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How should the education system and schools move forward? Christine Beutler in an interview with Tasja about founding free learning spacesLocal elections are coming up in a week. Education and schools are always a topic before elections. But has anything really improved in recent years and decades as a result? html In this interview, Christine Beutler talks with Tasja, who is in the process of founding a free school. The reasons for wanting to create free learning spaces are similar everywhere. The hurdles are still high. Nevertheless, both are very optimistic, especially since there are already many examples of successful school foundations. It is possible to establish schools or learning spaces that are good for children. More information at https://www.christine-beutler.de From the YouTube description: 🌟 A heartfelt project is taking shape here: The Free Learning Space Erdenkinder e. V. 🌟 We are a young founding initiative for an alternative school with special pedagogical significance (primary and comprehensive school) in the Bad Salzdetfurth area. We plan to open the doors of the free learning space for the 2025/26 school year. With an eye on the transformation of our (working) world, our free learning space aims to answer the inner call for individual development. Self-organized learning and project-based work are essential parts of our concept. The individual nature of each child is always at the forefront. Once we recognize that we are already complete from the start and don’t need to become something else, our self-worth doesn’t depend on external circumstances. This knowledge, with which each of us is born, must be preserved. It is up to us to give our children the space to stay true to themselves, to continually reinvent themselves, and to follow their impulses and joy. Because when motivation arises from inner joy, the path to a happy life is paved. How wonderful would it be if we could unconditionally trust our children from the beginning and throughout their journey, affirming that they are inherently right? What kind of world would be possible then? We firmly believe that every student can change the world. Especially when given the opportunity to develop their talents in an environment of respect and equal collaboration. Let’s create such a place together in the Bad Salzdetfurth area! Support us with your donation! Your donation will enable us to acquire the necessary resources to start school operations, hire teachers, purchase materials, and provide students with an inspiring learning environment. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, is invaluable and helps shape a positive future for our children. Account holder: Freier Lernort Erdenkinder e.V. IBAN: DE86430609671324058000 We are happy to issue a donation receipt. Thank you so much for your generous support! With warm regards, The founding team of the Free Learning Space Erdenkinder https://www.freier-lernort-erdenkinder.de TranscriptHere comes someone else to join us, yeah, we’re in beautiful Lower Saxony today. Tasja invited us to Bad Salzdetfurth, and we’re thrilled to be here on the farm today. Stay tuned for the exciting conversation coming up next! [Music] I think some of you might have a few question marks in your heads about who our Tasja is, sitting here with us today. Exactly, I’m Tasja, mother of two children, aged 5 and 2. My son was supposed to start school this year, but thankfully we managed to delay it so he can start next year, hopefully at our school, of course. I’m 36 now and live here on a wonderful horse farm with my whole family. We have a really great multigenerational farm. For a long time, we thought about whether we wanted to create something here. If there weren’t compulsory school attendance, it would have been easy, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple here. Otherwise, in 2022, my friends and I, more or less, decided—well, it came up—that we said, okay, where do we actually want to send our kids to school? We looked around and thought, not much here, not much there. Everything that’s great is either completely overcrowded, too far away, or both—usually both. We’re kind of in a blind spot for free schools; everything is 30 kilometers or more away. That was the moment when we said, let’s start a free school ourselves. That’s how it all began, really just among friends, and now it’s incredible how it’s developed. Step by step, more puzzle pieces came together, and yeah, exactly. Last year, we found each other after a parents’ evening, and what motivated me was that I enjoyed primary school. I was always a good student, and it worked well because the expectations weren’t too high yet. It was still playful, and I loved that. But then I went to an elite gymnasium, with Saturday classes starting in fifth grade, and yeah, exactly. It quickly became clear that I wasn’t a follower. I’ve never been someone who let themselves be pushed around or told what to do. Either I wanted to do it, and then I did, or I didn’t want to, and I rebelled accordingly. That started then, and by seventh grade, it just didn’t work anymore. So I switched to a slightly alternative school. But the classes were huge, and everyone was lumped together. It started there—I didn’t want someone telling me what to learn. I wanted to learn what I wanted to learn. I always had a great relationship with all my teachers because they saw my potential, but I still got bad grades sometimes because I just didn’t feel like it. I didn’t see the point in learning certain things. So I kind of dragged myself through school, skipped a lot, and focused more on my private life. I tried to finish high school but dropped out because it was the same pattern. I just didn’t want to do it that way, and I didn’t see the point because I didn’t even know what I wanted to do after school. At first, I went to school because I didn’t know what else to do, but then I thought, why am I doing this if I don’t even know if I’ll need it? So, yeah, I dropped out in 12th grade and started an apprenticeship as a hotel specialist. I stuck with it, and I’m very grateful for that. There was some pressure from my parents, which was appropriate at the time, but before that, it was rather counterproductive. I often felt that my father really wanted this for me. He saw my potential and wished I’d take a straight path—finish high school, study something impressive like law or medicine, and lead a supposedly happy life. But I’m actually happier now, exactly. The way things turned out is pretty good. Through my apprenticeship in hospitality, I could work abroad a lot, which was amazing. It really broadened my horizons. I lived in Switzerland for 8 years, exactly. When I came back here and realized it’s actually pretty nice, especially in a family setting with lots of kids, I thought, well, I can’t do anything else here, so I have to start a free school. I’m really glad I found you after that winter slump last year—or the year before—because I’m the driving force. I’m the one pushing it forward. The others want to help and do small things, but only if I guide them a bit, which is fine because I like leading. I was so grateful to meet you and have that little spiritual nudge to realize, no, I can’t hide my light under a bushel. I can’t settle for compromises if it doesn’t feel right. If it feels right and tingles through my whole body, that’s the path I want to take. And so we started, and I just said, I don’t care if I get funding or not, I’m doing this now. You guided me through it really well, and so many things started rolling. Now it’s rolling and getting bigger and bigger, and hopefully next year—we’re manifesting it, yeah, absolutely. I’m convinced it will happen. I still find it exciting, and sometimes I think, wow, this is huge, but it will happen. What’s your life motto? My life motto, if I reflect briefly, is to follow your heart, follow your path, your feelings, joy, and ease. That’s become my motto because I notice that as soon as I follow this path and don’t let myself be intimidated by others, my own thoughts, or fears, wonderful things happen. It’s amazing how your own mental blocks can hold you back. I often see this with founders—self-limitation, not allowing yourself to dream big. Everything starts with thoughts that eventually become reality. The structures are often so rigid that you have to work on what your own thoughts do to you. Absolutely. That’s changed even more since I started coaching with you. I was familiar with this before, but now I’m increasingly aware that when I limit myself with my thoughts and fears, those triggers aren’t real because they’re rooted in the past. If I feel that now, I can’t manifest anything different in the future. Instead, I need to feel what the future could be and embrace it. That becomes reality. We stand exactly between the past and the future, and only the present is real. Our minds can’t decide, so we choose which direction to think—past or future. That’s where you focus your lens, and it really works. It’s mind-blowing once you understand it. It can scare people, which I sometimes notice. It can be terrifying, but if you let yourself try it and don’t let fear consume you, it can move mountains. Absolutely, I’m convinced of that. Looking back at your eventful life story, what kept you going after switching from primary to secondary school, staying true to yourself and rebelling or wanting to do things differently? Was there a force, person, or influence that helped you stay grounded? I wasn’t grounded at all, definitely not. It was really tough for my parents, and for me too. I know now it was important and part of my life, but I was completely disconnected. I rebelled against everything and everyone, a textbook rebel. There was one teacher, my upper-level teacher, with whom I had a deep connection—not romantic, but we had profound conversations. I could see what he saw in me, and that felt good. But what pulled me out of that disconnection was the support from my family. Whenever things hit rock bottom, I was caught emotionally. Later, when I moved out and had more low phases, I always knew I could come back here. If things got really tough, my family was there, and I wasn’t alone. That helped me climb out of the mess I’d maneuvered myself into. I surrounded myself with people who had intense stories, and sometimes I didn’t even know why I was among them because, outwardly, everything seemed perfect for me. We had a great family, horses from a young age—everything was amazing. But school was a huge issue for me. There were often such high expectations that I wasn’t willing to meet. I could have met them if I’d been allowed to do it voluntarily because I was capable. It was just the way it was done. That overreach, as I call it, where adults force kids to march in lockstep at the same pace, makes more and more kids break out. You broke out a few years earlier. I see it daily in conversations with other applicants and coaching participants—more kids are rebelling against a system that’s no longer sustainable. The system is hitting its limits, barely managing to function, let alone understanding why these processes exist. I recently spoke with a mother whose daughter, in second grade, already says she doesn’t like school. That’s so sad. Learning is becoming stigmatized among young people. It’s not fun because it’s forced all the time. It’s wonderful to create something different. If you’d had the chance to decide for yourself when to engage with a topic—whether through project work, a self-chosen book, or something that sparks your interest—the sense of purpose wouldn’t even be questioned. It’s automatic because the intrinsic motivation is there. That’s a massive lever that many parents aren’t even aware of, the positive impact it has. Many have such limited imagination when it comes to giving kids that freedom and letting things happen. As an adult, tolerating that is often a challenge. They think, “They’re wasting their time, they just played all day.” Or, “What about qualifications?” From the first grade, people ask about qualifications, not what interests the child, how they’re doing, or what they bring. That’s secondary to what degree they might get after 10th, 11th, or 12th grade or what that degree even says about the person. Absolutely. I have a great role model in my sister, who raises her son very freely. She works closely with horses, studying and teaching horse communication. She does an amazing job giving him clear boundaries, which are important, while allowing him lots of opportunities to try things out without instilling fears. I find that impressive. We already have a great community here, all thinking in a similar direction. It’s interesting how even those who believe, “My child won’t learn anything without school,” are starting to change their minds. For me, the key moment was watching the film *Being and Becoming*, which is about free learning. I thought, if there weren’t compulsory school attendance in Germany, that would definitely be my path. It’s tough for many families, especially single-parent ones, but in a community, it’s different. When you have lots of influences and people doing different things authentically, following their gut, that trust you mentioned earlier—this reawakened gene—is a massive part of wanting to follow your own path and making it possible. There’s always a solution to every challenge the universe throws at us. It’s an opportunity to grow beyond yourself. Human consciousness is always striving to listen. If it’s not labeled as a mistake or misbehavior but seen as a challenge and opportunity to grow, that’s a huge step toward awareness. I wish more people could recognize this for themselves because I often see them give up after one failure and retreat to the system. No, it’s just a challenge, and there are ways to overcome it through knowledge expansion or different solutions if you want to. How beautiful is it to pass that on to young people—follow your heart, follow your path, and you can solve any challenge because they’re there for you to solve. They’re tailored to you, and if that trust is preserved from the start—because it’s not something you need to instill, it’s already there—that’s all you need to protect and strengthen. There are still many who think differently, but it’s changing. It’s a transformation process. You just need to talk to people, no matter where you are. Hardly anyone is truly satisfied with the education system. Everyone has their own baggage from their school days, their kids, grandkids, or neighbors’ kids. Everyone has a story where something feels off, where you think, okay, that could be improved. It’s exciting to bring movement to this massive apparatus. How do you do that? The system hits massive limits because it’s so convoluted. I haven’t spoken to anyone who didn’t think what we’re doing is great. Some said, “Oh, that’s not for me,” but I think they just can’t quite imagine it yet. Letting kids do what they want—people think, “They won’t learn anything, they’ll just mess around.” But that’s the mindset if you haven’t tried it yourself. Most people only know the classic state school system—square, practical, good, and not beyond its boundaries. So, what are your plans here? Tell us about your project. We want to create a learning space that acts as the foundation for an educational network. We’ve already found a potential building nearby. We started without a building but were able to adopt the pedagogical concept from another founding initiative that tried to open a school just before or during COVID. It didn’t work out for them, and we connected with them, thinking maybe we could join forces. But they’d already given up. Many from their team had emigrated or moved elsewhere, and then COVID hit, so nothing happened. Their initiator’s kids were enrolled in another free school, and she spends half her day driving back and forth. But she’s already said she’d like to pre-register her second child with us if it works out. She wrote an amazing pedagogical concept, and I asked if I could read it. I’m not from education and don’t see myself as a pedagogue. I’m just someone who says, school wasn’t good for me, so I want to create something different for my kids. I bring the energy, organize, and connect people. You’re founding a free school without being a pedagogue? No, I’m not a pedagogue, and I don’t want to be employed as one or work in the pedagogical field. I’d love to bring projects I’m passionate about, like gardening, crocheting, or yoga, and show them to the kids because I know some would be interested. But otherwise, I’m not in the pedagogical realm. I organize, and I have no training for it—just the inner fire and the feeling that it’s right. That’s what matters—bringing the fire and the idea. It’s a common misconception that you need to be a teacher or principal to start a free school. “You’re just a mom!” Who knows kids better than moms? Society often undervalues motherhood, and many don’t realize that. People have asked me, “Are you a teacher?” No, I don’t want to be, don’t need to be. We hire teachers. I’m the chair of the nonprofit we founded last year, keeping the whole thing running. We started with 13 members, about 5 or 6 are active, sometimes more, sometimes less. We’re revising the pedagogical concept now that we have the building, diving deeper into the vision and adjusting it to fit. I got to read the concept back then and asked if we could have it. She gave it to us with a gift agreement, trusting I’d do something good with it. Now we’re creating. We’re still looking for teachers, just had an info booth, and collected lots of donations, which was a huge step. We thought, wow, that happened fast. We made an info brochure explaining what we want to do. By aiming for an educational network, we want to proactively address the shortage of skilled workers by building close ties between students and local, national, or international businesses. We’re aiming for 30 to 40 kids max, from first to tenth grade, so there needs to be lots of external exchange. We want to open workshops and projects to students from other schools so they can join in the afternoons. We’re planning a pilot project, if feasible with staffing, to have the school open with flexible hours, so kids can say, “I feel like learning this now,” or “My project starts at 1 PM,” and attend accordingly. There’ll be some fixed meetings, like reflection talks, planned with students. We’ll start with pedagogues to create a basic framework, then build and shape it with the students, seeing what works and what doesn’t. We’ll work in courses covering core subjects, offered mornings and afternoons, so kids can choose what suits them and attend voluntarily. From seventh grade, we’ll discuss if they want a qualification and, if so, suggest attending certain courses or acquiring the knowledge elsewhere. We can start projects with students to cover that knowledge without frontal teaching. There’ll be offers with external learning opportunities or people coming in, like someone who loves building birdhouses. I thought, how cool is that? It’s a project that could interest many students and cover so many subjects. When you cook with kids, you can teach so many skills and content—it’s incredible what you can pack in. I shadowed at several free schools last year and found it fascinating. At first, I felt like an alien, thinking, what’s happening here? Can I stand up? Can I leave the room? Can I do something else? But over the day, it got more relaxed, and I asked if I could join. They took me to a school assembly, and I thought it’d be boring, but no—it was just the students who wanted to be there. The others did something else. The students led it, with two pedagogues present, but the communication was so equal. “What’s your argument for that? Okay, that makes sense.” It was such a great interaction, so open, diligent, and independent. They moved around, found workspaces, and said, “We want to work on this project, so we need a room,” searching the school for a free space. You see the difference in behavior—trained to be independent, find solutions, like a quiet workspace to focus, instead of asking, “Where can I sit?” It’s worlds apart. Enabling those freedoms, letting kids find solutions, and being there only if they need help is often a matter of the adult’s mindset—whether it’s a teacher, pedagogue, or any adult working with kids. I often notice that this basic attitude—eye-level interaction, mindful communication, avoiding overreach or aggressive arguing, and drawing out responses based on the child’s age—is a massive lever that can tip things one way or another. I’m excited to see what pedagogues will join us. If you feel called, come on! I’ve seen teachers at other free schools who moved from other states because they said it’s worth it. We need at least two teachers, one with a second state exam for the principal role, but two could suffice—one for primary and one for secondary level 1, maybe taking on the principal role. We’ve had lots of wilderness educators, childcare workers, and parents who want to create something with the kids. My drive is to create a place where I’d love to go and learn too. There’ll be courses or projects I’d want to join. It’s so exciting. It’s a huge lever for creativity in founding or concept development. It sounds like a living organism, constantly evolving, not rigid. That’s often a misconception—once a concept is approved, it’s set in stone for 30 years. But this ongoing learning process, being open to change, is a big point. Absolutely, in our concept, it’s mentioned on nearly every page that decisions are made in reflection with students, ensuring it feels right for them, and can always be adjusted. We’ve drafted a space concept, and students will decide on that too. We’re aiming for a sociocratic decision-making system, where everyone who wants to can be involved, finding solutions that work for all—not just majority rule where the minority loses out, but asking, “Why doesn’t this work for you? What’s your suggestion?” We’re not that deep into it yet, just said sociocratic. I’m engaging with this for the first time and am so grateful. I’m thankful I didn’t have to write the pedagogy concept—it’s not my thing. It was another puzzle piece showing it’s the right path. It just came to us, and I read it and thought, yes, exactly, that’s how we want it. That was the moment I knew we had to start a school. More came up, but I can cover other areas. We still need a few more people for certain roles, but having practiced manifesting lately, I’m confident that once I clearly define what we need and feel it, they’ll show up. Right now, the focus is on the building, ensuring it all works out. We’ve been to the planning office with the lawyer, and we’re getting there step by step. The building found us—people approached us and said, “By the way, we have a building.” It was through many steps, talking about it, meeting people while looking elsewhere, and networking. The architect followed the same impulse, donating all their work hours up to the building application. It’s so beautiful, and some of these people had never dealt with free schools before but now say, “That sounds so cool!” You don’t even need kids or grandkids to be excited. We have several people whose kids are grown or live far away, saying, “That’s great, I want to be part of it.” If you want, you can make a quick call for what you need, when, and how much, so people can find you. We’ll put Tasja’s and the initiative’s contact details, including bank info, under the video so you know where the massive funds go! First, we need donations and help for the building permit and renovation. I’m sure the right people will find us, wanting to support. Crucially, we need the right pedagogues because it depends on the people working with the kids—those fed up with the old system or who’ve never worked in it, open to new structures, and ideally ready to join now and actively build this project. That’d be wonderful. If you feel called, pick up the phone, write, or reach out to Erdenkinder. You can contact me too, and we’ll connect quickly. Thank you so much for your support, for holding my hand, for the roadmap that’s really helped. We’ve achieved so much because of it, come so far. It’s been great having you always there when I thought, oh God, I don’t know what to do next. You were there, and it was so enriching, helping me keep the energy alive. We wouldn’t be where we are now without it. It’s my soul’s mission. Having such a vibrant crew is a beautiful opportunity to make a meaningful impact. If you can write “love my job” under it, that’s amazing. I’ve been all over now, in every state at least once. It’s exciting. When it’s all running, I don’t need to wait for everything to collapse before building alternatives. That’s not how it works. You need alternatives ready as things fall apart, so people know where to turn. You keep evolving too. Awesome, Tasja, I’m out of questions for now. Thanks for letting us be here. I’ll pass the final word to you for the people before heading home. I’m incredibly grateful to walk this path and to have walked a big part with you. I’m excited to see where it goes and that more people are ready to stand up and take this step. It’s amazing what happens, the people you meet, and the wonders that appear in your life. So, I want to encourage everyone—if you feel this is the right path, go for it, follow it, and don’t let yourself be discouraged. Giving up isn’t an option. Beautiful. That wraps up our exciting interview. Heartfelt thanks, Tasja, for sharing your soul. I hope you had fun and that our thoughts resonated, maybe inspiring you to reach out. We’re here for you. See you at the next interview, and feel free to leave a comment below. We’ll put Tasja’s contact details under the video. Bye until next time! [Music]Author: AI-Translation - Michael Thurm | vor dem 01.07.2024 |
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