Bali Community Field Experience

Final Reflection

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Mandela

As a result of this experience at the Green School in Bali, I feel more empowered and inspired as an educator. This is very much a school in the process of growing (student population and curriculum) and dealing with the changes.

I participated in meetings with staff and students where dynamic conversations took place. For example, a student was having issues with too much freedom in the curriculum. He needed a certain amount of credits to graduate and could not decide which courses to take. There was an added pressure of deciding which path to take after Green School, as not all schools currently recognize the curriculum here. Although, this is changing as a result of the hard work done behind the scenes by the dedicated school staff. This has taught me that working individually with each student is vital to providing quality education that fits especially in an international school setting.

With the progressive nature of the Green School, the teaching staff must be flexible to changes. They also have to deal with the unique challenge of balancing life in a new country and their teaching careers. I learned that a work life balance is important to sustainable education for teachers and students.

I believe that healthy living (food, exercise, and spirituality) should also play a part in any work place. At Green School, sustainability is a major piece in the daily life of all who work or study there. The school has a recycling system (open to the local community), a water filtration system, gardens to grow produce, solar panels for energy, and even a bamboo electric car. Students are encouraged to co-exist with nature, and the school has contributed to saving the Bali Starling from extinction. There is a bird breeding program at the school that encourages students to take ownership of caring for the birds.

As a result of this CFE, I have come away with many new ideas for classes and projects. My goal is to always improve my teaching practice, and I feel very grateful to have had this experience in Bali.

Faculty Advisor Questionnaire

1. What did you learn or discover about your strengths as a teacher from the programs and teaching you did at your CFE site?

I believe that my two greatest strengths in teaching at this point is the ability to create rapport with students, and being flexible with my teaching style in order to support diverse learners.

2. From your experiences, what did you learn about teaching and/or how children/students learn?

From my experiences, I learned that teaching is about providing opportunities for students to try new things and connect with the material. The students at Green School have many opportunities to learn and apply their knowledge. For example, classes are structured in 6 week blocks. In this time, they learn a concept and do a project that allows them to gain hands on experience with what they studied.

One such class taught students the concept of taxation. Instead of just teaching students about the definition of tax and taxation, a project was created. The classroom was turned into a town and certain students would be responsible for businesses, farmers, and government. Together they would figure out what is tax, why it needs to be in place, how much to tax, and where the tax money gets spent.

I personally believe that this is a much better way to teach students than the traditional “textbook style” because they are able to understand and experience first-hand what they learned.

3. What did you do and accomplish by the end of your work on any special project?

One special project I did was assisting the High school manager in redesigning the template for the Green School Transcript. Green School is K-12, and the transcript should show the marks and comments for a student from grade 9-12. The High school manager expressed that the current template did not look professional enough and there were spacing issues. We worked together to make the template 3 pages with room for marks, comments, the grading system and Green School headers/footers. She was very pleased with the results.

4. What have you learned from doing this CFE that you think will be useful in your future teaching?

I learned that having a manageable work load is very important to prevent teacher burn out. I participated in staff meetings that discussed how many weekly hours a teacher should be working (teaching and planning). I learned that supporting other teachers by collaborating during lesson planning is not only useful but an enjoyable process. Co-creating with students is also very important because every student is different (level of knowledge, goals, background). I believe that smaller class sizes is the answer to ensure that students get enough support from teachers.

5. What did you see as the connections between your time at the CFE and your time in our UBC methods courses?

What stood out to me was seeing universal issues in teaching such as how to assess different types of students, and student centered learning struggles (too much freedom vs. too little freedom in learning).

6. What impacts did “culture” have on your teaching experience and how will this inform your practice?

I learned a lot from the Balinese culture as the people are hardworking, friendly, and approachable. This is how I would like to come across as a teacher to my students. In addition, the Balinese people are welcoming, artistic and creative. I would like my students to always feel welcomed and encouraged to develop their own ideas in my classroom.

7. Any other thoughts regarding the CFE?

This experience has been very meaningful to me, as one of my long term goals is to start a school for disadvantaged students. I am grateful that I was able to have this experience and see how it could be possible.

Green School was started in 2008 with a strong focus on sustainability. Over time, the school has developed into much more, and scholarships are given to Indonesian students who could not afford to attend otherwise. The passion and progressive nature of the school has been very inspiring to me. I hope that one day I will be able to give back to a local community as this school does.

Elle is from Florida, and currently in grade 11. This is her 2nd year at Green School.

V: What is your favourite thing about the Green School?

E: The people because relationships are a lot more personal. The high school is a lot smaller and people are very welcoming.

V: What do you like to do in your spare time here?

E: Surfing in Chengdu and Serangan.

V: What are the top 3 things that you think the Green School does really well?

E: 1) Class choices. There are so many different ones that you can take.

2) Morals and ethics is a big part. Building your character to go out to the real world. Professionalism… being able to talk to the adults.

3) Sustainable buildings because concrete isn’t sustainable at all. Food is all locally source. Imprinting into our minds to be sustainable, and spreading the message so that we can show other people…and how to be a better person.

V: What are your top 2 favourite class projects that you have done here?

E: Plant Pornography – we took macro and micro photos of plants like cross sections..then we drew and labeled them. We created a beautiful catalogue in the end. We also did an extracurricular project where we made and designed our own surf boards. They were made out of bamboo. We had an expert come and show us how to make the boards.

V: Can you see the Green School in Florida?

E: Yes, but it would be more expensive, we would have to source bamboo., etc. I think the international part of the Green School is what makes it so special. Green School will also be very connected to where ever it will be created. Connected to the culture there. We have a tight knit community. People are open and nice and accepting here…cannot recreate exactly the same thing. Bali is half of Green School.

V: What would you like to see differently or improved?

E: I would like a set in stone physical education program. Students have a lot of choice here. You have required credits but they are not all year long.

V: What makes education sustainable?

E: You cover so many subjects. A lot of students have no idea what they want to do after high school. There are so many crazy classes here, calculus algebra, advanced English, jewelry making, personal economics, professional business class. For example, I took an Intro to Business class. We talked about everything about a pig and business…where all the different parts go, how they are slaughtered…it was really interesting.

V: Is there anything else you would like to share about the Green School?

E: I have so many options opened up, so many opportunities, I just need to decide which one I want to take! I definitely know what I don’t want to do.  Green School makes us more open to new things and opens us up to so many opportunities and makes you think “if you don’t try it, you’ll never know!”

First Impressions

As soon as you arrive at the Green School in Bali, you know you’re in for a one of a kind experience. Blink and you’ll miss the turn off to a small narrow jungle road leading you into a lush green paradise.  Soon you find yourself in front of the entrance to the Green School. Blended into the surrounding nature, it is a little world of its own. As soon as you arrive, you are greeted by friendly ladies at the information and sign in desk.

There are food stalls, and drink stands. Delicious local and organic food is available for purchase at amazing prices. The stands are run by the school, local community and parents.

There are some delicious food options for students, parents, staff and visitors. At the Living Food Lab, you will find healthy drinks such as jamu and coconut water. There are also cereals for breakfast, and an option to make your own salad at lunch.

School Environment 

You feel one with nature even when in class. Unlike a traditional school, the Green School is made up of a series of bamboo structures.  You will find designated bamboo structures for “development”, “legal”, and “first aid”.

The main building is called the “heart of the school” The open air bamboo structure allows the warm tropical breeze to filter in, and the sounds of the jungle permeate the atmosphere. It seems like everything is made of bamboo here; chairs, desks, round tables, shelves, and even lockers. This is where I spend most of my time, observing classes, participating in discussions, attending staff meetings, and working on assigned tasks.

Student Demographics

Green School is made up of students from all over the world. The international feel of the school lends itself to lively classroom discussions on topics ranging from environmental issues to the effects of immigration.  I have personally spoken with students from Hong Kong, U.S.A, Spain, Brazil and Germany.