04 Jan AN ECOLOGICAL SCHOOL IN DUBAI
Dubai is not exactly the place you would think first as the heart of an ecological revolution…right?
But what if we could shake the wrong beliefs and see it as a place of disruption allowed by the economy dynamism, the power of creation of independent schools and the melting-pot of families from all over the world?
So far it is not just to me the best school we had but probably the best school in Dubai. Here is my take on our 4 months experience at the Arbor School.
THE ARBOR SCHOOL UNIQUE ECOLOGICAL APPROACH
We joined the Arbor school in 2022 and starting a new Year, it’s time to assess the experience for our family.
The Arbor School of Dubai is definitely a forward-thinking school. So dynamic that we wonder how the managing team and the teachers are keeping up with the number of extra scholar activities and community events. Their motto is to prepare children for a rapidly changing world, nurturing a core belief in environmental mindfulness, responsibility for sustainability. And this is great because this is exactly what we were looking for in the different countries we visited.
Finding a school combing ecological approach and an excellent curriculum in Dubai (by the way the school is British, and most of the teachers are also UK nationals) was a relief after so many research during our last years of travel. I was looking for a school combining these 2 aspects in South Europe and Latin America without much luck. We are truly amazed by this team of educators and happy we made the move to Dubai this year for our daughter’s first grade.
THE ARBOR SCHOOL VISION
The Arbor School has a unique vision of what education could and should be (at least to me):
An experiential, authentic and inspired by the natural beauty, human ingenuity and profound ecological and social challenges of the globe.
Joining the school the children really feel that they are a learning community uniquely committed to understanding and restoring the health of ecological and human communities.
The Arbor is the first school in the UAE to receive an International ecological accreditation.
The emphasis on understanding the systems as interconnected parts of a whole is great.
After 4 months in the school, we can testify that they are truly building a bespoke learning experience for each child; personal and personalised.
WHAT IS ECO-LITERACY
I am a believer that with the challenges of the world, sustainability and environmental justice need to be placed at the heart of the school system, start at the root.
The aim of Ecoliteracy is to cultivate an ethos of ecological understanding and environmental mindfulness that drives innovative, creative problem solving for a more sustainable world.
Families interested in Ecoliteracy Principles and Concepts nurture the thinking and learning that is needed to better understand the relationships of human and the world.
It is moreover taking action to shape the future of humans as part of the natural world.
Systems thinking, sustainability and environmental justice provide contexts for ethical thinking, learning and action.
Ecoliteracy is more than content or subject matter, it is the way we make sense of the world through our thoughts, values, and actions. It is the way we chart a meaningful and sustainable path that respects the environment as the common ground on which all human social and economic interests and activities play out.
Ecoliteracy has an inquiry-driven approach and builds creative and critical thinkers.
At a personal level, I am super satisfied to see the kids being accompanied in such a perfect way and dream to see this model flourish all over the world. Hope this school can inspire more leaders to make a change for the well-being of the children and the planet.
I leave the link to the school tour here for the curious minds https://www.thearborschool.ae/admissions/tours
