Finally found a suitable school

I still remember my eldest daughter's first day at school very well: the two blonde pigtails, the thick school rucksack and her curious, excited look as she entered her first class at the Steiner School. My stomach was also tingling. How will she find her way around? Have we made the right decision for her?

What we didn't realise at the time: She would not finish her school career at this institution. Nor at the next one. In total, we will get to know five very different schools before we arrive at the right one for us.

Why not a state school?

But let's start at the very beginning. The question of modern education had been on my mind long before that first day at school. At the time, I found many things at mainstream schools unsatisfactory. I observed so-called bulimic learning: children who swot up on material at short notice only to choke it out again on command. Something that I still consider a waste of time today.

The assessment of the children also seemed to me to focus too much on weaknesses. One example: a colleague's daughter was diagnosed with a «cutting deficit» in kindergarten - because she didn't work properly with scissors.

I also perceived a grading system that was arbitrary and hardly reflected a child's strengths. In such an environment, I saw little room for individual development needs. Teachers and parents seemed to be overly concerned that a child might miss out on something and fall behind. The tug-of-war over joker days seemed petty to me.

I asked myself: couldn't it be more relaxed?

Rethinking education

During that time, my husband and I saw two films that had a lasting impact on us: «Être et Devenir» (2014) explores the topic of «unschooling»: an educational approach in which children learn through their own interests, free from traditional curricula and structures. They can shape their education themselves, without formal boundaries.

We wanted an institution that promotes intrinsic motivation and the joy of learning.

In turn, the film «Alphabet» (2013) criticises the conventional education system and shows how the pressure to perform and standardised examinations weaken creativity and individual potential. Both films invite us to rethink education and focus on promoting intrinsic motivation and the joy of learning.

We wanted an educational institution where this was possible and where occasional absences were not such a problem, because: Our eldest daughter suffered from severe allergies and asthma at the time. She often stayed at home due to her health. We were looking for a school that focussed on the development of children.

Public schools also have their stumbling blocks

The search for the right school model in Switzerland began for both daughters at the Steiner School, followed by a democratic school. When we started our long-term journey, they continued to study at our caravan school. Later, our girls attended an international school in Portugal.

All schools adorned themselves with great mission statements. In our experience, however, there was often a lack of implementation. There was no lack of inspired teachers. Rather, there was a lack of resources, guidelines, expertise (e.g. school social work) and leadership. The result: excessive demands in the classroom, constant teacher changes and even bankruptcy in democratic schools.

A school that travels with you

Anyone who follows the travel series «Happiness travels with you» will know that our living situation is not the Swiss average. However, this doesn't change much about the average nature of our family. We live a normal, routine weekly rhythm - just in different places. What I'm trying to say is that the need for a good education for our daughters remains unchanged by our travelling. What we were sometimes looking for: A school that travelled with us.

The older the child, the more responsibility it takes on.

We found our last educational centre about a year and a half ago. It is a 130-year-old, well-established English correspondence school. Of course, students don't share a classroom there - a central part of everyday school life in most educational centres. However, the fact that we feel so well looked after there has little to do with this. What it does well could also be implemented at other schools. The following five points convince us:

1. communication

Our school's communication with students and parents is reliable, transparent and objective. To this day, it does not promise us anything it cannot deliver and does not try to convince us of any ideologies.

2. responsibility

The aim of this school is to encourage young people to take responsibility for their learning. The school, learners and parents each play their part in the success of learning. The roles are very clear.

The older the child, the greater their area of responsibility. My daughters decide for themselves when and how much they work. This teaches them to organise their time so that they can manage their workload well. What they don't get done today might bite them tomorrow.

3. learning principles

Learning is about thinking for yourself and not about training your short-term memory. Learning assessments can be done with open books. In addition to the grade, my daughters receive detailed feedback from a subject teacher - sometimes via video message. They learn with textbooks as well as a learning platform, videos and other resources.

Learners can participate in various clubs to connect with peers from over 130 countries.

Learning support is separate from knowledge transfer. This makes it possible to address the individual development needs of the learners separately from the subject matter. A learning mentor supports the girls in achieving their individual learning goals. The learning goals are clear - but the way to achieve them is different for each child.

4th relationship

Our school has understood that consistency in relationships is central to motivation to learn. Teachers and learning guides seem to enjoy working for this school on a long-term basis. Something that enables my daughters to develop a personal relationship with learning guides and subject teachers.

There are no joker days. Everyone takes a breather when they need it - including teachers.

As learners do not have traditional classmates, they are encouraged to participate in various clubs to connect with their peers. These include a book club, a chess club, a cookery club, a debating club and even an online choir. There is also a forum where they can meet to socialise and make friends.

None of this is a substitute for a school playground, but it does provide the opportunity to get to know young people from over 130 different countries.

5. individual freedom

No joker days or special authorisations are needed to be absent outside of holiday periods. Everyone takes a short or long break when they need it, including teachers. Larks work in the morning, night owls in the evening. Incidentally, we have also seen that this model works at other schools, even in educational establishments where attendance is compulsory.

Good education must not be a privilege

Even if it may seem irritating in this context, my heart still beats in favour of good public education. Not only because several people in my immediate circle are involved in state schools.

My experience in social psychiatry and in child and youth protection has taught me that for some children, school is the most stable place in life. The future of many learners from socially disadvantaged families depends on the quality of state schools. We are a privileged family that can choose a school. However, a good education should not be a privilege.

I would like to see an education system that better respects the individual development needs of children.

More flexibility in the Swiss school landscape

Many of the parents we met on our school odyssey felt let down by the state school and were looking for alternative solutions. Especially children who were tormented by long periods of sitting still in frontal lessons, but also those with special talents: They were thwarted in their potential by rigid curricula and limited staff resources.

I would therefore like to see more flexibility in the school landscape in Switzerland. I would like to see an education system that better respects the individual development needs of children. This would be achieved through more flexible forms of learning within mainstream schools or through a free choice of school. I would like every child to enjoy going to school.

Because, as Nelson Mandela - who incidentally studied at our distance learning school from prison - said: «Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.»