The Wandering Librarian

When we arrived in Ecuador, our daughter was only two years old. However, she is old enough for grade level Maternal II in Ecuador, and she will be entering Inicial I in August. As such, we’ve already been considering our schooling options and shopping for possible placements. We want to give ourselves plenty of time to learn the local system and understand all our options.

There are three major options for us to consider, with a plethora of choices within two of those options. First, we can send her to Ecuadorian public school in Cuenca. We are opting out of this choice because class sizes can be rather large (as many as 40 children in a classroom), there can be transportation challenges, and we want more rigorous English instruction for her with appropriate accreditation to attend school or college later in the United States or Europe. My husband and I are both products of public education in the United States, and I really do believe it is great for kids from all walks of life to attend school together. However, without a car of our own and a lack of knowledge about the school assignment system, we are not confident sending her to a public school at this time. Also, she would not start public school until age 5 or 6, so even if we change our mind in the next year or so, we can still have her start public school with her would be peers.

The second major option is to keep her home and homeschool her. This option is really very attractive to us. We are librarians. We can research and find resources like no one else! I have a Masters degree and certainly feel confident educating my daughter until at least middle school age. And there are so many wonderful families here in Cuenca who are choosing to homeschool. There would be many opportunities to connect with others and learn together. However, I also realize my own short comings and question my capacity as an educator. I do not know if I have what it takes. In addition, I remember my school activities and friendships quite fondly. I hate to deprive her of those opportunities.

The final major option which we are most ardently pursuing is private schools. We are working our way through visiting various private education options. On the top of our list is the German international school here in Cuenca, Colegio Aleman. This front runner comes with a hefty price tag. However, the opportunities are quite immense. Our daughter would come out of the program trilingual. She would theoretically be prepared to attend college in either English, German, or Spanish. Additionally, the school is regulated by the German ministry of education, so she would easily be accepted into colleges throughout Europe. Other private options include “dual enrollment” schools which will put our daughter on track to finish the equivalent of a high school diploma in the United States. We plan to visit one such program during an open house event this weekend. It’s not nearly as expensive as the German school, so that is important to consider.

Our daughter is currently attending a robust preschool program where her Spanish is improving. She is doing really well in Cuenca, and we look forward to her moving up into a “big kid” school.