What is our goal as educators?
Our goal and commitment is to prepare our children and adolescents for life. We aspire for them to understand and integrate definitively all the curricular concepts they will work on during their educational stage and to have the necessary tools to be creative, analytical, empathetic, free, resourceful, and effective. We work so they become confident people, environmentally aware, able to express themselves, to choose, to focus on what they want. They will be the kind of people others want to have close both personally and professionally. Most importantly, we strive to help them know themselves, their talents and limitations, and assist them in understanding what they want and like.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin. (1706-1790) American politician,
scientist, and inventor.
Are we an officially accredited school by the Department of Education?
Yes, we are. Our official code is 07015689. For us, it is important to be part of the accredited schools that offer pedagogical innovation programs.
What role does a teacher have at Arimunani?
A teacher at Arimunani is a passionate person dedicated to caring for and supporting each student, focused on helping them recognize their potential. This person not only looks but truly SEES, has not stopped learning, and strives to be their best version. They like to work in teams, grow personally, and are open to change. At Arimunani, we call them “companions” because they guide the active and personalized learning of each child or adolescent.
What training do the companions have?
They usually have degrees in teaching or education, often trained in active, non-directive pedagogies and respectful education. They are committed and dedicated to the children, possess great human quality, vocation, and a strong desire to grow, learn, and train constantly. Every Tuesday, we have continuous training sessions at the school.
We are an active and respectful school, what does this mean?
In an active school, students are the protagonists of their own learning. They decide, along with their companions who guide them, how and when to approach the content.
A respectful school prioritizes each child’s learning pace, attending to their true needs rather than desires. Student development occurs through understanding and negotiation, avoiding punishment, rewards, threats, and other dynamics that create distance and distrust in the learning relationship.
What is the teacher-student ratio?
The maximum ratio is 12.5 students of the same age per companion.
How are each student’s rhythms respected?
At Arimunani, we attend to each student individually, respecting their pace and fostering a safe and nurturing environment. Through mentoring and individualized follow-up, we set realistic goals adapted to each child, making them part of their own progress, which reinforces self-esteem and makes them the protagonists of their learning.
How is emotional management integrated into daily life?
Emotions, like physical or academic needs, are attended to by our team at all times. Companions are trained to help children manage their emotions according to their needs and to self-regulate.
Additionally, during assemblies and specific workshops, emotions are taught and worked on, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and processing them. This content is covered at all educational stages, including adolescence, a crucial time when new, previously unknown feelings arise.
What is a conflict for us and how do we handle it?
A conflict is any situation in which two or more members of the educational community enter into some type of discord.
Conflicts are part of life. They are another learning process. When they occur, we try to provide tools to manage them with a healing purpose for both parties.
The way we approach them is with a respectful perspective. This way, each person can see how the other has felt and can express their needs at that moment. We thus approach conflict resolution in a peaceful and regenerative manner that strengthens bonds and coexistence.
What materials and methods are used for learning?
At Arimunani, we do not work with traditional textbooks as such, since we help children build the information they need through multiple media, whether written, technological, or experiential.
Is homework given?
No. We have always believed that the school day should be the academic workday. Just as any adult needs to unwind and rest after their workday, children do too. Our goal is for the time they spend at school to be as efficient as possible.
Only in some specific cases in secondary education do we propose certain tasks to be done at home.
How do we act if a student chooses the same type of workshops, environments, or projects?
Children have their own learning rhythms and periods of interest in certain areas. We accompany those interests by making agreements, negotiating, and following the guidance of the mentor to ensure that the learning requirements of each educational stage are met.
When interest in a specific area is at its peak, we encourage it without losing sight of the fact that other areas must be worked on at other times. Therefore, we guide the child in their curricular progress by inviting them to attend workshops in areas that currently attract less attention to balance their learning.
How do we act if a student shows no interest in learning?
First of all, we must keep in mind that children naturally have an innate curiosity and interest in learning. When this is not happening, we need to find out why. As educators, although we cannot influence each child’s intrinsic desire, we can support the extrinsic motivation by adapting the schedule to each need and working with the entire team and family to identify causes and possible solutions.
Do they learn the same as in a “traditional” school?
We understand that they learn much more.
Academically, we work with the same content as any accredited school, as it is a requirement of the Ministry of Education. What we do differently is respect each student’s pace, whatever it may be, to keep their curiosity and motivation alive. Moreover, we believe children should not only learn content or skills. We think we must prepare them for life. Preparing them for life means enhancing their self-esteem, self-awareness, emotional management, autonomy, responsibility, cooperative work, empathy, respect for the environment and others, among many other things.
Additionally, by not working with rote memorization but through experiential methods, we integrate knowledge in a TRUE AND LASTING way.
Education is not the mere acquisition of knowledge, nor collecting and correlating data, but seeing the meaning of life as a whole.
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian thinker and writer
Will they be prepared for the EBAU (University Entrance Exam)?
Without a doubt. We would say very well prepared. We work so that our young people who wish to, can.
From a young age, we work on autonomy, self-awareness, and responsibility (among many other things). The goal is that, first, they know what they want to do. When a child knows what they want and has worked on responsibility, it will be easier for them to work towards it.
As mentors, we provide all the means to ensure their final goal is achieved. From tutoring in primary school and professional orientation workshops starting in the first year of secondary school, we accompany their passions, skills, and abilities so they can find a profession that resonates with their essence.
We dedicate the last two years at Arimunani, i.e., high school, to preparing their next academic or professional step, whatever their choice. If their desire is to take the EBAU, we prepare them alongside, with close and thorough follow-up, providing the confidence and self-esteem needed to face this new challenge.
How are students evaluated?
We have a very thorough way of evaluating based on constant observation and continuous assessment of learning.
We conduct continuous evaluation of each student’s development. Our main recording tool is the platform. It is a tool we created to capture the individuality of each student in their social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions, as well as the acquisition of curricular competencies and knowledge through workshops, projects, and environments.
All information is structured into items and recorded and stored on the platform, allowing us to know at any time where each student is in their learning and development process. It also provides percentage graphs showing learning acquisition in each subject. This detailed information helps us evaluate the student individually, as well as the group/class, cycle, and educational center.
When students are ready, they are proposed to take on a CHALLENGE. A challenge is an activity designed to apply certain learning and see if it has been integrated. In secondary school, these challenges are called exams, but their evaluation is qualitative, not numeric. In high school, these exams do not differ from those in other educational centers or institutes and are designed to align with traditional education for further study after Arimunani.
Our “grades” on content range from “not acquired,” to “in process of acquisition,” to “acquired.” These are reflected quarterly in an evolution report given to families.
What is an evolution report?
There are two types of reports. One is written by the mentors, and the other is an academic record.
In the first case, all mentors detail in a report the academic, emotional, and social development of the child. It is a unique and unrepeatable report, drawn from the loving perspective of our team members. It is a compilation of moments and experiences observed in their valuable role of not just looking, but truly SEEING the students. It is rich in detail, extensive, and highly personalized.
In the second case, all academic content for the cycle and course the child is in is detailed, along with the acquisition status of each item (acquired, in process, or not acquired).
What role do families play?
Our understanding of school is based on trust, understanding, and joint work among three participants: the family, the child, and the school.
The school exists because families entrust us with their children. The school exists to meet a need of families and society. Therefore, true trust, communication, and collaboration must exist among all parties.
Through this, children learn within a healthy and coherent system, which facilitates the integration of rules, learning, and more.
How is communication with families?
We always say our door is open for anyone to come and express any concerns. We are not perfect and understand we can improve in many ways. We listen, reflect, discuss, and respond to all questions.
With this, we try to avoid gossip and rumors, which can do great harm to schools when the real focus should be solving problems.
We maintain fluid communication via email about all matters arising at school.
Additionally, each month, we hold a family forum (via videoconference) where the management team presents general interest topics and families participate.
Are tutoring sessions held?
We propose several tutoring sessions per year with the mentors throughout the course. This aims to foster real contact and joint work in the child’s development in all dimensions. Besides tutoring, families can communicate via email with the mentors and, if needed, have access to other meetings with the stage coordinator or the pedagogical coordinator.
Also, several times during the year, we hold meetings called “Accompanying-T.” These are voluntary informational meetings with the pedagogical coordinator and stage coordinator to discuss educational, academic, and emotional topics of each specific group. These meetings also serve to address doubts and proposals from families, who we consider an indispensable part of the project.
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