The major crises and changes of our time, above all climate change and the effects of the pandemic, also pose new challenges for schools. Sustainable concepts are needed – whether in terms of sustainability or promoting resilience in children and teachers. Supported by the Ecological Academy from Dietramszell, the Sauerlach elementary school tried to find answers to these questions last week.
Since 1989, the Ecological Academy has been pursuing the goal of inspiring sustainable development on a local and global level through targeted educational work. One way to initiate this development are the “future workshops”, as Thomas Ködelpeter, educational director of the environmental station, explains. According to Ködelpeter, sustainable development not only includes combating the climate crisis, but also the mental well-being of students and teachers, “without that nothing works”. He sees great potential in working with smaller institutions such as schools to make things happen “simply because the bureaucratic inhibition threshold for change is much lower here”.
The future workshop at the Friedrich-von-Aychsteter elementary school, reports Ködelpeter, showed how effective concentrated, joint brainstorming can be. The four groups of children, parents and teachers have all set different goals, which together should create a less stressful and sustainable environment at the primary school. For example, one group would like to advance the digital development that has already begun in the elementary school. “The topic of media competence in particular,” explains the group leader, “is very important to us – iPads for everyone are very helpful, but they can also impair the children’s social interaction.” The group also wants to promote social interaction with the mission “stress-free school for everyone”. Thomas Ködelpeter is optimistic about the coming months, during which the small groups will turn their projects into reality. “There’s really a good team spirit here, and I think that’s the key to a successful implementation.”
Rector Astrid Langwieder is also extremely satisfied with the result of the past two days: “It makes me really proud to see how well we worked together despite some differences of opinion.” This future workshop was the first at the Sauerlach elementary school, “but certainly not the last.” “After all, we adults are responsible for the well-being of the children at our school,” she says, “not only now, but also in the future.”