Madeira Consorcio

82 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 13.7.2016

Visit to the “Escola da Semente”

The Escola is run by “Germinar – Associação sem fins lucrativos”

The Escola is based on the fact that Portugal allowed home schooling in the 1970’s The Secretary of Education is aware of the project and endorsed the project.

There are several projects like this in the country, and the Escola is well-linked with these other projects. There is a good information exchange under the umbrella of “Rede da Educação Viva”(http://www.educacaoviva.pt/) This national Network is proposing changes to the Government to adapt the regular education system to this form of learning,

Teachers in the “regular” system are also unhappy about the work they have to do. They can use the options of “Ilha Verde” (http://pt.blastingnews.com/madeira/2015/03/ilha-verde-educacao-em-liberdade-celebra-um-ano-fantastico-00307129.html ), an initiative which provides training for teachers for alternative education (promover a educação holística, transformadora e integral).

The Escola It is based on the initiative of parents (formerly a “Grupo de Walldorf”) who created the association (also to deal with the Secretária de Educação). The parents are responsible for the education, they cannot abdicate this responsibility to the Tutors. The parents provide the organic food or ingredients and have to do the cleaning. Every two weeks, the whole group has meetings to inform and keep things on course.

The Escola is situated in  Funchal. They have there a good sized garden and a house with resting room, “school” room (with  blackboard painted on the wall) and kitchen, also some animals and a herb garden.

At this time, the Escola accommodates 9 children aged 5 – 10. They always have two adults there, so the ratio is 1:4

It started as ATL (Activities after school) ; the two children who came from a public school were confused in the beginning, now they have adapted well to their new freedom.

The Escola opens around 8,45h and is available until around 18,30h

The school was open all year last year but this year, the Tutors will take holidays in August.

They have many outings, such as theatre visits and excursions, to expose the children to the “real world”.

The activities depend on the persons who are available. The Potter teaches the children to work with natural materials, singers might come by and painters, to teach the children what they are interested in. The parents are heavily involved in the Escola, they have two Tutors. Cr.is partly being paid be the Secretária de Educação. The Escola’s income (school fees and donations) and costs are transparent to the participants, they are published in an Excel sheet so all parents can at any time who pays what and how the money is being spent.  The Tutors are organizing “festas” to obtain funds.

The project exists since one year.

The daily life:

Free play, then storytelling, singing, working in the herb garden, tending the animals, yoga, work with materials, depending on who comes in to teach a craft. By the by, the children learn math, physics and chemistry, also Portuguese. The children are not exposed to new technologies in the Escola, they (may) get this art home.

What is needed:

• More openness connection into the community
• Fundraising
• More have more children and parents
• Donations of money and natural materials
• Crowdfunding or other sources of income to pay the teachers, food and materials
• Mission statement
• Website/Blog