In September they began to take the steps to go as far as possible in Lardizabal Public School: “There are different opinions between teachers and parents, but we all agree on the basis: we want the best education for children and, if we argue, these types of projects go ahead. After all, the biggest complaint from parents is how 200 students can be locked inside the school when there are great limitations to meet in other activities,” explains Eider Amundarain, the school’s principal.

The students of Early Childhood Education also went out every day to the botanical park next to the school and this year the Primary Education groups can use every day some space of the locality assigned by the City Hall, alternating weekly the space (plaza, school environment, theater, house of culture…). To this is added the weekly departure of half a day or full day of Primary. “Before the students started in school, the entire group of teachers took a walk through the village to learn about the environment. However, this was not enough, we asked parents and municipal representatives if they had any proposal for an excursion in the village environment, and within a few days we received a document that contains thirteen routes to be carried out in the surroundings of Zaldibia, especially with the help of the children of Alaitz Sarasola,” explained Amundarain. This document is printed and plasticized by all the tutors, and in it they have a map of each excursion, duration, which can be found on the road (data from the baserritars, proposals for visits…), etc. They also perform more modest exits, such as going to see where the students live. “Enlighten the students.”

Classroom exits, from class to exits

The Director has pointed out that giving the school out does not mean taking the desk out, repeating outside the classroom, “and we have realized that there is no need for a huge infrastructure, but putting our head on it, acting otherwise. As we do, we learn and adapt. At the exits, for example, the students have brought manipulative math material, or if they go on the tour with the English teacher, they do it all the time in English.” The faculty is training with those of Ekogune to analyze and reflect on the activities that can be carried out abroad. In Amundarain’s words, it is important to systematize the exits and not have isolated sporadic excursions, so that the students internalize that it is not an activity that has nothing to do with what is being done in class; that they see that “the exit can be taken to class and the room to the exit”.

In the case of the smaller ones, taking advantage of the existence of a raft in the botanical park, they are in contact with Aranzadi to work the well in an educational way. Lardizabal is a member of the School Pond Network. Time is often an obstacle to going outside, but Amundarain says that they have covered spaces and that leaving does not take sunny time. “Now we’re thinking about getting waterproof clothing.”

Parents, in the cleaning and conditioning of the park

The Lardizabal Joint Commissions are a sample of the involvement of the entire educational community, with the participation of teachers, students, parents and municipal representatives, one of them being the External Space and Outdoor Activities Commission. Thanks to this committee, for example, the seats that will serve as a meeting point for students are being prepared in the botanical park. And recently, families have cleaned and conditioned a large park space so that the students can use it.

Administrative barriers to outward exit

“This is a small town, and that facilitates the exchange with the City Hall, but it takes will and attitude for it, and that exists,” says the director. The same cannot be said of the position of the Basque Government: “Outdoor activities will be prioritized,” the Department of Education wrote in its protocol. Great. But what resources have been put in place to be able to carry it out? Absolutely nothing! The administration can give more help to leave, training for all and more personal resources.” In fact, instead of facilitating the protocols, it makes it difficult to exit abroad: in many centers they do not stay out, because in the classroom a group is required to go out with a single educator two educators who can go abroad and the parents have not allowed the administration to accompany them in the exits. Amundarain has recognized that they often have to juggle to coordinate everything, and for recess, for example, the school environment has also considered it as a school space, so they don't need extra educators to go out into the area.

External and internal balance

Eider Amundarain has said that he is being very intense, that they are learning and adapting day to day, and that they are very comfortable. “Without COVID19, we would like to continue these projects in the future, incorporating them into our educational project. It would be good to strike a balance between the outside and the inside, and to have the means to carry it out.”

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