Gabriela Molina in Egypt
country or city she’s in, she receives her classes, does her homework and her confidence continues to grow. For instance, when the family was in Mumbai, Gabriela planned a solo tour of the city at age 16. “She met new people and was able to navigate the city on her own,” her father says. “She also researched clothing styles and went to a typical Indian garment store to purchase some
native clothes. She needed to negotiate prices on the basis of exchange rates.” It’s easy to see that learning from a distance works for many students and families. “Traveling on the road means that the textbooks come to life,” Smith says. “Roadschooling is like being on a never-ending field trip or a magic school bus. Every day feels like Saturday.” l
“ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF EDUCATION IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT. ONLINE LEARNING CAN KEEP THAT CONNECTION GOING EVEN WHEN THEY ARE FAR APART.” — EMILY LEVITT, vice president of education, Sylvan Learning Center
at Gabriela the Cairo Citadel
76 BACK TO SCHOOL | 2020
RAFAEL MOLINA (2); GETTY IMAGES
Academy. “Our teachers check in with our students to see how they’re doing emotionally and whether academic progress is made. Parents also receive daily communication via email from each teacher who taught their child that day. The daily email includes a brief rundown of content covered, successes, areas of growth and questions.” For Gabriela, regardless of which