Most parents set out to give their kids a well-rounded education, although the philosophy and approach will vary from family to family. What they learn, how and why they learn, what skills are important, what success and happiness mean—all are defined by each family and child. For us, those criteria and definitions have shifted and evolved from year to year, but we’ve been happy with the progression.

“Todo parece imposible hasta que se hace”

Nelson Mandela

Since we moved to Mexico, our son has transitioned from homeschool to English language private school, back to homeschool, to full-immersion Spanish language private school, and now to a bilingual private school.

We were quite happy with the full-immersion school, Siglo XXI. The 7-plus hours of Spanish per day was a great language “jump start” for our son. We loved the school and the atmosphere. They offer Pre-K (PreEscolar) through High School (Prepa) in a colonial building in San Miguel de Allende’s historic center. We liked the project-oriented approach, Music class, Dance class, PE class, on top of Ethics, Business, Math, Geography, Spanish, English, and Biology—and that was just the seventh graders! The school is a bit cramped and a bit worn, but they are currently building a brand new campus on the Salida de Celaya south of town, so that should be resolved.

Ultimately though, our son asked if he could attend a new bilingual school this year because his best friend planned to enroll there. Once we started seriously considering that as an option, we realized that it might be a good move for all of us. The fact is, our Spanish still isn’t where we’d like it to be (oh hell, it feels like it’s barely even left the ground…at least not for lack of effort and energy—it just takes so much longer than we had hoped!) and the prospect of a bilingual school administration would help us communicate more fully regarding our son’s education. So, we began to investigate the new school.

Colegio NWL, or Newland as it is more commonly called, was established about 10 years ago and was an outgrowth of collaboration with the Technical University of Monterrey. They have two existing campuses in Querétaro and built and opened the brand new campus in San Miguel de Allende in 2018.

Through online research, conversation with other families that planned to attend, and a series of in-person meetings with school representatives we discovered that we liked a lot of what Newland says they will provide. In particular, we like:

• The project-based and inquiry-led learning approach
• Little to no homework
• Fully bilingual with half of the day in Spanish and half in English
• The focus on critical thinking and the Socratic method
• The emphasis on leadership development with the “Soy Líder” program
• That the teachers act as guides and mentors, projects are student-led
• That students are encouraged to ask questions and research solutions and answers that they then present, rather than digesting information and facts that are spoon-fed to them
• The innovative curriculum presented via Knotion software and its alignment with UNESCO and the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development education goals for 2030
• The accreditation by the British Council
• The association with the Technological University of Monterrey
• The new facilities, especially the large auditorium/community space, the new cancha (soccer field), and the covered basketball courts
• Physical Education class, art class (2 full hours on Friday), yoga class, meditation exercises, and onsite extracurriculars including futbol, tae kwon do, art, and “cheer”
• The association with the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC)

In general, they seemed to have a cohesive, intentional, and well-thought-out approach and philosophy that we could get behind. They even had…I can hardly dare to believe…an entire year’s school calendar to review with events and holidays and school breaks clearly marked. We went ahead and scheduled an entry assessment.

Because of our son’s still nascent Spanish skills, they—and we—were a little unsure if he would be able to pass an entrance exam. He would be testing on Spanish, Mathematics, and English. Well, he knew he had one part of the exam nailed!

The result is that he did well enough to get in, but they did have some recommendations for areas where he needed some improvement, mostly Spanish. They suggested he enroll in their “Spanish as a Second Language” program, so he could get some extra language support and tutoring. They also had to consult headquarters, because we weren’t able to provide all of the paperwork required by the Mexican school system.

When we toured the facilities, Ethan’s eyes went wide. He told us that this school looked just like the ones he’d seen on TV. We laughed. He’s never attended a school set within a traditional school building. All of his previous schools have been quite small and they were all set in converted office or residential buildings. This is three stories of brand new construction. There are classrooms with lockers, a large auditorium, and cafeteria space. A large outdoor area with a soccer field and basketball courts.

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We enrolled Ethan, paid the various fees, the first month tuition, had the software installed on a dedicated school iPad, bought the required uniforms, and showed up for the first day of school on August 20, 2018. Into the third full week of school we are glad to report: so far, so good. In fact, when asking him yesterday what were three things that he was grateful for (an exercise in gratitude we like to do from time to time), the #1 thing on his list was his new school.

Suffice it to say, we’re cautiously optimistic about the school year. We’ve been around long enough to realize that what is advertised and what is delivered can—and often are—two very different things. We also have met so many people with so many different school experiences here in México, the good and not-so-good, the great and the horrible, that we reserve judgment until we see what we actually get. That said, it will still be a disappointment if it doesn’t deliver or doesn’t work out. But we’re excited to see what will happen and to give the experience—and our son!—a chance. In the meantime stay tuned as school gets started and we see how things progress.