The primary goal of a 21st century school should be the preparation of the younger generation for life in the global world. A child should learn how to correctly interpret what happens to him day by day: why do people relate to him the way they do, and what is the right way to relate to them in order to be happy? He must feel where he is free and where he is not; he ought to become familiar with the laws of nature that operate on the individual and on the general, and to understand where they lead us. And finally, in the framework of their studies, children need to become aware of their inner structure — of their desires, of their characteristics and of the things which motivate them in life. The best way to do this is by encouraging children to discuss these issues amongst themselves as much as possible and to form ties of friendship and trust with their peers.

A school for the wisdom of life need not include “lessons” in the same sense we are familiar with today. Teachers seemingly do not even teach; instead, they speak with the children. The overcrowded classroom, blackboard and eraser should frequently be exchanged for sitting in the school yard, under the shadow of a tall tree or by the beach. Occasions where the teacher stands in front of children sitting behind desks and staring at him as if he was a statue should rarely exist during these studies. Everything should involve discussions and joint conversations within an atmosphere of equality and mutual respect.

How exactly are these discussions conducted?

Whether the discussions take place in the classroom or in nature, the setting should be in a circle as equals. Everyone sees everyone else; there is no child who sits at the head of the class, and no child sits in the back. Every lesson, the children change their seats so that they get to know each other and to feel comfortable with different friends.

Each discussion group should consist of approximately 10 members. However, there should be many such lessons during the day, each composed of a different group of students in order to make the educational process as open and dynamic as possible. The children in the school should not be divided into grades or classes. On the contrary, we must show him that the whole school is really a single body, in which there are no boundaries and in which everything is open for everyone. A rigid division into groups can be particularly damaging to the self confidence of children — they become accustomed to a certain group much like they become accustomed to their bed or to their room at home, and they subsequently have trouble detaching from the sensation of belonging which they have developed, and to feel confident in other groups. As a result, a dependency on the framework is created, which does not disappear even after the child grows up.

Why are so many discussion needed?

Discussions allow the child to explore his own world and inclinations, to find ways to control himself, and to learn how to properly express himself and communicate with other children. When a issue is addressed, the children help each other arrive at a joint solution, and it can be seen how they advance as a result of the mutual support between them. The discussion format allows every child to express himself in his own way — everyone responds to what was said, states how they feel, or even writes a few sentences or creates a drawing which describes the topic being discussed.

In order to help the children extract the best from themselves, we prepare them for such conversations in advance. They are told the topic of the lesson beforehand so that they will have time to think about what they want to say. To help with this, it is useful to schedule some independent time for the students during the day. Then, every day, each student is responsible for preparing a short review on a topic which is related to the subject being studied, and puts together questions for a joint discussion with the friends. Thus, the children will gradually learn to express themselves in front of an audience, to advocate and to accuse, actually to play all the roles which we need to fulfill as a part of society.

Does a new topic need to be discussed in every lesson?

It is not necessary to exhaust every topic to its fullest. Sometimes it is worthwhile to continue the subject at a later time and in a different lesson. We must know that a demanding schedule that requires solving a pre-determined number of problems within a limited timeframe actually leads the child to run away from responsibility, and to eagerly await the end of the lesson. Conversely, if children understand that the problem does not disappear at the end of the lesson, it will make them feel that they are taking a part in a general process called “life,” and that they cannot run away from the problems which arise among them. They must solve them at one stage or another.

It is recommended and very important to film the conversations which the guides and the children conduct in order to allow the entire class to watch the lesson afterwards and to learn from it. How was the conversation conducted? In what ways did they cooperate with each other? Did they express themselves properly and understood each other? In this way, children will be able to make the most of the lesson.

Additionally, this allows the children to return every once in a while to old recordings and to check whether their attitude to the subject has changed. It is possible to show the children recordings that are a month or two-months old, or even two or three years old, in order to see how they responded — not in order to embarrass them, but rather to demonstrate to them the natural developmental process which they are a part of, and to allow them to observe themselves from the side, with a full perspective.