Worldschooling: Our Respect-First Rules

We’re not trying to collect countries. We’re trying to be good guests. For us, worldschooling isn’t a curriculum—it’s a set of habits that teach our kids to respect people, culture, and religion wherever we are (and honestly, at home too).

Here’s the plan we’ll carry from Texas to Chiang Mai and beyond—simple rules, tiny scripts, and a lot of listening.

Our family approach (the short version)

People first. Look for the human, not the photo.
Ask before you act. Photos, shoes, touch, anything—ask.
Copy the locals. If you don’t know what to do, watch and follow.
Dress and move with care. Comfort is great; respect beats comfort when they clash.
Fix it fast. If we mess up, we apologize, adjust, and keep learning.

The 7 Respect Rules (kid-proof)

We learn hello/please/thank you.
“We’ll practice every morning and try them everywhere.”
We ask for a yes before we take a photo of a person or a prayer space.
Kid script: “Can I take a picture? It’s okay to say no.”
We follow house-of-worship rules even if we don’t know why yet.
Shoes off, quiet voices, modest clothes, no pointing at sacred things.
We eat with curiosity and manners.
Try-bite culture, “no thank you” with a smile, and we don’t yuck someone else’s yum.
We keep hands to ourselves unless invited.
No touching people, offerings, statues, animals, or someone’s baby.
We walk like we’re welcome.
Stay on paths, stand to the side, don’t block doorways, give elders a little extra space.
We clean up after ourselves.
Trash goes where locals put it; we leave a place better than we found it.

Tiny scripts for little mouths (copy/paste)

Greeting: “Hello! Thank you!” (Practice every day.)
Photo ask: “Excuse me—photo okay?” (Thumbs up/down works too.)
Decline food politely: “No thank you, it looks good!”
Temple/museum voice: “We use library voices here.”
Apology: “I’m sorry, I’m learning. Thank you for telling me.”

We’ll print these on a wallet card for Raspberry and Bay Bay (and me, tbh).

Places & situations (how we do it)

1) Temples and sacred spaces

Before we go: check dress (shoulders/ knees covered), pack a light scarf.
At the door: shoes off if others do; no photos of people in prayer without explicit yes.
Inside: we don’t touch sacred objects; we sit or stand where locals do.

2) Markets and street food

Eyes + ears: watch how people queue and pay.
Ordering: we point kindly, use our practiced words, smile big.
Food: one new thing, one familiar thing; share bites; carry wipes and a small trash bag.

3) Homes and homestays

Ask: “Shoes on or off?” (Then follow that rule forever in that house.)
Gifts: if invited, we bring a tiny edible or a postcard from home.

4) Photos & social media

People: ask first, especially kids and elders; a no is a full sentence.
Sacred spaces: assume no unless there’s a sign or a person says yes.
Posting: we don’t post anything that would embarrass the person next to us.

5) Animals

Street animals: we do not feed or touch unless a local caretaker invites it.
Paid animal experiences: we skip anything that looks stressed or exploitative.

6) Money things (tipping/donations)

We follow local norms (we’ll learn them on the ground).
Temples: small donation if there’s a box; we don’t bargain in sacred spaces.

Food, allergies, and tiny people

Try-bite culture: one honest try, then “no thank you” is okay.
Backups: plain rice, fruit, yogurt, bread—take the pressure off.
Water: we follow local guidance, bring a bottle and keep it filled.
Stomach stuff: go slow on spice and street dairy; hand-wash when we can, wipes when we can’t.

When we mess up (because we will)

Pause (don’t argue).
Apologize (short and sincere).
Fix it (change seats, put shoes back on, delete the photo).
Debrief at bedtime: what happened, what we learned, how we’ll do it tomorrow.

We tell the kids: “Kind + quiet + quick fix.”

Daily rhythm (worldschool edition)

Morning: outside walk, small errand, greet the same shopkeeper; practice hello/please/thank you.
Midday: rest, books, drawing what we saw (Raspberry picks one thing to sketch, Bay Bay picks a color to hunt tomorrow).
Afternoon: one activity—park, museum room, short market trip, or a temple courtyard sit.
Evening: three-rose, one-thorn—3 good things, 1 hard thing.

What goes in the day bag (light + respectful)

Light scarf or wrap (modesty/shade)
Socks (for shoes-off floors)
Wipes + small trash bag
Water + a simple snack
Mini first-aid (bandages, tummy tabs approved by our doc)
Respect card (our family rules + scripts)

How this shows up on the blog

Homeschool posts: gentle activities built from the neighborhood—counting mangoes, color walks, map drawing, story baskets with local books.
Travel prep posts: visas, budgets, housing, cat travel (#Jinx #Lola), plus a Respect Card printable you can put in your pocket.
Cats & Home: small-space routines that work anywhere; litter and feeding setups that travel.

Tell me what to add

Want a script for markets, a packing list for modest dress with toddlers, or a gentle intro to local phrases for kids? Comment or email me: [email protected]. We’re learning in public, respectfully.