‘A school is a living organism and behaves like a body.’
How do you guarantee quality education when, as a school organisation, you cannot fill your vacancies? How do you build trust among the staff who are available, among parents and among the pupils themselves? We could talk about it at length, but one thing is certain. When our body lacks important minerals, vitamins, nutrients and certain chemical elements, it starts to falter. If you do not step in in time, it becomes ill. A school is a living organism and responds in a similar way.
Deficiencies in our body arise when it is overburdened by various forms of stress caused by psychological, physical, emotional and environmental factors. The body exhausts itself more and more, and its functions become disrupted. Its capacity to heal itself weakens and, if nothing is done, the complaint becomes chronic.
The immune system of schools is affected in the same way. The signals have persisted for years. The stress factors for head teachers and teachers outweigh the nourishing elements that education receives. The system becomes exhausted. Who wants to work in an environment that cannot generate enough energy? Or in which the complaints are always looked at in the same way? The result stays the same. There is a good chance you will flee and go in search of greener pastures. So it is high time the immune system of schools was given a boost. Just as, after recovering from a serious illness, someone is transformed into ‘a different person with a different outlook’, as people say themselves, schools too can feel a fresh new wind blowing.
The most precious diamond in the world
And yet schools can offer their services to the most wonderful clientele you could imagine: adorable toddlers and nursery children, eager and playful primary school children, and teenagers who want to broaden their world and their view of it. What beautiful challenges lie in working with these young people. It is a huge question mark to me why policymakers would not treat the education system as if it were the most precious diamond in the world. A diamond that can be an example of brilliance. Just as we want our young people to shine in the world, now and later on.
‘Looking from a different field opens your perception to hidden traumas and the path to healing.’
As I said above, we can only achieve different results if we look in a different way. If we play the game by the traditional rules, we will not get new results. So which game can we play? It is the game of not-knowing, which is played in the field of not-knowing. Not-knowing almost seems like sacrilege to us, rational beings that we are, trained in wanting to know. Yet it is well worth stepping into the field of not-knowing.
‘The game of not-knowing is played in the field of not-knowing.’
In systemic constellations we work with information that is not available to our rational brain, but with which we can nevertheless make contact. The current problems in schools can find a place there. The various elements of the issue being explored are called representatives and are chosen from among the participants on a day of educational constellations. They are intuitively given a place in the space (the room), positioned in particular places in relation to one another and facing in a particular direction. This makes the unconscious inner picture of the person asking the question visible. The representatives experience information from the field of not-knowing that can be used to recognise and acknowledge traumas and to activate new elements. It is a powerful way of working that neutralises tensions and offers insights you could never have thought of beforehand. Just as, with a poorly understood illness, you finally find the doctor who uncovers the real cause and can decide on the next steps from there.
The same thing happens in every systemic educational constellation. We gain insights that were previously out of reach. With them we take small or large steps forward, but always forward. An educational constellation is an instructive way of working that can at the same time be intense and emotional. It lifts you up, whatever question you have brought. Experiencing an educational constellation for yourself is far more powerful than I could ever put into words.
What can a systemic view and educational constellations mean for you?
At school, do you sometimes experience …
- A lack of safety?
- Imbalance and chaos?
- Pressure and stress?
- A lack of time?
- A lack of energy?
- A lack of motivation?
- Too many fires to put out?
- Situations you cannot resolve?
Would you like to make school …
- With more balance and safety?
- With less pressure?
- With more flow and more energy?
- With a stronger foundation to start from?
- In harmony with your inner leadership?
- Through smoother teamwork?
Benefits of systemic constellations / educational constellations
- Many possible applications.
- Saves time and energy.
- Suitable for all levels.
- The effects last a long time.
- Leaves everyone’s self-worth intact.
- Everyone involved is seen and heard.
- It is easier to take your own place.
- Suitable for problem situations.
- Suitable for exploration and clarification.
- The situation and the people involved start to move.
Some participants’ experiences:
- It is about yourself. That is good news.
- There is a natural order.
- You mean a great deal to your school.
- You can achieve more with fewer worries.
- When I feel it here, I recognise it in the school context.
- What you take away is awareness.
- The impact of your baggage on how you function at school.
- Judgements fall away. Understanding grows.
- Easy and practical presence exercises.
- Your own functioning improves and becomes easier.
- My own place is clearer.
- You will find other experiences in the video.
You will find all the information about the training, the target groups, dates and fees here.
Transformation programme: A systemic view beyond stress at school
- Eight training days
- 30' FREE online coaching
- FREE book: De eigenwijze kikker — Het geheim van lesgeven en opvoeden
- Training certificate
- Starting day 25 September 2022
Day of educational constellations
- Sunday 13 November 2022
- Early booking discount until 1 October 2022
- Option to purchase De eigenwijze kikker.
- In-service training certificate.
With vibrant greetings
Hilde Van Bulck
- Awareness Architect, systemic constellation facilitator and adviser, speaker, author.
- Systemic coaching, training and support for education professionals.
