If schools would treat kids like special individuals and would use the knowledge and technology of today, what would schools look like? What if school would not only focus on the children’s minds and grades but also on creativity? This way of thinking did not go unnoticed, contrary more schools give consideration to it than ever. An example of one school of those schools is ‘De Kampanje’in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, which is a so-called sudbury school. This is a type of education where children are fully responsible for their own lives, learning and future. These sort of schools do not have imposed classes, but they believe that one big space for the all children (ranging in age, grade level, area of interest, skills and talents) will improve the collaboration and the communication between the different groups. In addition there are no imposed curricula and no imposed quizzes. So the children themselves decide what, how, when and with whom they want to do something. I would not say ‘De Kampanje’ is the perfect way and that all schools should be like that, because I do believe that children benefit from a certain degree of structure and regularity, but I do really appreciate the values of the sudbury way of schooling because it is entirely focused on the qualities and skills of children and discovering them independently.
I am glad lots of schools are trying to find a way to create new education formats and to reinvent education for modern times. I hope these initiatives increase with time, for example by local school authorities who will inspire each other to modernize their schooling system and to focus on the individual child and it’s personal skills. Because let’s be honest: schools are no rivals, but educaters with all the same goal: giving children the opportunity to develop themselves as an independent individual with his or her own qualities and to prepare them for the ‘real world’.
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