Our school district, BVSD (Boulder Valley School District in Colorado), offers an online school, Boulder Universal (BU). It is asynchronous learning, basically meaning that we don’t have to be on the computer during specific time frames. However, because of this, it is necessary to have self-discipline, stay motivated and on track.

The layout is simple, on a weekly basis we get a list of assignments, and you need to finish them by the following Monday at 8 am (allowing you to finish work over the weekend, if necessary). The assignments include tests, quizzes, book reports, online worksheets, discussions for us to interact with our classmates, etc. Also, as a bonus, each class has weekly meetings (open labs) that you can use to check-in or clarify questions. It is never required to go to these meetings. BU is flexible but follows the curriculum of a trustworthy school district, the very reason we chose it when we started our world travels. This flexibility allows us to complete schoolwork when possible but also giving us the time to do other things like exploring, traveling, or going to the beach 🏖.

Last year, BU was not well known and mainly used by athletes, kids that ran businesses, or those who didn’t adjust well to normal in-person school. Last year, in my science class, I only had one other classmate. Then, the big boom happened (aka the covid pandemic). Many parents and kids were interested in BU due to the inconsistency of in-person learning and the flexibility BU offered. As a result, I went from having one classmate to over a hundred.

I believe that this shift happened because of two main reasons, one being that the brick and mortar schools were scrambling to adjust to the new situation (going back in-school caused cases of covid to soar, and being online full-time was not really the ideal) and two, hearing from my friends still at normal schools, it was boring and a waste of time sitting behind a computer for hours at no end. Comparing this to orderly, yet flexible BU, you can see why people decided to switch.

One thing to note is that reliable internet is crucial. Therefore, if you have good internet you can get a lot done at your own pace. But, when the internet isn’t as good, you need to make sure you have worked ahead. As we travel around the world, the internet can be unreliable! Hence, my strategy has been to finish work early and work ahead when possible, so if the internet fails, my work is done. Being in Mexico, the internet is definitely not as good as in the US, and being ahead on my assignments is very useful and allows us to take days off frequently.

My sisters also enrolled for BU this year. They are in 4th grade and kindergarten. Elementary grades vary a bit from middle-school. Elementary uses the Florida virtual system (an online school from Florida). It has the online element but also relies on paper worksheets. The print outs of these worksheets, amounts to four paper books we travel with. It may sound like a waste of space and paper, but Josie (who is in 4th grade) has found a way to do all her work online. For my younger sister, who is learning to write her letters and basic math, having paper worksheets is necessary. That is another great thing about BU, all I need are my headphones, a computer and internet. Though different, both elementary and middle school at BU is flexible, orderly, and a great way to do school!