fluent in Spanish.
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Cypress
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Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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Given the state of education in the US, all things considered, going to school in Baja would be a plus.
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
but with my vocational training I have done OK......seems like you need to pick your skill.
My USD, Oxford and Universidad de Salamanca highly educated wife's pay scale never equaled mine, |
Aahhh, the power of a strong union!
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
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| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
I think you need to be mexican to go to public school but the private schools let other nationality kids in. |
By no means. All you need is the usual: birth certificate (they usually want them translated into Spanish if it isn't already), school records from
the previous year and a CURB. A valid immigration document (FM-2/FM-3) will suffice if they don't have the CURB.
At least, that has been my experience with my daughter in La Paz. But, this being Mexico, who knows what the next person's experience in the same
situation will be?
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805gregg
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Posts: 1344
Registered: 5-21-2006
Location: Ojai, Ca
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The Mexicans can't wait to get their kids into USA for a better education, doesn't that tell you something. Maybe wait till they go to college, then
move.
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Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
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Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
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I am sure it is different for everyone, and I can only speak from personal experience.
When my daughter went to school in Santiago and La Paz, she worked so hard, it was such a challenge.
When she went back to school in N/E Oregon, she felt like she was being babysat, the math and calculus were way behind what she had already learned at
a lower grade level in Mexico.
This could have been just the schools that she attended. It's all subject to personal experience I expect.
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mtgoat666
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 20366
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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ya know, all schools are different, and you can't compare schools based on country.
the few on here that trash talk all schools in favor home schooling are just quirky extremists.
i think home schooling is OK if you live in the bush, but if you live in the city it is just weird.
i know about 15 people in my age bracket (40s) that were home schooled in the bush, and they all turned out fine, but they ALL also went wild upon
landing in the big city,...
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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Location: Bahia Asuncion
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fishabductor
As an engineer, I have the math and science background.
However, I don't want to play teacher for 12 years!!!! |
It's not so bad. 
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
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| Quote: | Originally posted by 805gregg
The Mexicans can't wait to get their kids into USA for a better education, doesn't that tell you something. Maybe wait till they go to college, then
move. |
It tells me that they probably want their kids to be bilingual, as many of us on here do, too.
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sharktooth
Junior Nomad
Posts: 56
Registered: 2-5-2010
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Interesting discussion everyone!
Hey Monoloco - we may end up in Todos Santos. Are you still there, and do you see many expat families with kids 2-5 years old?
I am fine with taking the plunge, but my wife is not too enthusiastic about this idea right now. It would help her if she knew any families in our
same situation - this would ease the transition for her.
Please - refrain from preachy remarks about multiculturalism...I am on the same page with most of you - if we are considering this move, we obviously
have open minds. It would just make life easier in the beginning if we could link up with other families in our same situation.
thanks
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BajaOnion
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: 10-22-2008
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There is a new school in Todos Santos:
www.escuelapacifica.org,
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by sharktooth
Interesting discussion everyone!
Hey Monoloco - we may end up in Todos Santos. Are you still there, and do you see many expat families with kids 2-5 years old?
I am fine with taking the plunge, but my wife is not too enthusiastic about this idea right now. It would help her if she knew any families in our
same situation - this would ease the transition for her.
Please - refrain from preachy remarks about multiculturalism...I am on the same page with most of you - if we are considering this move, we obviously
have open minds. It would just make life easier in the beginning if we could link up with other families in our same situation.
thanks |
You will find many english speaking families with kids here. I have known numerous families who's
children were schooled in the public system, that have gone on to be very successful I have heard nothing but good things about Escuela Pacifico, I
know that most of the parents with kids there are very involved in the school.
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sharktooth
Junior Nomad
Posts: 56
Registered: 2-5-2010
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Escuela Pacifica looks like the type of school we are considering... only it starts at grade 1 - so going to research some more for kindergarten
programs in the same vein - sent them an email too.
Thanks - this is very helpful info.
I have really enjoyed my times in Todos - good surf, great town, access to local organic produce, and some of the best fish tacos in Baja.
a lot more attractive than most US cities we've been visiting!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8088
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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The decision of whether baja schools are good enough for your children depends on your dreams and expectations for your children. The greater the
dreams the less likely you will fulfill them away from our school system.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13242
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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very interesting discussions and i was amazed to hear that one child found the U.S. system to be more like a babysitter than educator. maybe that
particular class was acting up a lot rather than concentrating.
i had no idea that so many put their kids in the school system here in Mexico with such success - Sirenita is surely a great example, that kid is
smart, she can whip into fluent Spanish or English at the drop of a hat.
we should ask more of the kids who actually went thru both systems to check in here and give us the real scoop. For me, the school in Rio had
extremely well off kids who were kind and generous and ohhhh soooo intelligent. I consider myself lucky to have been given the chance to interact and
learn from them. Most had lived in more countires than I even knew the names of at the time hahahaha
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Well, let me then write as someone who enjoyed the benefits of a multicultural environment. I spoke 5 languages by the age 6 (Russian, Serbian,
Italian, German), I guess it was 4. English came at 7. And didn't enter the US educational system until 11.
As a result my verbal SAT and GRE scores were consistently low. It affected the schools I got into. It affected my choice in career: Humanities was
out - Computer and Engineering was in. It affected how fast I progressed through higher education.
For example: my son speaks better english at 14 than I do at 63. I'm not saying he's got a better vocabulary. I'm saying that words come quickly and
readily to him as needed. There is no thinking involved. All of that comes about from speaking a language at birth and getting a US education. There
is no substitute for that.
A decision to have your child educated abroad will affect his future. As a parent you need to decide whether that's acceptable to you. Everyone
decides based upon their own values. You may not care if your child becomes a US senator. You may not care if your child becomes a CEO of a large
company. You may not care if your child discovers a strand of DNA that saves lives. Chances are that none of those things will happen anyway.
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sharktooth
Junior Nomad
Posts: 56
Registered: 2-5-2010
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just found out there is a Montessori school in Todos Santos - Escuela Pacifica directed me to their contact info - supposedly, they do kindergarten
level programs!
Waiting to hear back from them now.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Soulpatch,
Most expats think the way you do. Once in baja the general thought is that those up north are into a material and hurried way of life that goes
against your new values. And once you change those values then your child's success north of the border may not seem like success. After all your
happiness didn't come about until you left our definition of success (3 bdr house, 6 figure salary, etc). So now you start to judge your child's
future by your new values. Is that good or bad? I don't know but you're no longer the only one affected by your choice.
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Skipjack Joe
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My apologies. I didn't mean it personally. Perhaps I should have used one's values instead of your values.
My point simply is that every child is like opening a new box. They may grow up with a different set of values than their parents. So giving them an
education based upon the parent's set of values may be unfair to the child.
But I think you make a good point in that you can only raise the child in what you believe in. Otherwise the falseness is apparent. A very good point.
I have to make a comment however about these kind of posts that have been made in the past. And these do not apply to you soulpatch. The feeling I get
when I read them is that they seem to be made by people who want to live in baja but feel uncomfortable about sacrificing their kids future in the
process. So there is a search to see just how much they will be sacrificing. Perhaps the grade school years and middle school can be compromised but
not the high school years in my opinion. If you think about the resources available at a public high school (from chemistry labs to theater) it stands
to reason that schools in baja just can't match them.
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