Joining me on this week's episode is Brett Girven who is the principal of The Arbor School in Dubai. The Arbor School is an ecological school based on the British curriculum. It has six climate-controlled biodomes and beautiful learning gardens for students to explore. These green spaces also know as 'living classrooms' are fantastic places for children to learn, meditate and read.

Established in 2018, The Arbor School is a very forward thinking school which Brett joined in 2019. So what makes Arbor School such a desirable school? Brett explains that there are 3 pillars of the school which make it unique. These include ecoliteracy, sustainability, and global and environmental justice. Growing up and studying in New Zealand, gave Brett the opportunity to see "how humans interact with the biological living systems." After completing a degree in Zoology and a post graduate degree in Environmental Science, Brett became a biology teacher and continued to coach sports.

Brett and his family moved to the Middle East more than 10 years ago. He discusses the ethos of The Arbor School as well as the philosophy (known as the ecosophy). Brett shares examples of lessons that engage students with tangible materials while using the ecoliteracy approach.

Community building is another important aspect of The Arbor School. Brett states that "[t]he [Arbor] children need to come out of this with a different view of the world." Therefore by making connections in the community to host yoga, art and culinary classes encourages sustainability.

During our conversation, Brett elaborated on the concept of the school, his vision of The Arbor School in ten years and his memorable moments as Principal. Whether you are an educator or a parent, this episode is one that you will definitely enjoy and learn from.

For more information about The Arbor School, go to:

https://www.thearborschool.ae/