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“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that they are someone already, today.”
― Stacia Tauscher

For visitors to Green School, you will know there are beautiful bamboo classrooms but no hallways linking the rooms together. This is unsettling to many new parents as well as people who come on tours. 

“I see you don’t have covered areas between the classrooms,” someone will ask. “What happens when it rains?”

“They get wet,” we respond. 

“And the grounds don’t have paved paths. What happens when they fall?” they challenge.

“They skin their knees and get up,” we reply. 

There is a momentary pause as they consider whether we are being rude, silly, or dismissive. When they realize we are being moderately serious they ponder, nod, not always sure whether to believe us or not. 

We do have umbrellas. And when a child falls and scrapes their knee we help them up and give them love. We support and care for our students but we also know they are independent and capable. As a society, we have created a culture where we fear children getting wet will lead to illness and that a minor scrape requires medical professionals.

Middle School students learning in nature…in our campus mud pit!

We share a document with interested parents entitled, “Is Green School Bali the Right School for You?” A few of the highlights:

• • Embrace supported risk-taking, for example, climbing, using tools to make things, knives in the kitchen, running in flip-flops, and climbing coconut trees.
  • Accept as parents, that our children will lose items on the campus that may never be seen again.
  • Know that challenges and difficulties are opportunities for growth – agreeing that it’s not helpful to rescue at every hardship and remove reasonable obstacles.

As parents, we believe we can shape our children to be the perfect being. If we read to them each night, teach them to kick a ball, have them master advanced algebra at 10, play an instrument, help them make friends, and assist them with their writing then everything will turn out just fine. 

We know this isn’t true although we may not want to admit it. A voice inside of us continues to confirm we are doing the right thing. But all we need to do is look in the mirror and reflect on those around us to know the shortcomings of our parental control. 

While there are thousands of books on parenting, anyone who is a parent will tell you parenting is not a science. Yes, it’s a good idea to help your kid read and do math. We don’t want our kids to smoke and drink. They should be kind. In the end, however, children are so uniquely different that when we try to Chicken-Soup-for-the-Soul our kids we find what helped Billy isn’t that great for Ingrid. 

The unfortunate part of being a kid is that society will not just let them be. Parents look at their children through a lens of fear: “I was terrible at French so Tommy will be terrible so I am going to get him a tutor even though I know it will make him miserable.” First of all, who cares if your kid knows French? Second of all, maybe they don’t want to learn French. Thirdly, they will be just fine in this world if they don’t know French (unless of course if they live in France then this could be a handicap). 

We are so afraid of just accepting that our kids are normal that we need to celebrate their successes on Facebook and Instagram, telling the world that they got a perfect test score or that they got into a top university. But we never ask our kids if they want us to be doing that. Why are we comparing our kids to each other? Is it for them or is it for us? All kids are great. All kids are normal. In the end, no kids are really exceptional. They do exceptional things BUT when you look at the total package they are pretty normal. This is OK. If we just take the pressure off of our kids then maybe they won’t have the same problems we have because of what our parents did to us.

Parents and students celebrate V-Day at Green School together

Books, workshops, therapy, and Podcasts have their role and can be helpful. We all learn differently and answers come from a variety of different places. But one of the best ways for us to be better parents is to be honest with each other and share our challenging stories. We all know the father who sits in a group talking about his perfect daughter is not telling the truth. He knows it as well. If he hears others talking honestly about their kids then he receives permission to share. While we say The Bridge @ Green School is a place for parents to wear their adult hats, the reality is we never stop being parents. Talking and sharing with others is a powerful way for us to support each other and develop. 

Does this mean we should love our kids less? No. Does this mean we should let them do whatever they want? No. But it does mean we need to have an honest awareness of how complicated parenting is and in the end our only job is to keep them relatively safe and love them as best we can. We aren’t doing what we do because we hate our kids. We do it because we love them too much. And that is also our duty to love our kids too much. We just need to manage the fear component and trust them more. 

You can try to protect your kid forever. It is scary to let go. But they won’t be happy. 

As John Shedd tells us:

 “A ship in a harbour is safe but that is not what ships are built for.” 

Sail away, sail away, sail away…

Green School students sail on Gunter Pauli’s solar-powered boat

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Our focus on lifelong learning and being willing to “bend like bamboo” has without a doubt served our community when it came to navigating the many challenges we faced over the past two years. Now, as Bali re-opens and our school begins a new, post-pandemic chapter, we take time to reflect on the lessons COVID-19 has taught, asking faculty from across our learning environment – Early Years to High School – to share their most impactful lessons.

“Our graduates over the past 7 years consistently rate their ability to move through the world with resilience as ‘Very to Extremely High’…This is our gift to them. And this is a gift that will keep on giving, over and over throughout their lives and for the good of the world. Perpetually adaptive lives – when you think about it, that is all we are ever doing. If we look back into the past, we see adaptation as not just a function of evolution but as a driver of change. When we look forward, the ability to adapt will decide how future generations live on this beautiful planet”  – Sal Gordon, Head of Teaching and Learning

“For me personally, this pandemic taught me how to slow down and be more calm, understanding, and compassionate towards others. I have learned to see that everyone has their own issues and struggles, and we are all experiencing some level of anxiety or stress. We need to come from a place of understanding, and practice mindfulness and empathy towards others.” – Kenny Peavy, Primary School Teacher

“This experience forced me to take a step back, and realize it’s not about ‘how am I going to teach?’ it’s ‘how are my students going to learn?’. And then the focus is what am I going to do to help them learn and learn HOW to learn. Because kids today really need to learn how to learn if they are going to face challenges like this in the future.” – Francis Mollet, High School Literacy & Language Teacher/Founder of SOAP

“The pandemic really revealed how relationships are the foundation of our community here, and how important it is to have spaces – both physically and virtually – for students to feel accepted, acknowledged, and valued as well as safe to make mistakes. I really feel our parent-teacher conferences were an essential touchpoint during this time to nurture those relationships, not to focus on student proficiency, but to have a group discussion – with parent, student, and teacher – about how a student is modeling Green School skills and values”  – Michael Spicer, Primary School Teacher & Co-creator of Green School Anywhere

“COVID-19 taught us to make health a and even bigger priority – both the health of our students (which is always a priority at Green School), but also our own health as teachers – both physical and mental – because we need that time to get strong, to reflect and to be with our family so that we show up better for our students.”  – Rahayu Kusuma Pratiwi, High School Maths & Science Teacher

“Believe it or not, this has been a positive experience. COVID-19 provided me with a great opportunity to innovate and solve problems creatively. It pushed me to fast-forward my digital know-how, as I have to continually improve my digital communication skills and adapt quickly to new systems to work with my students. My work-life balance improved as life slowed down. I have found ways to stay connected with loved ones, friends, neighbours and others in the local community – even if just virtually.” – Desak Putu Ratmini, M.Pd (Ibu Dee), Primary Physical Wellbeing Teacher

As our principal, Sal Gordon says, “When designing a new paradigm for what a school should be, in this radically changing world – one of the most important things our children must learn is the ability to adapt.” At Green School, we lead by the excellent example our educators have shown on how to adapt to not just survive by THRIVE in the face of change.

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Celebrating World Wildlife Day at Green School
March 3, 2021

At Green School we have three types of teachers: human, plant and animal.

Viewing wildlife in this light – with an understanding that all living things have value, and important lessons to share – is fundamental to how we nurture in students a responsible and respectful relationship with the natural world. 

Our dream is for a world where all students emerge from school as empathetic, collaborative and kind human beings who feel an innate responsibility and respect for all forms of life on this planet. By doing this, we can help to stem the disturbingly massive and rapidly accelerating loss of biodiversity around the world. 

“Our skills and values-based learning programs not only allow students to learn about wildlife, but create opportunities for all members of our school community to learn, share, take action and celebrate in ways that build strong relationships with our beautiful natural world,” says Sal Gordon, our Head of School at Green School Bali. “At Green School, the natural environment is our classroom, where we learn about and with the wildlife on our campus.”

Green School students learn early on not just to tolerate the wild world, but to revel in it – the mud, the rain, the heat and the critters! By learning to work with nature, not against it, an understanding takes root of its reciprocity. What you give to our fellow plants and animals – whether through rescuing frogs or tending to chickens – you always get back…and then some! 

These principles are also rooted in the traditional Balinese philosophy of life, the Tri Hita Karana or “three causes of wellbeing.” The Tri Hita Karana preaches a harmonious life; harmony with God, harmony with other human beings, and harmony with our environment. It is a constant reminder that human beings aren’t the centre of the universe, but rather a part of a much larger ecosystem where each organism has an important role to play. 

This realisation, that even something as small and seemingly insignificant as an earthworm is as important as human beings in our ecosystem, is a step towards a more kinder life where we respect, and live in harmony with nature and all its habitat.

https://theconversation.com/earthworms-are-more-important-than-pandas-if-you-want-to-save-the-planet-74010#:~:text=Arguably%20without%20earthworms%20in%20our,work%20in%20the%20soil%20below.

Experience our nature-immersed campus and the wildlife that’s a part of it through these photos.

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In 1909, when the first International Women’s Day was observed, women could not vote or hold public office. While the struggle for gender equality and women’s empowerment continues to this day, we have come a long way. At Green School, we believe that schools are as much spaces for teaching and learning, as for thinking critically and taking action. From an early age, students are encouraged to reflect, question and make an impact now. One of the areas where our community seeks to make impact now, is in making our society more equitable and re-imagining a better world for our women and girls … be it through our unique approach to Valentine’s Day, which is observed as Violence Against Women Day, or through our Quests and Greenstone programs, which are capstone projects for Middle and High School respectively where a number of projects focus on this very mission.

 

On this International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating four Indonesian women in our community, who epitomize the mission of making an impact, who make themselves heard, and who continue to inspire us every day.

 

Ibu Putu Eka Sri Arianstini is the embodiment of female empowerment. She is a mother of three daughters, financially supporting her family, on the governing council of her Banjar (village) and the Executive Assistant to Head of High School & Indonesian Studies Teacher at Green School Bali. 

“Being a mother and juggling all these responsibilities is sometimes hectic but I am motivated to prove that as Balinese women, we are able to do things no one thought were possible. As women we should nurture our families, serve our communities and create opportunities as well as support other women in the professional arena. I am driven by a belief in the power of action and belief in an individual’s ability to influence social change.”

 

Yuka witnessed first hand the impact of COVID on her community, and especially on women and girls where she saw many women lose their jobs. As a Green School Bali High School Student and Local Scholar, Yuka was motivated to spend her Greenstone – a High School capstone project at Green School – to address this issue. Her mission: to improve the livelihoods of Balinese women across the island. 

“Now more than ever I realize how incredibly fortunate I am, and seeing these Balinese girls and women struggling, hurts me. I feel the need to do something for the Balinese girls and women. I want to empower them. I want to help them.”

 

Ibu Puri Wahyuni’s love for science was born in High School, when a biology teacher really nurtured her interest in science and encouraged her to participate in class. She decided to pursue a degree in Biology and inspired by her mother, who is a Science teacher for Middle School, Ibu Puri also became a teacher. Ibu Puri has been teaching at Green School for eleven years. 

“My students and I share thoughts and ideas; I learn tremendously from my students, and what I value about the Green School ethos is how, together, we are a community of lifelong learners.”

 

Dr. Ni Putu Tirka Widanti, is the President of the Kul-Kul Foundation at Green School Bali, the legal entity governing the school. She has dedicated her life to the field of education in Bali. From a family with a rural, agrarian background, she went on to become a Senior Lecturer and Rector/Chancellor of University Ngurah Rai, a researcher on Balinese culture, an advocate for female empowerment, as well an Advisor in the Bali Legislative Council in addition to her role at Green School. 

“Balinese women truly appreciate, and are viewed as the custodians of, Balinese family life and culture. But they also have tremendous capability as professionals with their strong work ethic. My message to young women out there is that as long as you are affecting positive change, do not be afraid to express your opinion in public, no matter what societal norms set out for you. It is obligatory to have a voice, to give, and be an example, if you want others in your community to follow suit and be better.”

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Dita joined Green School in 2017 as part of the Innovation Hub. Without her, many electrical projects on campus simply would not have happened. She has been instrumental over the past 3 years helping to install and maintain 4 renewable energy systems on campus that have brought Green School Bali close and sometimes to 100% powered by renewables. 

Most notably, this year Dita took on the role of Robotics Coordinator, and has since launched classes in Primary, Middle and High School with several teachers to lead students through the basics of electronics and robotics.

All of this combined equals one person, Dita, who continually amazes everyone she works with because of her dedication and persistence and interest in all things electronics and projects while teaching students the importance of these topics. Here is her story.

For as long as she could remember, Dita Anggraini loved math and science. But growing up in a small village in Indonesia, Dita was often told that there was little use for her to study, that her role as a girl was helping her mother at home, and as a woman, it was by the side of her husband, raising children. Her family found her aspirations bewildering. But the discouragement Dita faced did not dampen her passions.

“As I grew older, I realized that technology is the key to civilization but around the world, natural resources are exploited in the pursuit of technology. I came to believe that science in the hands of someone with love for nature can solve problems communities face, without destroying the environment,” Dita recalls.

Dita’s growing love for sustainability along with her passion for technology made her a misfit in an environment where women over centuries had taken on very traditional roles. Dita wanted to prove that women can excel at anything, even male-dominated fields like engineering. She enrolled in an engineering program at Gadjah Mada University and in her final year, came across an opportunity for an internship at Bio Bus-a social enterprise that provides green transportation to the Green School Bali community. Her love for technology and nature found a home at the Green School and she began working with Operation Rain or Shine (OROS), the school’s biggest renewable energy project, while also completing her undergraduate thesis.

“When I joined Green School in 2017, there weren’t many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) based courses. I wanted to use renewable energy and electronics, to show students and the larger community that technology and nature can complement each other,” she says. Upon Graduation, Dita took up the position of Project Management Associate at the Green School and became involved in many renewable energy and green building projects around the campus. “In just 18 months, we were able to take the school from 13% to 100% renewable,” she says.

Working with her colleague Daniel, she established the Project Centre as an accelerator for students’ projects, providing mentorship, micro-funding and connecting students with the right resources to accelerate project development. Since August 2019, Dita has been working at the Innovation Hub as a facilitator for electronics and robotics learning. “In this role, I am able to share my knowledge with students and the larger community through a variety of workshops and classes,” she says.

Riding her motorcycle to the Green School campus from North Denpasar every day, Dita’s days are busy. Each term, she facilitates a range of courses focused on coding, technical aspects of renewable energy, robotics, design-thinking, coral reefs and even puppet-making. And much of her work involves helping students turn their ideas into reality. “I never assume that I know more than my students, or I am smarter than them. A lot of times my students throw ideas at me that I could never think of. I believe that when teachers and students learn and grow together, it can lead to wonderful innovation”.

But Dita’s passion for fostering innovation and love for technology among young people is not limited to the Green School. Dita has also co-founded a non-profit social community called Cahya Abisatya Innovation Lab that works to raise awareness about the importance of Food-Energy-Water Nexus and support Indonesian youth in implementing their ideas through seed funding and mentorship. “Working at the Green School has encouraged me to pursue my dreams and inspired me to work towards empowering other Indonesian women. I dream of a world free from discrimination. A world that provides the same opportunity for everyone to grow. My mission is to support Indonesian women in pursuing higher education, especially in fields such as engineering,” she says.

This article is the first of our four-part International Women’s Day series, celebrating inspiring women of Green School.

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Heart of School, Green School’s main building was constructed within 6 months in 2008 and is one of the largest bamboo structure in the world.

Some of pioneer teachers back in 2008.

Green School Early Years Classroom.

Green School Millenium Bridge, entirely made of bamboo and inspired by the traditional house of Minang Kabau, West Sumatera, Indonesia.

One of Green School classrooms

Green School Physical Education on the soccer field.

Trash Walk, a walk around our campus and village to collect trash and educate students about the importance of waste management (2012).

Kul Kul Connection, Green School’s Community Integration Program was established in 2013.

Green School’s Kul Kul Connection runs the “Trash for Class” Program, where local students learn English and Sustainability Courses in Green School after school hours and pay the class with 5 kg of trash per semester.

Ban Ki-moon, the former UN Secretary-General visited Green School in 2014 when he said “… I have visited many different places and many schools but Green School is the most unique and impressive school I have ever visited.”

Green School is unique in many ways, one of which is because of the parents community. Green School parents are inspiring people who have plenty of creative ideas and solutions, willing to support with real-life skills and expertises, and generous to give a hand to volunteer in the School projects. Green School Parents Association was established in 2015.

Green School Bio Bus, a student-led social enterprise that runs on used cooking oil, was incubated in 2014 to tackle the environmental problem of used cooking oil black market in Bali.

Green School Primary students’ Chicken Coop Project

Green School Campus

Green School Primary students’ activism

Green School Primary students rice harvesting

Green School’s Community Innovation Hub, newly opened in 2018, is a maker-space for students to incubate ideas and turn them into real-life projects.

Green School High School students learn in the 3D printing class.

Let Your Green Soul Shine, a fundraising concert with Michael Franti in January 2018.

Green School Early Years students planted trees as their legacy to mark the 10-year celebration of Green School Bali on August 31, 2018.

Green School celebrated its 10 Year Anniversary with a special visit from the Co-Founders, John and Cynthia Hardy, School Assembly, Music, Dance, Cake and the launch of New Logo and Brand Identity.

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PURNAMA is the day after the new moon and it holds special significance in Bali. It is the day the “Gods descend to the earth and give their blessings.” At Green School, the Junior School honours this auspicious day with a ceremony.

Pak Dee assembles the children in front of the Green School shrine, dressed in a golden yellow cloth. It is at 8.30am and the children are taken through their Hindu prayers to the Gods.

They sit with their eyes closed, hands pressed together and held high in front of their faces while the sun continues to climb above the palm trees.

Banana leaf baskets filled with flowers for an offering are placed at their feet. They sit, the boys in their udengs, baju kokos, and saputs, the girls in their kebayas, selendangs, and kamens.  Pak Dee explains how “hundreds of ceremonies are held in all corners of the island to honour the gods and to show respects for the ancestors”.

Children hold their offerings above their heads whilst repeating a traditional Balinese prayer.

They place flowers behind their ears. They open their palms upwards whilst the women go around and sprinkle water on their heads.

They take three sips of water from cups that are handed around while receiving their Purnama blessing.

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THRIFT STORE NEWS

The opening of the KemBali Thrift Store was a great success. In our first 7 days, we had over 150 customers and sold over 500 individual items!! WOW!#

RECYCLING NEWS

As part of the Middle and High School ‘Jalan Jalan’ Wednesdays, the students launched RE RE RABU. The idea of RE RE RABU is to encourage the GS Community to recycle more and to bring it in to KemBali. #

Students have improved the waste management procedures at Green School to make sure all the recycling goes to KemBali, all the organic goes to compost, and as little as possible to landfill. We’ve already started selling our recycling to Eco-Bali.

The recycling centre at KemBali has seen its first week of community clean-ups this week, with Grades 1-5 all helping to collect trash from the area around school. The trash collected comes to KemBali for sorting, most of it is plastic (see picture), which CAN be recycled. Thanks to all the kids and teachers for helping keep our community clean!

The KemBali thrift store has been a major hit – the only problem is keeping it stocked! We have sold hundreds of items in our first month. Money raised from our Thrift Store will cover the running costs of the KemBali centre as well as to put towards our future KemBali projects, which include:

Community plastic bag collection competition (cash prize to be offered to the the school that collects the most used plastic bags – GS and local schools; this will be the focus for our next block of Jalan Jalan Wednesdays)

KemBali Bank Sampah – we hope to set up a ‘cash for trash’ scheme for the local community. These have been show to be very successful in other parts of Indonesia, such as Yogayakarta.

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