Blog
This year, our focus project was to redefine the common principles of BPS. Previously, we completed the highest, most general level: "Our goal is for our children to become happy, healthy adults who contribute to the well-being of their environment."
The next level focuses on the children. What happens to them at school? What guidelines do we follow in organizing their daily activities? What do we offer them when they learn? "At BPS, children explore and develop their confidence and abilities in a safe and supportive environment. They learn how to align their desires and intentions with their opportunities. They learn to use their strengths and find joy in meeting self-set challenges. They continuously work towards their goals while paying attention to their health and happiness. BPS children open up to the world with curiosity and empathy, shaping both their own lives and the processes around them in a constructive way. They act with goodwill and consciously work to create positive changes in their environment."
After many hours of discussions and constructive debates, we now have a clear answer, or rather three.
At Budapest School, our children learn three main things:
They learn how to be well, meaning how to live in harmony with themselves and their surroundings, and how to develop their physical and mental health and happiness through conscious practice.
They learn how to learn, grow, and achieve results: our children actively and independently learn, think, solve problems creatively, and understand relationships. They can set goals independently and achieve them either individually or in teams, which is reflected in their concrete results and successful projects.
They learn how to help others: they can pay attention to others, have a positive impact on their environment, take responsibility, connect with others, and enrich the communities and society in which they live.
To achieve this, children need to develop their fundamental skills and acquire deep, thematic knowledge. The next step is to define the list of fundamental skills and thematic knowledge and align it with the parallel curriculum development area alongside the guidelines.