Most schools on the planet are similar in many ways - students go there in the morning and return home in the afternoon with an armful of homework. But it turns out that there are absolutely amazing and unique schools that are radically different from common standards. We have prepared a review of the 10 most unusual schools in the world, each of which will surprise you with something.
Cave school in China
Dongzhong Mid - Primary School in a cave in the mountain village of Miao in the Chinese province of Guizhou. The province is one of the poorest regions in China and has received very little government subsidies. In 1984, the local community decided to build a school in a mountain cave. There was enough space there for 9 teachers and almost 200 students.
Many students spent about 6 hours traveling to school and back, but there was no other school in the vicinity. The school existed for 23 years, after which the authorities closed it, declaring that China is “not a community of cavemen.” "a community of cavemen."
School in a boat, Bangladesh
Bangladesh experiences twice-yearly floods, during which millions of people are cut off from big land, electricity and basic necessities. Naturally, it becomes impossible for children to attend school. To combat problems caused by annual floods, non-profit organization Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha came up with a brilliant solution - floating houses, medical centers and schools.
The organization has opened about 100 boat schools, each of which receives the necessary energy from solar panels, equipped with a laptop, Internet access and a small library. At the same time, the school itself picks up children from home in the morning and takes them home after school, like a school bus. Since the opening of such schools in 2002, 70,000 children have already received education in them.
School on a railway platform, India
In 1985, Inderjit Khurana, a schoolteacher from Orissa, India, decided it was time to fight illiteracy and founded the Ruchika School Social Service Organization (RSSO). This organization built the world's first school on the railway platform.
Thanks to this school, more than 4,000 Indian children received education. The system works very simply - street children and children from low-income families are picked up at stations, and then taught to read and write.
Abo Elementary School, USA
Abo Primary School is proud to be the first land-based school in the United States. In the midst cold war when the United States was close to nuclear war with Soviet Union, President John F. Kennedy promised to create public and private structures that could serve as nuclear shelters. Authorities in the city of Artesia in New Mexico decided to build an underground school that could also function as a shelter in case of a nuclear strike.
The school is completely underground, and a children's playground is built on its roof. The school has three different entrances, each protected by an 800 kg steel door. Behind the door there is a room with a decontamination shower. The school was reportedly able to withstand radiation and withstand a 20-megaton blast.
At one time, it also had a morgue, an autonomous generator with a supply of fuel, autonomous system ventilation and food and medicine supplies. Despite all this, many students who attended the school had no idea that they were studying in a bomb shelter. Abo School was closed in 1995 due to increasing maintenance costs.
The most difficult primary school to reach, China
Gulu is a little-known village located in the Hanyuan Mountains of Sichuan Province, China. The only way to reach the village is the “Luoma Way” - a road with numerous zigzag turns, narrow passages between stone walls and rickety bridges. On one of the mountains surrounding the village is the village's primary school.
High School for Sexual Minorities
School Harvey Milk High School in New York, named after politician and activist for gay rights Harvey Milk. It was built so that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other similar students would not experience discrimination. The school claims that its doors are open to any student, regardless of their sexual orientation or other preferences.
School "Work Now"
Prostitution is legal in Spain, and there are currently between 200,000 and 400,000 prostitutes working in the country. The school called Trabajo Ya, which means "work now", was opened in Valencia to teach prostitutes the most effective techniques work. The school offers a "basic course in professional prostitution with maximum efficiency”, and also provides employment for its graduates of both sexes.
The training lasts for one week and includes classes in theory and practice. For 100€ (about $120) students receive lessons on the history and evolution of prostitution and business skills. They attend daily two-hour practical skills classes, during which students learn about the types and capabilities of sex toys and are introduced to the Kama Sutra.
Philadelphia School of the Future
In West Philadelphia, the School of the Future opened in 2006, where students do not need textbooks. Instead they use computers. Math, for example, is taught using the OneNote application, and teachers use computer-based interactive whiteboards instead of traditional blackboards and chalk. Students are provided with personal digital lockers that can be opened using an ID card.
The school faced a number of problems after its opening. There were problems with leadership among students, and the weak level of technical training affected. However, the school soon gained great popularity, and students began to achieve high grades in mathematics and reading. And familiarity with Microsoft Office and other programs gives students a better chance of finding a job after graduation.
Brooklyn Free School
Brooklyn Free School is divided into two parts: a high school for children aged 11 to 18 and a primary school for students aged 4 to 11. It does not curriculum, students can choose any class they like, and they are also allowed to play truant if they wish.
Some students may decide to be alone and do their homework, others may decide to play, go for a walk, or just sleep. There are classes in which students watch and discuss TV shows. In others, students compare prices in city restaurants. There are no tests, homework or exams at school.
Witch school
Witch school teaches witchcraft to aspiring witches around the world. Although most of its 40,000 students are taught online, the school has a building where students can attend real-life lessons. Since its opening, the school has been located in Roseville, Chicago, and later moved to Salem, Massachusetts. The move became necessary because the school began to be persecuted by Christian communities.
Children do not always try to avoid going to school. In fact, some students are willing to travel long and life-threatening distances to attend classes! We have prepared a story about.
Architects' opinion
The beauty of a school as an educational institution is determined by the beauty of the buildings, as well as the surrounding areas. As noted by Forbes, one of the most beautiful educational campuses in the world is the Kenyon College campus, located in Ohio, USA. This is exactly the result reached by a group of architects and designers surveyed by Forbes. In their opinion, the classic Gothic architecture, sweeping trees and green spaces blend perfectly with the Midwestern style of campus housing, which in turn makes Kenyon College stand out as beautiful compared to its neighbors.
Beauty of Kenyon College
One of the most recognizable places of Kenyon College is The Middle Path, which is the central artery and green village of the town.
Architect Mike Evans ( Mike Evans), who has worked on campuses around the world, says that smaller campuses such as Kenyon College ( Kenyon College) or Scripps College ( Scripps College), it's easier to stay beautiful and charming "without using large-scale changes." But for larger universities, "a clear organizational structure" and "continuity" are key to maintaining their beauty, Evans says.
Princeton University
Another beauty favorite among campuses is Princeton University (Princeton University), whose development is monitored by judge Natalie Shivers. This classic American campus is Gothic in style, with much of the gray stone covered in green ivy.
Oxford University
Next, among the most beautiful educational institutions the world is Oxford University (University of Oxford), which is on the list of any architect, including David Meiernik ( David Mayernik), a teacher at Notre Dame's School of Architecture. He calls this 11th-century campus, with its labyrinth of monasteries, archways and pathways, an "architectural wonderland."
Armed Forces Academy in Colorado Springs
Kevin Lippert ( Kevin Lippert, publisher of Princeton Architectural Press, which publishes the prestigious Campus Guide series, finds beauty beyond the League. For example, Lippert placed Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (Air Force Academy) is at the top of his list, calling the campus, which was built in one fell swoop in the 1950s, "a tour de force of modern architecture." However, the Colorado Rockies in the background are not a nuisance.
University of California
"A strong landscape can play a significant role in establishing the character of a college campus," says Aaron Schwarz, a principal at Perkins Eastman, an architecture and urban design firm. " University of California at Santa Cruz (University of California), towering above Pacific Ocean, is blessed with good natural 'genes,'" he says.
University of Bologna
Sometimes a school benefits from its location in an urban environment, instead of mountains or farmland. Campus University of Bologna (University of Bologna) is a city whose foundation dates back to the times of the Roman Empire.
Most college campuses consider it "beautiful" to boast a "campus identity," according to architect Mike Evans. This is the place that truly defines the campus and its brand. For example, such as Thomas Jefferson's lawn University of Virginia (University of Virginia).
Alexander Ozerov, Samogo.Net, based on materials from forbes.com
Modern schoolchildren are against gray buildings and ordinary classrooms, just like the specialists of the Rosan Bosch architectural studio. It was they who developed and implemented the project of the Vittra Södermalm educational institution, which is located in Stockholm. This is one of the most unusual and interesting schools in the world.
The first thing that attracts attention is bright colors and an absolutely unexpected combination of them: black, red, yellow, blue...
There are no separate classrooms or offices for teachers here. To combine study and relaxation, classes at Vittra Södermalm are held on stands with steps. During the lesson, children can sit on them in a way that is comfortable for them. This device resembles an ancient amphitheater.
After looking at the photo, you will be convinced that this unusual school does not have the attributes that everyone considers indispensable for a school. Guess what we're talking about? Of course, about the blackboard and chalk!
The school has large tables for group classes, bright conference rooms, small cozy corners for teachers. But during recess, students relax on sofas - small holes in the wall. It is interesting to spend time in the library in such an unusual school. It resembles a huge black box. There are books, magazines, laptops - everything you need in the learning process.
The school cafeteria is also designed in an unconventional style: children sit on high bar stools at brightly colored teardrop tables. And, of course, you can’t do without a healthy breakfast and a delicious hearty lunch.
Gymnasium based on the open space principle inDenmark
Orestand Gymnasium is located in the capital of Denmark - Copenhagen. The peculiarity of this educational institution is its unusual construction principle - open space. This means that the school is a continuous open space, where there are no classrooms, no partitions, no doors. Classes are separated from each other by a conventional boundary. In 2007, the gymnasium building was recognized as the best in Scandinavia.
Only high school students who dream of working in the media in the future study at Orestand Gymnasium. Thanks to wireless internet High school students communicate every day in real and virtual space.
The “heart” of the building is the large twisted steps. They serve as a kind of connection between the four levels of the gymnasium.
During recess in the recreation area, students have the opportunity to “lounge” on large bright pillows.
According to the designers, such an interior promotes the development of creativity and independence in acquiring knowledge.
Adventure school inUSA
Studying at the American Watershed School is truly a multi-year adventure.
When studying traditional subjects - mathematics and English - classes are held in classrooms. But during geography or biology, educational expeditions are organized. Teachers consider this method of teaching the most productive. Thus, trips to the forest and kayaking are regularly organized for children. During physical education, children have the opportunity to ride mountain bikes and play Frisbee. And, in addition to traditional sports, they do yoga.
Teachers encourage students to develop their talents. Students of this unusual school create rock bands, assemble robots and write scripts for video games.
Transport school made from industrial containers
De Kleine kapitein is a school in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. This school is unusual in that it consists entirely of industrial containers.
This educational institution was created in 2009 completely by accident. Happy new beginning school year It turned out that due to the rapid growth of the population, children from new microdistricts simply have no place to study. This is how the idea of making a school out of multi-colored “cubes” arose.
De Kleine kapitein was supposed to be only a temporary building for education, but parents liked this unusual school so much that they decided to leave it.
Colored houses can be easily rearranged from place to place. In addition, such a room does not require special repairs.
Underground school in the USA
Terraset Elementary School is located in the small town of Reston (USA). It was built in the mid-1970s. At this time, the country was experiencing an energy crisis, so a regime of severe energy saving was introduced. It is clear that sufficient heating of schools was impossible. For this reason, one of the most unusual schools in the world was built - Terraset. This educational institution is located underground because this natural covering helps to retain heat in the room.
Today, Terraset is not only a school, but also an outstanding tourist attraction in the city.
Although the school is unusual in its own way appearance, the learning process here is traditional. Younger students study the same subjects as in other US schools.
School in the form of a bookshelf in Georgia
The facade of a school in the city of Zugdidi resembles a shelf where huge books are placed. If you look closely at the photo, you will notice that there is even “Kobzar” by Taras Shevchenko. You will also find here works by Honore de Balzac, George Byron and outstanding Georgian classics.
Since a lot of attention is paid here to the study of natural sciences - physics, chemistry, biology - the school is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment inside.
Ichnyanskaya “School of Health”
You probably think that unusual schools only exist abroad? But no! In Ukraine, in the village of Ichnya, Chernihiv region, there is also a school that is not like the others. The children who study here never get sick and don’t know what quarantine is. You ask why? Because they have developed and successfully used a special teaching method that helps improve children’s health. Classes at school are organized so that children sit as little as possible and move more. For example, when studying the multiplication table, students jump. It turned out that thanks to this the material is absorbed better.
To improve health, this unusual school uses the following teaching methods:
- To ensure that children sit upright at their desks, bags of salt are placed on their heads;
- during the lesson in junior classes the teacher asks the child to answer the question by throwing a ball;
- In each lesson, physical education is carried out at least 5 times;
- Each student has a Kinder container with garlic hanging around their neck;
- There are always onions and garlic on the windowsill - natural medicines for promoting health.
I wonder which of these schools you would like to visit?
Most schools are no different from each other and, it would seem, what could be special about them? But to convince you otherwise, we have created a ranking of the best schools in the world and will tell you about each of them.
Surely, you have seen in the movies what the most expensive and elite schools in the world are like, where everything is so beautiful and where it is so difficult to get into. Let's take a closer look at them and think about whether it's really great to study in them.
The best school in the world: selection criteria
When it comes to ratings, it's always important to understand who decides that something is better than another. For whom is it better? What's better? After all, you can sincerely believe that your school is the most wonderful and wonderful, because it has the kindest and most sensitive teachers and the most cheerful and understanding classmates. And you will be absolutely right. After all, the rankings usually include the most expensive and elite schools, where representatives of famous families study. But it’s always interesting to lift the veil of secrecy and find out what happens there.
The most elite schools: ranking
1st place: Le Rosey School, Rolle, Switzerland
This school, the oldest in Switzerland, was founded in 1880. For many years it was a privileged school for boys, but since 1967 girls began to be accepted into it. Students live in a real palace on the lake shore, they have at their disposal a library, computer classes, a theater, an art studio, a laboratory, a gym, tennis courts, swimming pools, a football field, a rugby field, volleyball and basketball courts on 30 hectares of land owned by school.
Le Rosey's school is often called the “School of Kings”, since the most a large number of students from royal dynasties.
And in winter the whole school moves to a winter residence in Gstaad, a ski resort. The area there is no worse equipped: tennis courts, a fitness center, sports fields, a climbing wall. And, of course, everything necessary for the training and recreation of students
But this is not a resort at all. Despite the exorbitant cost of education and stellar students, the school is famous for its iron discipline
2nd place: Eton College, Windsor, England
The famous British Eton - a pass to the world big politics and culture. This school was founded, it’s scary to imagine, in 1440! She is known far beyond the UK. Eton has always been under the patronage of the royal house and was originally designed for only 70 students - boys from the most noble families. There could be no talk of any kind of everyday comfort: all the children lived in one room, damp and cold, separated only by a few partitions. They were subject to strict discipline. Lessons started at 6 o'clock. For 500 years, Eton could not help but change. Today there are more than a thousand students here. And although raw common rooms replaced modern bedrooms, the atmosphere of Eton is one of the most severe of any school known. The curriculum is compiled individually for each student depending on their future specialization and, frankly speaking, is very difficult. Lessons last almost the whole day.
Eton is perhaps the most famous school in the world. Famous graduates of the school of the century become politicians, writers and prominent people in all walks of life.
But Etonians don’t live by lessons alone. The college is famous for its sporting achievements. The famous phrase of the Duke of Wellington, “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” fully reflects the meaning of the Eton competitions. Their task is to raise a true gentleman in battles and battles. And the main purpose of a gentleman is to lead people in times of trial.
But since, as before, Eton is still a college for boys only, the third place in our ranking is no less famous school for girls.
3rd place: Benenden School, Kent, England
Only girls can study at Benenden School. It was founded not so long ago, compared to the others - in 1929. By British standards, she is young and progressive, because she is not yet a hundred years old! The main task of the school is to raise girls as leaders of our century. Therefore, in addition to the intense curriculum, future ladies are trained in diplomatic skills, ballet, horse riding, and archery. The school has a famous drama school theater, where each of the 500 girls can become a real actress.
And on the vast grounds of the estate there are many courses and workshops for every hobby and entertainment you can imagine. The main thing is to have enough time for everything you want to do.
The famous Beningen alumni society is an ideal female friendship. For many years, girls, girls, women from school have been helping each other, and simply continue to communicate and maintain school friendships.
Graduates of this school feel confident in any situation - from admission to the best universities in the world to diplomatic receptions. Whatever you say, developing 100% self-confidence is the main thing for a lady.
The best schools in the world: the main principles of education
To obtain a good education, it is not at all necessary to study in a very expensive private school, it is much more valuable to have management adhere to important educational principles. The best teachers and psychologists visit the most famous schools in the world to highlight their main features:
Which school did you like best? Would you like to study there?
And don’t forget to watch our useful video on how to avoid problems at school
Hair loss can occur due to study-related stress. Find out how to deal with hair loss in this video.
In the minds of most of us, a school is a gray building with classrooms, long corridors, gym and dining room. At best, this boring building enlivens the community of creative and caring people whom we call teachers, at worst, but let's not talk about sad things. At the same time, not everything in the world is so gray and monotonous; there are schools that can only be imagined in the wildest fantasies.
So, use your imagination - the most unusual schools in the world:
1. Terraset – an underground school (Terraset Elementary School PTA (USA)
Terraset - an underground school
Despite all the fantastic nature of this project, the Terraset School is actually located underground, in the city of Reston, Virginia. This educational institution is over 40 years old and was built in the mid-70s. This is a period when America suffered an energy crisis, and city authorities could not come up with anything more economical than building a school that would heat itself. For this purpose, they removed an earthen mound, built a building and covered it with earth again, providing not only that the school would heat itself, but also a cooling system for the building.
The students of this school can rightfully be called “children of the dungeon.” In all other respects, this is the most ordinary school, where classical, by American standards, education takes place, not counting the fact that this educational institution is also the tourist Mecca of the city.
2. Floating school in Cambodia.
The next, no less exotic, educational institution is located on the water. However, in this region this phenomenon does not surprise anyone, since houses, shops, and other buildings here literally float.
Floating school in Cambodia
We are talking about the floating village of Kampong Luong, which is located on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. The school has about 60 students, 40 of whom are orphans whose parents died during fishing. There is only one large classroom in the educational institution, where children study and spend free time. Children swim to school in special basins that vaguely resemble a boat.
Children swim in special basins to school
Tourists visiting this region often visit this unusual educational institution, so schoolchildren have no shortage of sweets and educational supplies and look like absolutely happy and joyful children.
3. Alternative School Alpha (ALPHA Alternative School (Canada)
This is one of the oldest educational institutions in Canada, has existed since 1972 and is truly unique. What makes it special is the attitude towards the student, as well as the use of progressive pedagogical ideas in teaching.
Alternative School Alpha
The philosophy of the Alpha school is based on the recognition that each child is individual, each has his own speed of learning and area of interest, therefore the school does not have a daily routine or lesson schedule, and the rules of behavior are dictated by the students themselves. At this institution, students do not receive grades and have no homework. The division into classes occurs not according to age criteria, but according to the area of interest of the children.
The main issues of managing an educational institution are resolved at monthly meetings of students, teachers and parents. At the same time, parents, on a volunteer basis, are active participants in the educational process and teacher assistants during the school day. Alpha's motto is Collaborative Education.
4. Orestad Open School in Copenhagen (ØВrestad Gymnasium)
This school can truly be considered a work of modern architectural art. And not only the building, but also the nature of education here differs from the classical school. In the premises of this educational institution there are practically no internal partitions, and there are no classes, in their usual sense.
Orestad Open School in Copenhagen
The heart of the school is huge spiral staircase, which connects the 4 floors of the building. All over the school there are soft sofas and poufs on which students relax and do homework. “In our school there are practically no walls that would separate us, but we have high ceilings,” say the citizens of this unusual children's state. And these words contain not so much architectural feature buildings, as much as the philosophy of this unique country of Knowledge. Schoolchildren learn to work in a space without boundaries, using their skills and abilities to solve assigned problems. There are no classical classes at school teaching aids, the guys are studying e-books and use information obtained on the Internet.
ØВrestad Gymnasium
5. “Keneleken” - nomadic school (Oleneksky Evenki national district, Yakutia, Russia)
But the kids who study at this school are incredibly lucky. And this is not because they have a modern educational institution, but because they have the opportunity to live with their parents and receive a classical school education. Until recently, children from the nomadic tribes of the Northern regions of Russia were forced to either study and live in boarding schools, without seeing their relatives for months, or received no education at all.
"Keneleken" - nomadic school
The nomadic school can rightfully be called the smallest school in terms of the number of students and staff. Such an educational institution has from 6 to 8 students, where 2-3 teachers work. However, this does not prevent the children from gaining the same knowledge, skills and abilities as their sedentary peers. The nomadic school is equipped with satellite Internet, which makes it possible to communicate with outside world. The government plans to optimize the educational process by creating adapted electronic educational aids to replace classic school textbooks.
6. Watershed School (USA)
Adventure school is not the dream of every school-age boy and girl. And these dreams come true at the American Watershed School.
Watershed Adventure School
The educational process here is built as one big journey through the expanses of the Land of Knowledge. If this is geography, then its study takes place on the ground, biology - in a reserve, in direct contact with wildlife, architecture - on the streets of the city. Educational expeditions are the most productive methods of obtaining solid knowledge, according to the teachers of this school. Despite the fact that the children have to study both mathematics and languages, the anticipation of the long-awaited trip and vivid impressions gives an incentive to study well. And, besides, sports, yoga, participation in a rock band make school years unforgettable. And the German writer Ernst Heine was truly right when he said: “You will find more knowledge in beeches and oaks than in books. Animals, trees and stones store such knowledge that no scientist can convey to you.”
7. Cave schools of China.
China never ceases to amaze us with economic miracles, and one of the prerequisites for this phenomenon can rightfully be considered the craving of these people for knowledge. This is confirmed by a unique school in Guizhou province. The Miao people, the indigenous people of this region, live quite modestly. The low standard of living did not allow these people to receive education for a long time. And only in 1984 the first school was opened. Since there were no funds to build a school, it was decided to locate the educational institution in a nearby cave. Classrooms, a sports ground and a recreation area were equipped here.
