Years ago, while working with SOS Children's Villages, I walked through a slum in the Philippines where I met a two-year-old little girl. The girl showed signs of malnutrition. Her hair was lighter than it should be, and she was smaller than expected for her age. We met in a tiny little hut where she lived with her older sister and mother. We started to talk about songs, and they taught me a song they really liked. I hardly remember it, but I remember our laughter and lighting up a little, feeling less heavy considering the reduced and dark space. Together with the toddler and her mother, we started walking around the slum. I remembered the German "Engelchen, Engelchen flieg". Two adults hold each hand of a child start running and make it fly by lifting it up while they are saying "little angel, little angel...fly". We swung the little girl up and made her fly. She loved it and started laughing. I will never forget how her big brown eyes lit up while she experienced this moment of “flying”.
Isn’t that what we want for all children and young people? As educational care takers and parents, we want to provide as much space and support for our MIS students as possible. We want them to thrive, unleash their full potential, and find their own purpose in life. We want them to spread their wings and fly.
We care enough to investigate what their needs are. That is why we asked our students what boundary-free learning would mean to them. We wanted to know what you, as students, relate to a boundary-free space: "Being able to learn what you are truly interested in, while getting the needed support" was a common request. A space which is “not the classroom” is essential because having the “necessary resources in place” is the crux of the Learning NeXus. Finally, “being able to connect with people that also love different knowledge about a topic” and “not being stuck within the knowledge of only one country” is a value that many MIS students share.
The Learning NeXus has been specifically designed for students to have the resources, support, and inspiration to fly. There is no doubt that our students will fill the Learning NeXus with their ideas and collaborations. They will synergize their diverse skills, perspectives, and personalities, cultivating a dynamic platform for idea development beyond the confines of a classroom. We look forward to our learners filling that space and turning it into a limitless one for their own thoughts and creativity.