A UK millennial couple is praising their decision to “world school” their two children as a substitute of enrolling them in traditional school.
“The experience the youngsters get — they’d never get within the UK,” TikToker Lauren Tyson, 31, from Sudbury, Suffolk, told SWNS.
Tyson and her artist husband, Roy, 37, at all times had a passion for travel and dreamed of globetrotting full-time with their sons, who’re 2 and 5.
Their oldest boy “hated” school — he struggled with emotional stability — so the couple decided to pull him out in January and backpack around the globe while homeschooling him.
“We weren’t sure if England was the suitable place for us,” Lauren confessed.
The pair say they still follow the English curriculum, spending just a few hours a day studying with their son before exploring Ko Samui, Thailand, as a family.
Lauren feels that world education has been “higher” for his or her sons, because it’s taught them life skills resembling empathy and resilience.
“He’s picked up rather a lot having us around consistently,” Lauren said about her oldest.
The Tysons had been backpacking in 2015 and 2016, before having kids, and at all times felt a pull to travel more.
They decided to make the leap once they saw their oldest son struggling at school.
They spent three months planning the journey, which included determining learn how to rent out their house and learn how to homeschool their children.
In January, they left for Abu Dhabi before continuing on to Bangkok and Ko Samui.
The family is staying there before their tourist visa runs out — they are saying they are going to select their next destination based on the most cost effective flights.
Lauren spends the morning homeschooling their 5-year-old with textbooks before taking each sons out to places resembling bird farms for experiences.
“The one-on-one time is beneficial,” Lauren said. “Available in the market [the oldest boy] talks about these fruits English kids wouldn’t know. He talks about Buddhism.”
The family has no set plans for the way long they are going to travel, but they’ve rented out their house within the UK for 18 months.
They’ve already noticed the advantages of a slower pace of life, including less stress and more time together.
“Life within the UK was go, go, go,” Lauren sighed. “I’d drop the children off at college, go to nursery, go to the gym, do the food shop, go to swim lessons. It’s very chilled here.”
Lauren says she “can’t imagine going back to the UK,” while acknowledging her brood is “privileged” to go on this adventure.
“If it inspires one other family to do that that might be amazing,” Lauren said.
“World education” isn’t a latest concept — however it appears to have been popularized by TikTokers and hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
US families’ interest in homeschooling rose 30% from 2019 to 2022, a study last 12 months found.
CBS News reported in September that “world education hubs” have been formed in places resembling Egypt, Spain, Thailand, Morocco, French Polynesia, Peru, Colombia, Portugal and Bulgaria.
Monthly “hub” attendance ranges from $250 to $900, not including living costs or airfare.