The school that puts the kids in charge ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Phil. And I'm Georgie.

Some people remember their school days as the best time of their lives.

For others, it was the worst.

Did you enjoy school, Georgie?

Most of the time,

yes, but there was one thing I didn't like - the school rules.

Luckily, that's not a problem for pupils at the Bamboo School in Thailand

because there the children, not the teachers, make the rules.

Children at the Bamboo School are responsible for every part

of running the school from buying food for the kitchens,

to disciplining fellow students and even hiring new staff.

It's a school run by students, for students.

Yes. In this programme, we'll be hearing

about the Bamboo School, a unique school, where the children

call the shots – they have the power to make the decisions.

We'll also be learning some useful new vocabulary and, before you ask Phil,

yes, the Bamboo School really is made of bamboo.

Sounds good, Georgie, but first,

I have a question for you. The Bamboo School is a private school

for poorer children who can't afford school fees.

Bamboo schoolchildren get educated for free,

but have to do something in return.

But what? Is it a) teach lessons b) plant trees or c) learn English?

Um, I guess they have to learn English.

OK, Georgie. I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

The idea behind the Bamboo School is simple - teaching children responsibility

by letting them run their own school.

The school doesn't employ

cooks, gardeners or cleaners.

It's all done by the pupils. Twice a week,

children go to the vegetable market with a school officer

and buy food for all 150 students.

The prices are then carefully checked by other students,

like Nooneem who manages the food accounts. Here's Nooneem

speaking with William Kremer, reporter for BBC

World Service Programme,

'People Fixing the World'.

I am interested in accounting to begin with, so I get excited by it.

When I actually get to do it,

I enjoy it a lot since we are doing the actual job. With this

hands-on experience

we see the school's real spending and the things we purchased.

So, you went to a local school before,

just in this area,

what are the differences between that school and this school?

My old school wasn't like this.

It was just classes and then home.

Here, I get to try so many things, gain real world experience

and work on my leadership skills

with my friends. I never had these opportunities before

and the school has been amazing!

Nooneem says shopping at the market is a hands-on experience -

she's actively involved in doing something practical, rather

than getting someone else to do it.

She enjoys managing the food accounts

because it's real world experience. The phrase 'real world' describes

how the world works in reality rather than someone's idea of it,

which might be unrealistic. Children at the Bamboo School,

get opportunities to try something new and different outside the classroom,

increasing the chances

they will find something

they're really good at.

Of course, there are some adults -

every school needs teachers.

But what's special, is how children are trusted,

and respond positively to that trust.

Here's reporter, William Kremer again, speaking with Myra Anubi for BBC

World Service Programme,

'People Fixing the World'.

So, just to be clear, it seems like the grown ups are still in charge

in the classrooms, but outside

it's the kids who run stuff.

Yeah, I think that's broadly right,

and I think one of the things

that's interesting about this school is, it manages to be quite conventional

in some ways and really innovative,

even radical in others.

At the Bamboo school,

the grown-ups – another word for adults are still in charge in the classroom,

but it's the kids, or children, who run everything.

It's a radical idea, and means that

besides lessons,

there's lots of work to be done.

Children do two hours of community service, that's work

that is done without pay to help people in the community,

every week.

Anyway, I think it's time to reveal the answer to your question.

Yes, we just heard that kids go to the Bamboo School for free

but do something in return.

But what? Georgie guessed it was learning English, which was the wrong answer,

I'm afraid. In fact, pupils at the school have to plant trees,

400 of them every year!

Right, let's recap the vocabulary

we have learned from this programme

about a school where the kids, or children,

call the shots, a phrase meaning have the power to make the important decisions.

Hands-on experience means being actively involved in doing something practical,

rather than just talking about it, or getting someone else to do it.

The phrase 'real world' is used to describe how the world really is, rather

than someone's idea of it, which may be unrealistic or untypical.

A 'grown-up' is an informal word for an adult, and

a 'kid' is an informal word for a child.

And finally, community service is work

that is done without pay to help people in a community.

Once again, our six minutes are up,

but remember to join us again next time

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute

English. Goodbye for now. Bye.