We have a thing or two to learn from the Balinese

At school I often found it difficult concentrating as the monotony of curriculum-based learning became a bit tedious. I only really remember a few teachers that truly inspired, and they were often the ones that encouraged me to get out and experience the natural wonders this world has to offer, or used creative ways that gave practical application to often confusing theory.

My science teacher in year 10, Mrs. Blackburn, used to use jelly and slices of bread to explain the theory of tectonics and was forever taking us out onto the tennis court to explain some sort of experiment. Although her name escapes me, my A-level Geography teacher deserves equal recognition as if it wasn't for her, taking us onto the hills surrounding campus in gale-force winds, I would never have remembered what the difference was between a cumulonimbus and a stratocumulus.

I find that we are becoming evermore detached from the practical applications of the theories we are taught and learning, through reading the 'core textbook' repeatedly, is somewhat counterintuitive. Getting back to nature opens the mind to creativity and intuition and was partly why I decided to choose a degree in Environmental Science. Field trips and practical experiments were crucial to my learning and although not everyone excels under these circumstances, it allows for the development of creative thought. Throughout the centuries, ideas founded by great philosophers, alchemists and academics have often been due to eureka moments experienced whilst looking to the stars, or staring at rocks, or indeed taking a bath.

I am currently reading Animate Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia, by Stephen Harding. His insightful rhetoric shows how 'Gaian science can help us to develop a sense of connectedness with the more-than-human world'. One can integrate intuition, sensing and feeling into scientific analysis and I believe this is only possible if teaching allows this to happen through the abolishment of the standard curriculum.

I have obviously taken an interest in Bali as I will be spending several months there, but I was recommended by John Rowley, founder of Planet 21 (People&thePlanet), to visit the Green School as it may appeal to me.

Opening my browser to the Green school website, I was immediately absorbed in their mission. With a statement such as this (see below), I knew I had stumbled on something special. It is a school of my childhood dreams. A utopia that combines beauty and passion, learning and experience. Reflective of what Stephen Harding mentions in his opening chapters, this new approach is reconnecting students to Anima Mundi. An approach I feel imperative in our current ecological crisis, this way of thinking is somewhat primiative but is essential to broaden the mind and allow for a sustainable future. We have a thing or two to learn from the Balinese, and it starts with education.

"Empowering global citizens and green innovators who are inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world."

General Curriculum, Green School, Bali.


Although my time will be mainly spent working with rice farmers, if I have the opportunity I will definitely be paying the Green school a visit.