• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Simple Homeschool

Never let your schooling interrupt your education.

  • Start
    • Homeschooling 101: What to Teach and When to Teach It
    • 10 ways you’re making your homeschool day harder than it needs to be
    • 10 things every new homeschooler should know
    • How to homeschool: Links to help you get started
    • I want to homeschool, but don’t want the responsibility
    • Audiobook Deal Directory
    • Jamie’s recommendations
  • About
    • Meet Jamie
    • Meet the Contributors
    • Advertise
  • Blog
    • Most Recent Posts
    • Categories
      • curriculum
      • family time
      • field trips
      • home maintenance & management
      • inspiration
      • methods & philosophies
      • a mom’s education
      • organization
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Quiz
  • Community
  • Search
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Start
    • Homeschooling 101: What to Teach and When to Teach It
    • 10 ways you’re making your homeschool day harder than it needs to be
    • 10 things every new homeschooler should know
    • How to homeschool: Links to help you get started
    • I want to homeschool, but don’t want the responsibility
    • Audiobook Deal Directory
    • Jamie’s recommendations
  • About
    • Meet Jamie
    • Meet the Contributors
    • Advertise
  • Blog
    • Most Recent Posts
    • Categories
      • curriculum
      • family time
      • field trips
      • home maintenance & management
      • inspiration
      • methods & philosophies
      • a mom’s education
      • organization
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Quiz
  • Community
  • Search
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Homeschooling in a different world

September 5, 2014 //  by Hannah Vanderpool//  18 Comments

hannah1picmo

The following is a guest post by Hannah Vanderpool of Praying with One Eye Open.

The sun’s warmth slipped through the iron latticework of our living room windows, burning away the early morning fog. The first call to prayer sounded over the loudspeaker filling our apartment with strains of muffled devotion. The kids emerged from their shared bedroom with sleepy eyes and plopped on the couch.

Dilsara, our Nepali house helper, whisked past them to sweep dusty floors and make beds. Breakfast would be cereal and buffalo milk, as usual.

The kids begged to watch a Popeye cartoon in Hindi, and I pretended to hesitate before relenting.

Our morning ritual in India.

After the breakfast dishes had been cleared and the table wiped down, we settled into our seats for our morning studies. We knew to use our DVD player first thing because the electricity was sure to go out later in the day. At this time of the year its unreliability had become something upon which we could rely.

We finished our math assignments with only a little fussing from the middle child, grateful for the hour of stable Internet connection. By mid-morning the apartment had warmed sufficiently and we opened the front door for streams of fresh, mountain air.

hannah2

Through our screen door we could see the thick, catlike shapes of langurs that had descended onto our porch. We never tired of watching these rooftop bandits and the kids abandoned their dictation sentences in favor of watching them. Today there were three of them sitting close, a father, mother, and baby.

The top-heavy youngster burrowed himself deep into his mother’s fur as she blinked back at our cross-legged kids. The male langur reached for the sidewalk chalk that someone from America had sent us. The kids stifled squeals as he selected a fat blue piece and began to eat it, fixing his lazy eyes on them as he chewed.

The rag man’s songs on the street below reminded the langurs that it was time to be going, and with their departure I sent the kids back to their dictation.

By now it was time for lunch. Dilsara had prepared steaming yellow dhal and roti. We paused our seatwork and ate, savoring one of our favorite meals. Silently I thanked God for a house helper who could share the load of running this odd, little household.

After lunch we settled on the couch to have our daily story time. The outdoor cacophony of village life had dulled as people rested in the heat of the day. Dilsara retreated to her room to watch an Indian soap opera.

As I fanned the pages of Johnny Tremain our doorbell sounded. My heart sank. It was probably Guneev, the neighbor kid we shared the building with.

It was always Guneev. I tried to be charitable. Our Indian neighbors did not understand homeschooling. At best it seemed to them a strange whim, at worst, an insult to their education system.

I unfolded my legs and went to the door. It was Guneev. I fixed what I hoped was a serene smile on my face and reminded him that we were ‘having school’ and that the kids would have to play later. He protested for the hundredth time, adding that his school was on holiday and maybe our children should be too.

After sending him back downstairs on the promise that he could return later, I resumed our reading. I’d finished two paragraphs when the doorbell rang again. This time it was my landlady and she wanted to talk. I could tell by her expression that she would not be put off easily.

hannah3

I signaled to the kids with my eyes that they could join Guneev outside. They knew the drill. My landlady stayed for two hours, talking about the weather and complaining that I didn’t come down to have chai with her often enough.

It wasn’t until much later in our conversation that I discovered the reason for her visit –that she was worried about her mother, that she needed to tell someone. This is why I came to India, to listen, to talk, and to pray.

Once again I felt the tension between my duties as a neighbor and as a homeschooler. We did not resume school that day.

India — life — got the better of me, as it often did. I hoped that these experiences were teaching my kids when I could not. I prayed that I was setting a good example for them, one of service, kindness, and balance.

We are back in the US now. Our electricity rarely goes out. No one rings our doorbell in the middle of the day, wanting to play or to chat. We never hear the call to prayer or watch monkeys eat our sidewalk chalk.

But there are still interruptions in our days. There are still times when things don’t turn out the way we’d hoped.

Homeschooling is wonderful and difficult wherever you do it, and life often uses an inconvenient curriculum.

In the end, though, our children are watching and learning from us, especially when the day unfolds in unexpected ways.

Have you ever homeschooled far from home?

Category: a mom's education

About Hannah Vanderpool

Hannah Vanderpool is a writer, a world traveler, and a homeschooling mom to two great high schoolers and a middle schooler. She can’t imagine a world without sisters and books. You can find her at Praying With One Eye Open.

Previous Post: « Putting the “simple” back into homeschool
Next Post: Weekend links »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. se7en

    September 5, 2014 at 8:41 am

    This is just beautiful… loved seeing your family at work and at play in a faraway culture and still settle down on the couch to read (or try to read!!!) an old familiar friend like Johnny Tremain. Even in distant lands where things are so different it is good to have comforts from home/childhood to fall back on.
    se7en’s latest post: The Half Way Mark: Se7en + 1 Life Lessons Learnt in School This Year…

    Reply
  2. Hannah

    September 5, 2014 at 8:51 am

    We did so many things there that we do here! Some things are the same no matter where you do them.
    Hannah’s latest post: Homeschooling In A Different World

    Reply
  3. Steph

    September 5, 2014 at 9:11 am

    “life often uses an inconvenient curriculum.” Such a good reminder that our kids can learn anywhere, even under inconvenient circumstances. And that often we as the parents learn most through the inconveniences.
    Steph’s latest post: Mamas: You Are NOT Alone

    Reply
  4. Hannah

    September 5, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Exactly!
    Hannah’s latest post: Homeschooling In A Different World

    Reply
  5. Paula

    September 5, 2014 at 9:57 am

    I love this! It’s so interesting to see the little things that make days different around the world. Makes me think about what little things that affect our day, that other people might not deal with. Thanks for sharing! I’m going to share this with my kids too.
    I’d love to see more homeschool days around the world.

    Reply
    • Hannah

      September 5, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      Glad you liked it!
      Hannah’s latest post: Homeschooling In A Different World

      Reply
  6. April

    September 5, 2014 at 10:51 am

    Your last sentence is sobering. I need daily to remind myself that it is about relationships, and that I am teaching far more by doing than by instructing.

    Reply
    • Hannah

      September 5, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      I am sobered, too. Believe me.
      Hannah’s latest post: Homeschooling In A Different World

      Reply
  7. Amanda

    September 5, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    I’ve been reading this blog for years now and have been so blessed by the many thoughtful entries, including this one! My family and I are currently homeschooling our four little ones in Jerusalem, our land far away from home. We try to savor these wonderful, yet peculiar at times, moments in a foreign country, especially one that is particularly meaningful to us. Studying the ancient world has been fun here and the family-centered of this place makes connecting with others here very special. Thank you for sharing your experiences, Hannah, and for reminding me that even with the challenges of living in another country, there is supreme sweetness in it, too.

    Reply
    • Hannah

      September 5, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Indeed there is. I cherish the time we spent in India. It was a beautiful gift.
      Hannah’s latest post: Homeschooling In A Different World

      Reply
  8. Dawn

    September 6, 2014 at 7:45 am

    What a wonderful post. Thanks for sharing.
    Blessings, Dawn

    Reply
  9. andie

    September 6, 2014 at 12:41 pm

    We’re 2 “sleeps” away from starting our homeschooling adventure here in Turkey. Enjoyed this post!

    Reply
  10. Camie

    September 7, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    Lovely, thoughtful post. Last year we homeschooled from Peru. I always felt the cultural experience itself was a greater education that our formal academic studies.
    Camie’s latest post: Not Back to School at the Zoo

    Reply
  11. sheila

    September 9, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    I love this line: “life often uses an inconvenient curriculum.”
    Truth is not confined to place.
    Great post.
    sheila’s latest post: Images and Impressions

    Reply
  12. Tara

    September 11, 2014 at 1:13 am

    I am starting to look into homeschooling/unschooling for my one year old son. Every option that is possible is not being considered and has already left me feeling confused and helpless. Your post was amazing. It reminded me that even with my LO so young things always happen that we must plan around. This was a beautiful reminder and encourager! Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Galina Tkachev

    September 11, 2014 at 11:27 am

    It is such a blessing to have an option to homeschool our kids here in US. I hear there is growing hatred to homeschoolers and in some cased its totally illegal to homeschool in Europe countries, so we should not take if for granted to teach our kids at home. Who knows it might be taken away from us.
    Galina Tkachev’s latest post: Ways to Make Your Homeschool Day Go Smooth

    Reply
  14. Natasha

    September 12, 2014 at 6:50 am

    This is us! Except we’re in Ghana. You expressed the locals understanding of homeschool perfectly. I’m either a neglegent mother or downright weird…why am I not sending my children to school? Love that you have a househelp! Makes me feel less guilty for hiring a cook!

    Reply
  15. Jennifer

    September 14, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    We are starting our second year of homeschooling in the Middle East, and though the UAE is very different from India, this really resonates with me. Why we came and what is to be Iearned outside of the curriculum. Beautiful. Oh, and the call to prayer is going off as I type.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Primary Sidebar

Take my new quiz:

Jamie’s “Quiet” Community:

Jamie’s bestselling books:

Copyright © 2023 Simple Homeschool · All Rights Reserved · Disclosure and Privacy Policy · Site by Design by Insight