We’re concerned about the level of education our children are receiving, and curious what some people’s experiences were when moving around with kids. Especially for younger kids.
Our specifics:
The northern parts of N. America have a lot of flaws in their education, a lot, and it varies a lot by area, but currently we are in Denmark and the education could best be described as… “Saturday Morning Cartoons until 9th grade”. I don’t need to get in to the pros and cons of both systems, but one thing we’re very aware of is IF we should move back, our children would *probably* be considered very, very far behind at a *good* US school after 2+ year here.
It seems like there is nearly no science or history early on and very, very little until high school. The math is just behind. Full stop. Reading and language skills are poor, both in English and in Danish, except in how you treat other people (a *very* useful skill, but not one that is measured in the US…at all)
Education and personal growth are things that are really, really important to us. So, this is putting a surprising strain on our decision making.
Your kids will be fine. There’s no reason to rush academic subjects.
Well, Nordic countries like Denmark are quite big believers in letting kids be kids. If you look at the results of the school systems in those countries, they tend to be quite positive. In addition, your child will learn social skills, the local language and make friends with kids across various social classes - but maybe that’s what you’re afraid of.
They’re kids, let them be kids. I went to a school in the US that had a similar system to that, and, yeah, I did feel a bit academically behind my peers going into SHS, but I grew to appreciate what it gave me later in life. Plus, I still got into a top university (albeit after community college), and I’m happy where I am now, so it’s all ok.
If you have concerns like this, perhaps go for the international school. The big con of course is the expense.
Enjoy, it could be worse. Unless you are planning to leave soon just out of education stress, teach them to read and enjoy books when they are home. I homeschooled my kids for 5-10 years, they also have been to American and Dutch schools. Now with 3 in universities, they only talk fondly about their time homeschooling and think it prepped them for real life and university the best. I would never encourage homeschooling or relaxed education but I’m surprised the kids did their best growing/learning/reading/exploration then.
My daughter is still close with her American friends and they are in school and sports activities for 12+ hours a day. She sleeps and studies in class and is burning out for a chance to go to a sub-par Florida university. My kid in contrast is studying at a university a few hours, studying at home, riding her bike, has a part-time job and loads of great friends. This is a dream life in comparison.
Something is amiss. OECD, a reliable source, ranks Denmark well above the US in quality of education. Perhaps it’s your specific school?
School systems are simply not compatible. The idea isn’t that kids jump from one country to another to complete or continue schooling, but we (expats and people who move around) throw a wrench into those plans.
My suggestion is to focus on where you are - and ensuring your children are in the best place to excel at that school and in that environment.
Then, you can supplement what you think is important that they might be missing. Maybe adding in extra reading or math or nothing at all.
We experienced similar thoughts in Germany. Here, kids don’t start formal school (reading/writing) until they turn six. That was light years behind what we were used to in the US growing up, and having a mother-in-law who was a teacher, we heard about this constantly.
Our oldest son started German “school” at 3, and is 7.5 now. When he went to first grade, he could write his name terribly and could not read more than a few words of German or English.
Within a few weeks, he was reading sentences and writing his name. Now 16 months later, he reads books at a 9-12 age range in German, taught himself how to read in English and learns cursive (which would make him advanced compared to kids in the US).
It’s all relative. I say unless they are truly getting NO education and it’s terrible, give it time and realize that in the end, you are the one that educates your kids, not school.
I’d much rather have education start later than see horror stories from friends back in the US prepping their 3 year olds for pre-k tests and evaluations. I’d rather my three year old out eating mud and jumping in puddles.
Look at adults around you. Look at local workforce. Do you get an impression that those people are lacking in education? This need to be answered honestly without exaggeration.
I moved from Europe to USA 20 years ago. Yes education here was surprisingly different and it was easy to form a negative opinion but… Adult Americans around me are very highly educated. They are working highly specialized jobs that don’t even exist in my country of birth. Those adult Americans care about their kids education and they send their kids to the same school I was sending them to. ( of course I can’t say about all American, only those around me)
And today my kids are in the final stages of their education/ early stages of their careers and I am more or less satisfied. Definitely no regrets that my migration negatively effectuated my kids’ future.
That said, I would not be migrating with kids back and forward. I don’t think it worth it.
I went to high school in the US after middel school in the netherlands/ germany. Levels were way to low for me. Was placed in advanced class in every subject and still was mainly playing sports cause it was so easy. They will be fine.
Denmark consistently ranks high in education, both primary and secondary. Are you an educator? Coming from a family with many people that work in education, parents often decide that because education isn’t how they remember it being (usually not how it even was) that it’s not correct, and that’s just not true.
For moving: The main thing with younger kids is to get them speaking the local language as quickly as possible so they can more effectively use resources. If you’re not intending to assimilate, then international schools make sense, since time learning full Danish won’t help in the future. If you intend to be Danish, then they’re a bad idea, as it will put your kids in a bubble.
Education is like an iceberg, in that the vast majority of it is under the surface. My guess is that if you do go back to the USA, your children will have the skills to quickly pick up any content they missed. Functioning in two languages will give then some valuable but hard to quantify thinking skills.
Are high school students where you are behind those in the USA? If not, you probably have nothing to worry about.