The Adventures of Familia Bajaboy

I recently had an epiphany that has greatly altered how I see myself.  I am going to do my best to put into words that realization and what it means for me moving forward. After teaching in public schools in San Diego for 15 years as a math teacher, we made the choice to submit our leave of absences and move to Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico.  For many, the decision seemed abrupt and irrational but not for me.  After strugglng through Covid and watching politics invade public education, I knew the future was bleak, at least for me and my happiness.  People who know little about what happens in the classroom were on television making wild claims and accusations that were far from the truth.  It was too big of a battle for me and I knew I would be misearable moving forward.  While I am speaking for myself, my wife, Tracy, was sharing similar fears.  So our decision was very well vetted and thought out and our kids were also driving forces in the decision....

 One of my favorite ways to start the day is by taking a walk around town.  Tracy and I try and walk anywhere from 3 to 5 miles depending on our time constraints.  This morning we had time to walk around three miles. While our route varies, some things are always the same.   We can always count on mostly nice dogs along the way, a lot of waves and smiles from friends and strangers, and plenty of things to look at.  In addition, Tracy and I have good conversations during our walks.  In fact, we hatch up most of our crazy ideas while walking, hiking, riding, or running.   This morning was especially beautiful as we had a nice, steady rain last night.  The air was crisp but not cold and everything seemed relatively clean.  If all goes well, we might even get out for another walk after Tracy's first class of the day. In addition to writing about our adventures, I plan on posting more videos on our YouTube channel.  I hope you suscr...

 Come join us on our hike today.  One of the things we have always enjoyed about Bahia Asuncion is the variety of things to see and explore.  The coast line changes dramatically from north to south with the former resembling the coast of Central California while the later is very similar to Southern California.  The desert also changes from mile to mile as well.   Our hike this morning started about 5 miles east of town.  I hope you enjoy!

 Zac and I both value education, and in particular, the value of public education.  We believe there is so much to learn from teachers, but additionally, from the interaction with other students in a school setting.  We anticpate our children continuing their education here at school in Bahia Asuncion, when the time is right.  However, we also firmly believe there is so much learning that can happen each and every day, wherever you are!  As for now, we've switched our role to homeschool teachers and are super proud of the learning we are seeing. For those of you who know Gabriel well, he's really a self starter.  He's very meticulous, task oriented, and wants to finish his work to move on to the next thing.  Mikayla is a great student as well, but at times, a little less organized.  However, we were so proud of how she took to this week of school.  First, she woke up earlier than normal.  She had a "first day of school outfit" ready to g...

 When we made the decision to move to Bahia Asuncion full time, one of the things we were most excited about was for our children to go to school here, to really experience full immersion.  As of now, things are still up in the air as far as what school reopening here will look like.  Additionally, Mikayla has not had the opportunity to be vaccinated, which makes her a bit anxious.  Zac and I decided we will start the year by homeschooling the kids.  Between the two of us, we've taught grades 6-8, so we feel pretty confident about the education our kids will receive.   It's important to us to involve both Gabriel and Mikayla in the planning of their education.  Math, reading/writing, and Spanish is mandatory, but we wanted the kids to have input on the rest.  For math, we'll be using Khan Academy.  The kids will start the year with a novel study for reading and writing.  Also, both kids will continue working on their Spanish with Dr...