At Jungle Academy our driving mission is to create the software necessary for tweens and teens to prepare and then eventually take their IGCSEs at the age of 16. We believe the IGCSE program will give our students a firm foundation to go on and achieve whatever they so choose both academically or vocationally. We have written extensively on IGCSEs here.
We are thus currently in a 'preparation stage,' with our first cohort of students, born, 2009/10, segueing into the IGCSE syllabus in 2024. As our plan is to have Jungle Academy students study IGCSE Math, English, Spanish, Combined Sciences, a humanity and possibly Marine Science, we especially go out of our way to make sure our current modules in every Cycle are coherent with this overall goal. For our hardware we are stewards of a 5,5acres of beautiful land that guides us in what needs to be built, and when. All our buildings are multi-purpose builds, that are scalable and gentle to the environment.
Achieving this mission entails a lot of work. Lengthy discussions are currently being had with teachers to carefully design learning content that scaffolds and will eventually meet key milestones needed to adopt the IGCSE syllabus.
This is the case for both teachers of core subjects listed above, and those delivering specialist or niche courses. Even more time will be devoted to the design phase, so that all parties are in alignment, and we can achieve the goal of an effective and meaningful education program.
The essence of Costa Rica is having a freedom to explore different ways of being and to be in service to others.
We welcome any teacher or specialist teaching at Jungle Academy, so long as they fully understand, are aligned with, and support our mission. We do not require any teacher to solely teach for us. Neither do we ask that classes created for Jungle Academy remain proprietary to Jungle Academy. In fact, we see all teachers as free agents, who can use their offerings anywhere they wish. In the past, we have shared teachers with many other educational projects and will continue to do so going forward.
We believe this is in congruence with the very essence of Costa Rica; having a freedom to explore different ways of being and to be in service to others. Many people who come here are on life journeys, and have much to offer young minds, but they may not necessarily be willing to spend all their time in the classroom, tied down by a long-term educational commitment to a teaching facility.
Our teachers are therefore diverse, and this is something we value. It allows our students access to the full array of people there are in the world. Each with their own inherent different experiences and styles. We welcome traditional teachers who are willing to work with us to evolve and craft new learning approaches. We also welcome those who may not have been traditionally trained as a teacher, yet through their life experiences are natural storytellers who have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to disseminate.
Teachers to us are those who are gifted with the ability to ignite and inspire ideas in children, creating new synapses and pathways of discovery. They are those individuals who can help children access knowledge and forge new connections for themselves.
All teachers at the Jungle Academy have solid academic, and or, life experience in the subject area that they teach. Their bios can be found on the website.
Freedom applies to children too.
We do not ask, or expect, students to solely attend Jungle Academy.
In fact, our program is specifically designed to make it easy for students to interact with the classes they choose, at a minimal financial commitment. We realise that families in the area can often be going through a lot of life-flux, and so committing to one thing or another can be a very scary prospect, especially if it involves investing large amounts of money or time. So, our current offering allows everyone to experience Jungle Academy at a cost of time and money that is comfortable for them.
So far, we have shared students with all educational projects in the Costa Ballena area, and will continue to do so. That said, it may not work for some students to hop in-and-out of multiple programs simultaneously, particularly if they have different educational philosophies. In such situations, we work promptly and openly with the families, on a case by case basis, to find the best solution possible.
Freedom lies in having choices
In some ways this is a challenging thing to do. Not many organisations willingly share both clients and staff! However, it is our firm belief that true freedom lies in having choices, and as a learning community we should facilitate choices. We need to role model methods of how to best navigate the world that our students will one day inherit. We manage this by having fair and transparent exchanges for both students and teachers. These exchanges are guided by contribution and commitment, and are applied to all equally. We ask for respect from those interacting with Jungle Academy; that students and teachers honor Jungle Academy agreements, and support our approaches for the time they are with us.
Freedom is a big word, and in this complex world it is challenging. Like the concept of 'change' we all want it but it's more difficult to be it. We each have individual narratives about why our personal freedoms are critical, yet we may not always consider the freedoms of others in the same breath. So it seems that if we want our freedoms (to do, say, or be what we want) to be recognised, then we need to respect freedoms of others (to do, say or be something different). This may seem paradoxical at first and difficult to achieve. However, it is certainly achievable when there is mutual respect and open communication between all parties.
To conclude, freedom is not negotiable. To achieve personal freedom there must be respect for others. This respect often takes the form of communication, an openness to share concerns, questions, ideas and to see if we can reach alignment. At times we can, other times, we cannot; and it is then that each party has the freedom to follow a new path. (More to follow another time on Openness).
These are big topics with broad implications for both adults and children, so et's keep learning together!
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