And then we will need a new definition of the function of teachers.

It is known that, you can only give, what you have. Education means setting examples, being yourself, to go your own way. When I want to motivate other (special children), to be themselves, to love themselves, to respect themselves and to live their lives authentically, then I should, as their teacher (or better still, companion and friend) set a good example.

In talking about this transformation, I can only report from my own experience, that the life schools don’t cost much time or money, in order to achieve something meaningful. 

The lessons in life schools take place parallel to school lessons, in the afternoon once per week. The subscriptions for this are very low and the results, when started at an early age, will speak for themselves.

Our module begins with children in Kindergarten and goes up through primary school, secondary schools, grammar schools and trade schools. In this way, according to age, exactly the right thing is offered which is most important at that time. The group itself and the current situation, determine the contents.

Initial talks with school heads and the administration authorities were carried out in Dessau in 1996 and I received permission, to carry out a relaxation training with all the classes during lessons. The children were so delighted, that more than 30 of them decided to participate on a regular basis, and so I began, bit by bit, to visit other primary schools and kindergartens and to work with the children parallel to their normal lessons. Later I went on to secondary, grammar, and trade schools, where the theme overcoming stress took priority, followed by, the meaning of life, planning life’s path, finding your goals and realising your goals.

In this way, over 3,000 pupils got into touch with this and more than 200 decided spontaneously to take part on a regular basis. This is also a sign that when the interest is big enough, the financial aspect of a life school is warranted. You can found out more in Marco Leonardo’s book, which will be published at the beginning of 2005.

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