In my opinion, academically speaking, there is more to school than literacy and math. In fact as important as literacy and math are to me, they do not make much sense without a genuine practical context as they are tools that are most useful when implemented in real life critical thinking.
As parents, Jeff and I are fully committed to helping our kids carve the path that will guide them to (hopefully) become wholesome human beings: empathetic with themselves and others, aware of the world and of the impact that we have through our actions, capable of listening and collaborating, ready to take risks and to learn from the mistakes made, invested in thinking critically and competent in solving problems.
That all sounds like a very big undertaking and as I write these words I get scared of the monumental responsibility that it entails but then, I remember…
I remember our path every day. I remember we are in Bali, I remember we are at Green School and I remember a few weeks ago when I randomly learned about the GreenLEAP program at Green School. Modeled after the renown iLead+Design initiative co-founded by Aaron Eden, Director of Entrepreneurial and Enterprise Programs at Green School, the GreenLEAP program opened a new door of hope and excitement for our family on this path that we have been carving for a few years now. On our path, we envision to see Education redefined so kids, teachers, parents, entrepreneurs, professionals, visionaries, philanthropists, thinkers… get to collaborate in real life problems to find real life solutions. On our path we hope to find answers as the relationships among individuals bloom and grow through hard work, cooperation, creativity, drive and endless curiosity. On our path we strive to inspire our kids, so they are motivated individuals with a compelling sense of belonging and strength that pushes them to make a difference. On our path answers are unscripted rather than rehearsed, free rather than confined, discovered rather than memorized.
Learning about the implementation of the GreenLEAP program at Green School was inspiring, hopeful and powerful. The program will run for three consecutive and intense weeks. The High School students will work in teams and will be assigned a wide range of relevant challenges for which they will need to find answers: from the non-flush compost toilets at school, to creating a Bio Bus App, to developing a campaign to free dolphins, to redesigning and improving work spaces for sugar harvesting and production, to community action projects such as education for disadvantaged women and waste center solutions, just to name a few. Along with faculty and coaches, students will team up with professionals from all over the world, including a group of students and teachers from the Design School in Hong Kong, that will travel to Green School for the sole purpose of working collaboratively with our high schoolers in finding tangible solutions and, together, make a difference. The gears will turn faster and faster as the different teams of students, faculty and guests research, discuss, test, fail, breakthrough, advance, regress, relate and own the challenges faced and the answers uncovered. All in all an amazing journey of discovery, an unbelievable opportunity for growth and a deep, long lasting impact on the approach these young adults (and teachers, and guests!) will take to tackle the world from now on.
GreenLEAP is a strong foundation that supports teamwork and collaboration so different perspectives merge to provide a rich learning experience. GreenLEAP promotes cooperative experimentation through the successes and failures encountered as both are equally valuable and necessary in the process. The program’s core encourages embracing risks and facing uncertainty to keep on moving forward together. GreenLEAP rewrites the misconception that students are recipients for information because students really are Shapers of Knowledge.
theintrepid5: the Kaltreider adventure 