EER014: Unschooling and Intercultural Education

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Unschooling and Intercultural Education can be crucial elements in one’s life of learning, and Jessie Voigts has dedicated her life to both. She was first bitten by the travel bug in junior high school. After a stint as an exchange student in Japan, she knew that travel and cultural study would be a part of her life forever.

Unschooling and Intercultural Education

Now Jessie manages Wandering Educators, a library of articles by an eclectic group of global and traveling teachers and instructors bent on sharing their passion with like-minded individuals.

With a PhD in International Education, Jessie has written six books about travel and intercultural learning, and has made it a mission to mentor youth in the art of writing and blogging. Here she explains the importance of an intercultural education and how their daughter uses unschooling techniques to learn about the world.

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About

• Names: Jessie Voigts and Ed Forteau and their daughter, Lillie Forteau (12)
• Type of travel: World travel before, more local (Midwest USA) travel now to stay close to aging family
• A few places they’ve been: Japan, Scotland, Turkey, and much of the United States

Find Them On:

• Wandering Educators |Study Abroad Because (Tumblr)
• Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest |  Instagram | Tumblr

EPIC ORIGINS

• From a traveling family. Jessie caught the travel bug after being an exchange student in Japan during junior high school.

EPIC RULES & ROUTINES

• Avoid “weekend jaunts.” Instead take week-long or month-long trips.
• Always rent apartments instead of hotel rooms.
• For the best intercultural education, do your best to “live like a local.”

EPIC ECONOMICS

Both Ed and Jessie work online, mainly with:

• Wandering Educators (our kids are in her mentorship program)
• Walk Fit Challenge Premium
• Ed is also a CBS Sports Radio host with Power Up Your Health.

EPIC ESSENTIALS

• 3 Asus Laptops — All three computers same model so that everything is in the same place no matter who uses it.
• Samsung Galaxy
• iPad Mini
• Nikon DSLR

Instead of Flat Stanley, Lillie carries a Little Ugly doll with her.

EPIC INSIGHT

• Unschoolers: “When your kid finds something they’re interested in, you go deep.”
• Examples of their study of ancient Egypt detailed in the podcast.

EPIC RESOURCES

Lillie’s Sites, Apps, Youtube & TV:

• Pinterest
• Deviant Art
• Learnist
• Oriental Institute (University of Chicago)
• Animal Jam (from National Geographic)
• Storybird
• Quotev
• Shades puzzle game
• Card Wars
• Cut the Rope
• Elevate
• Fit Brains
• Manga Studio
• Minecraft
• Google Translate
• Wizard 101
• Crash Course Youtube Channel
  • (I mentioned the Crash Course video about the Columbus exchange.)
• ASAP Science
• Dr Who

Lillie’s offline:

• Public Library (get a card!)
• Tolkien’s Books
• Steampunk author Gail Carriger

Ed & Jessie’s online recommendations:

• Word Lens
• Spotted by Locals
• Learnist
• Check the CVB of your destination
• Family Travel Blogs:
  • Travel Mamas
  • Delicious Baby
  • Walking On Travels
  • The Mother of All Trips
  • Family Travel 411
  • Ciao Bambino
  • Family Travel Association
  • And many many many more

• Jessie also recommends my Tokyo with Children City Guide (Thanks Jessie!)

Books:

• They Eat Horses, Don’t They?
• The International Children’s Library
• David Smith: Mapping the World by Heart
• David Smith: If the world were a village

EPIC ADVICE

• Local, local, local: Shop the local markets, eat where the locals eat, and watch some local TV shows (including local kid’s shows) before you go.
• Try a Homestay
• Try to make friends before you go (details in the podcast)

EPIC DESTINATIONS

• Ireland & Scotland
• Chicago, Illinois
• Westside Market — Cleveland, Ohio
• Washington D.C.
• Michigan Sunset Coast
• Art Museums everywhere!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you,  we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book using those links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help your travel.