Life School: A new way of learning in Ibiti
What if the classroom was the forest? At Life School, math can be learned by watching muriquis. Science, by planting trees. And stories, inside an indigenous oca. This is the children's routine at the multilingual, rural school in Ibiti Village, Vila Mogol, where nature is the main textbook and freedom the greatest lesson. Recognized by the MEC, the Life School is a branch of the Centro Educacional Fundação Guairá, in Andrelândia (MG), and offers two multigrade classes, for children aged 3 to 5 and 6 to 10. Open to the global community, it also welcomes children from families staying temporarily at Ibiti, creating an atmosphere of exchange, diversity and hospitality. "We believe that learning is living. That's why we take down the school walls and integrate everyday life into the teaching process," says Lane Machado, director of Life School. Nature as a classroom Here, every natural phenomenon becomes a starting point for learning. The muriquis, for example, inspire interdisciplinary projects involving biology, botany, geography, literature and mathematics. Thus, the contents of the Common National Curriculum Base (BNCC) are approached by the teachers through projects and real experiences, always with play as the guiding thread. In addition, the students have contact with inspirational people: Ibiti professionals who share their diverse knowledge, from gastronomy to the arts, from permaculture to organic cooking. "It takes a whole village to educate a child": this is the maxim that guides the inspirers' project. Non-profit education with a social impact Although it operates as a private school, Life School is a non-profit initiative. This means that all surplus funds are reinvested to provide scholarships for children from the Vila Mogol community and the children of Ibiti Projeto employees. It is an open, diverse and inclusive school, which believes that a transformative education must be accessible and connected to the territory in which it is located. To guarantee its economic sustainability, Life School has an "Adopt a Student" program, through which any person or company can directly support the continuity of the project and increase its social impact. Find out more: @ibiti.lifeschool
