In our book, we encourage traveling families to individualize their approaches for themselves and their families. Jak’s coaching services have both well-proven modules as well as the flexibility to tailor your own worldschooling plan. We also admire his manifesto of inclusion, camaraderie, personal growth, contribution, kindness, and adventure.

Jak shares his experiences and insights with us below.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hey there!  I’m Jak, and I’ve spent over 13 years immersed in the world of primary/elementary education, working in various international schools across the globe. From South Korea to the UK, Cyprus to Borneo, my journey has seen me wear multiple hats – from class teacher to educational leader and beyond. 

My wife and I have been living abroad since 2010, which started with a backpack and a one-way ticket to South East Asia. Fast forward to July 2022, and we decided to leave our teaching jobs in Brunei and start a new adventure, chasing freedom, full time travel, and worldschooling with our two amazing daughters. This shift from traditional education to a more experiential approach has been eye-opening, offering a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of worldschooling. My family and I are passionate about exploring the world, not just as tourists but as engaged learners, and are currently travelling full time and loving it!

Often a 3 a.m wake up means a budget flight but this sunrise hike was well worth it at Sigiriya Rock, Sri Lanka

Why did you start The Worldschool Coach?

The Worldschool Coach was born out of my firsthand experience as a worldschooling parent and educator. When my family and I took the plunge into worldschooling, we thought we had it all figured out, armed with my background in teaching. But boy, were we wrong! The sheer abundance of resources, opportunities, and changing routines left us feeling overwhelmed. That’s when it hit me – there was a need for guidance tailored specifically for families like ours. I wanted to create a resource that would both empower parents and give them the tools to confidently navigate the worldschooling, offering practical strategies and personalised assistance to make their educational adventures less daunting and more enriching. 

What are the components of your program?

The Worldschool Coach program is a comprehensive 6-session course designed to empower families embarking on the worldschooling journey. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach – instead, it’s a personalised roadmap to balance education and travel.

The program covers breaking down barriers to worldschooling, crafting a flexible worldschool curriculum, exploring core subjects and resources, maximising learning opportunities through travel, empowering self-directed learning, and tailoring the worldschool model to fit your travels. The course is designed for parents considering a family gap year or extended travel journey, or those already travelling who want to confidently worldschool their children while maintaining academics, nurturing personal growth, and embracing the joy of family travel. 

What is your educational philosophy?

The Worldschool Coach philosophy is centred on flexibility and adaptability, recognising that each child, family, destination, and learning opportunity is unique. It seeks to empower families to find their own educational journey, tailoring a worldschooling model to suit their individual needs and circumstances. 

The program aims to break down barriers to worldschooling, providing families with guidance  and practical strategies to confidently tackle the challenges and uncertainties associated with this lifestyle. It encourages a holistic approach to growth, fostering academic development but also personal, cultural, and experiential learning.

At its core, the Worldschool Coach philosophy emphasises the importance of seizing every travel experience as a valuable learning opportunity.

We love to explore local markets – also a great place to put those maths skills to use

As someone with teaching experience, can you give a pep talk to parents who might have no teaching experience? What skills does a parent need to actually do this?

Absolutely, I understand that the idea of taking on the role of an educator might seem daunting, especially for parents without formal teaching experience.

Firstly, parents are natural educators. From the moment your child is born, you embark on a journey of teaching and guiding them through life. You’ve been their first teacher, teaching them to walk, talk, and explore the world around them. Worldschooling is simply an extension of this innate ability to nurture and educate.

Here are some key skills that can empower parents on the worldschooling path:

Adaptability:

The ability to adapt to new environments and situations is a crucial skill. Flexibility allows you to turn unexpected challenges into learning opportunities, fostering resilience in both you and your child.

Curiosity:

Cultivate a spirit of curiosity, not just in your child but in yourself. Be open to exploring new cultures, trying new foods, and delving into unfamiliar topics. Your genuine curiosity will inspire your child to approach learning with the same enthusiasm.

Patience:

Learning is a process, and it unfolds at its own pace. Patience is key, especially when facing challenges or when your child is grappling with a new concept. Understand that every moment is a chance to learn and grow.

Resourcefulness:

You don’t need a traditional classroom filled with textbooks. Leverage the wealth of resources available online, in libraries, and within the communities you visit. Be resourceful in finding creative ways to impart knowledge.

Communication:

Clear and open communication is vital. Encourage your child to ask questions, share their thoughts, and express their interests. Likewise, share your experiences, insights, and knowledge with them. Communication builds a strong foundation for learning.

Critical Thinking:

Foster critical thinking by encouraging your child to question, analyse, and evaluate information. Help them develop problem-solving skills by involving them in decision-making processes.

Joy of Learning:

Infuse joy into the learning process. Whether it’s through games, hands-on activities, or exploration, make learning a fun and enjoyable experience. A positive attitude towards learning is contagious. Remember, you don’t need to be an expert in every subject. Embrace the learning journey together.

Learning about the tea trade in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia

As a current worldschooling family, any advice for parents who want to balance remote work and worldschooling their own kiddos? 

Balancing the demands of work and education, all whilst travelling and planning, is no small feat. From juggling online lessons, minimising screen time, seeking experiences in unfamiliar territories to decoding the mysteries of reliable wifi, the challenges are as diverse as the destinations. 

From one worldschooling family to another, here are some insights gained through our own journey:

Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that balancing work and worldschooling requires flexibility. Set realistic expectations for yourself and acknowledge that not every day will go as planned. Embrace the unpredictability of travel while maintaining a broad framework for both work and education.

Leverage Your Strengths: Identify your strengths and work to them. Whether it’s your organisational skills, adaptability, or creativity, use these attributes to your advantage. Align your work and educational strategies with what comes naturally to you. If you don’t feel confident in the area then level up. We have found so many online courses, YouTube videos, blogs, and online resources such as tutors or coaches to enrich our adventures and improve our skillset.

It’s been great getting to know Jak, his services, and his family’s path a bit more. You can follow Jak on his instagram @theworldschoolcoach or visit his website at www.bostontribetravels. We look forward to following their travels.

8 weeks in Sri Lanka was one of the highlights of our travels so far

The post Community Connectors: The Worldschool Coach appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Worldschool Pop-Up Hub is a resource that aligns with our upcoming book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-term Family Travel and Worldschooling. While we’re waiting for its September publication, we are excited to feature some wonderful members of the worldschooling community. The answers to the following questions are Rachel’s direct words. [Title Photo Credit: Sarah De Santi]

Carlson Family (Rachel, Salem, Kemaya, Jasper, Lance) on Lake Michigan, Photo Credit: Rachel Carlson

Why did you start Worldschool Pop-Up Hub?

Our worldschool hub ventures stemmed from our family’s desire to continue full-time travel with our teens and tween. Though we have always traveled with the kids, in 2018 we gave up our residence when the children were 8, 10, and 13. That first year of exploring the world was fresh and new for us, and we were super happy checking out the US National Parks, catching up with family and friends, revisiting our former home of Kauai, and discovering the ins and outs of life in New Zealand. 

The traveling lifestyle was novel and we had plenty of friends and people to meet along the way. However, a few things were lacking and our conversations weren’t always of the positive nature. Though people were interested in us and our story, their curiosity about our lifestyle choices – no home, no belongings, no storage unit, no formal schooling – meant we were fielding the same questions over and over again. For every person excited about our lifestyle, there were others that felt the need to be critical and not in a constructive manner. It was never our intention to put our kids in a situation where they needed to defend our family’s choices, we just wanted to see the world and experience all life can be. 

Merida 2022 Pop-Up: 1st Meet-&-Greet Activity, Photo Credit: Chong See Ming

In addition to this, our kids were aging into adolescence. This is a time in their development where peers take priority over family. Though we did a great job meeting locals and reuniting with family and friends, we realized that we didn’t have enough of a ‘stable’ community. The kids’ social needs were not being met. 

It’s quite common for worldschooling families to hit a wall as their children equate traveling with not having peer interactions. Adolescents may resist being away from their friends and urge the family to quit traveling. They may want to attend a brick-and-mortar school to immerse in a normal, teen-friendly lifestyle.

Adolescence is also a period where teens and tweens need to experience more autonomy… the kids need a safe space to part from the family: hang with friends, go to the mall, grab a coffee at a café, lounge at the beach, etc. Sure this can happen if you have siblings who get along well, but over time it gets a bit lonely because it’s trickier to break into established teen circles while migratory.  

How did Worldschool Pop-Up Hubs start?

We put a lot of effort into seeking other worldschooling families that intersected our travel path because whenever we were able to meet, it was pure magic. It was so refreshing to not have to explain our lifestyle to anyone, we just automatically understood each other…we all were creating the lifestyles we wanted and not the path we were told to live.

But, even with pre-planning our routes, it was difficult to connect in the same place at the same time… so we hatched a plan to bring the worldschoolers to us. Why not pick a place we want to explore and invite other families to join in? Within two days of our first pop-up, the kids were convinced we needed to host another gathering and our 1-week model was born. 

There are lots of hubs out there—what sets yours apart?

Our events stand apart from other hubs for the ease and simplicity of what we provide. It’s the perfect gateway into the worldschool community without a lot of investment of time or money, or loss of independence. Families have full freedom over where they stay, what activities they attend, and how involved they’d like to be with the larger group. And this is true for both our guests and our hosts. It’s the perfect bite-sized way to decide if these connections and opportunities are important to your family.

Florence 2023 Pop-Up Happy Teens at the Duomo, Photo Credit: Rachel Carlson

Once a family is connected within the wider worldschool community, it’s so much easier to meet up with each other again, no matter where they’re exploring…and it doesn’t need to be specifically at a hub. It can happen organically, which is super beautiful. 

How many of these do you personally go to? What role does your family have in the organization?

In the beginning, our family hosted the bulk of the events, typically staying one month in our destination and offering a pop-up at the end of that period. However, as our reach has grown, we’ve welcomed other worldschooling hosts to our platform…we truly provide events created by worldschoolers for worldschoolers. 

This is key to our dream because we’re empowering other worldschoolers to enter this hosting field without having to create businesses of their own. Plus, now we’re offering simultaneous events all over the globe. This truly was my vision for the Worldschool Pop-Up Hub. I want worldschoolers to take responsibility for creating community for one another. Why rely on others to provide what we need when we’re perfectly capable of bringing the worldschool community right to our destination of choice on a timeline that coincides with our travel? 

How has it evolved and refined itself?

Many of our guests go on to host their own pop-up through our platform, plus it’s not unusual for 25-50% of pop-up attendees to be returning families. In essence, we’ve created a stable, but mobile, community. It’s exactly what many families are seeking.

For my family, this is wonderful. Not only do we have friends we see all over the planet, but now we can both host our own events and attend our friend’s pop-ups as guests. We love joining as many pop-ups as we can. It’s heavenly to show up in a place, have a list of cool things to do, and get a little reminder message each day for what’s on the schedule for the following day (it takes a whole lot of the decision-making out of visiting a new destination… whoever does the planning in your family will love a break from that responsibility). PLUS, we have a whole group of like-minded people to meet and explore with. I love how this works!

Our philosophy is to keep it simple…encourage worldschoolers to go to the same place at the same time, provide opportunities to socialize, but also get out and explore a new area! We keep our pricing low to attract families from all backgrounds and encourage participants to check out the local nature, food, culture, and history via our planned activities.

We’ve hosted over 250 families at this point and have welcomed a diverse group of already diverse people! Our attendees have included seasoned travelers, fast travelers, complete newbies, families with infants through adult children, expats, passport stamp collectors, unschoolers, strict schoolers, budget travelers, solo parents, worldschool-curious families… you name it! 

Istanbul 2023 Pop-Up: Photo-Bombing Street Dog! Photo Credit: Rachel Carlson

Our events are open to all ages and have an excellent track record of attracting families with teens and tweens. This age is really a turning point for many families as they strategize how they’ll meet their adolescents’ needs while traveling. 

Even though our events are only a week long, this is enough time for us to use each other as a lifestyle sounding board. If my family is having an issue (say one of my kids wants to leave the family and go to school or perhaps when we go back “home” we don’t fit in like we used to), we have other experienced families who can share their stories and strategies. They’re happy to help us brainstorm a way forward. The families I’ve met have given me strategies to refine our lifestyle to meet our children’s needs, all while staying mobile.  

What are you most proud of/ what do you enjoy most about your creation?

It’s really captivating to watch other parents go through these conversations and see their “a-ha” moments when they incorporate a new strategy or mindset into their personal issues. Even though these events are created to support the children’s needs for friendships, the adults have found the conversations to be equally necessary. There is nothing like finding acceptance, support, and validation for the unique life choices we’ve made. It’s beyond-refreshing to answer the same questions but from a different perspective: Instead of questions that are interrogatory and judging and asking for justification, we’re now talking to others who want to know about how we make this work for our family… and they might just have some input that makes our lives easier. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, there are plenty of worldschooling families with real-life and relevant ideas for all of us. 

I’m so proud that we’ve grown to the point that families seek our pop-ups and incorporate them into their travel planning. There’s no better feeling than saying good-bye but realizing that we’re hooking back up in just a month or two! 

From the Wonder Year Team: Rachel Carlson’s entrepreneurial and mission-driven work have helped so many. We thank her for her work, vision and support of our worldschooling community. Check out Worldschool Pop-Up Hub. Their schedule is impressive and scholarships are available. Sign up for her newsletter on the website which is always chockfull of ideas and inspiration. Our author group plans to host a meet-up in spring of 2023, in Colorado. Hope to see you there!

Follow her on Instagram @worldschoolpopuphub

Worldschool Pop-Up Prom at a castle in Normandy 2023, Photo Credit: Sarah De Santi

The post Community Connectors: Rachel Carlson, Worldschool Pop-Up Hub  appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.