The Perfect School

Some weeks ago, I gave my pupils in the 9^th and 10^th grade a task where they could use their expertise. You probably wonder what kind of expertise that would be. They are of course experts in being pupils, nobody knows the school better than them.

Warm meals are popular.

“If you were to create a new school system, how would it be?” was the questions I gave them, and from their answers, I have made a summary which includes a lot of different topics that are relevant to school.

When should the day at school start and end, homework, subjects, technology and many more topics were mentioned. Most pupils talked about what kind of changes they wanted, but someone also mentioned what they would keep from today’s school system. Here is a list that shows the topics, and I have ranged them so that you find the most popular topics at the top.

Technology Twenty-four answers said something about technology, two meant that we should use it less, while the other 22 meant that more or better technology increase learning.	Smartboard and teachers that know how to use them iPad or Mac Tablets instead of books more technology that can motivate the pupils (like kahoot) No pencils and paper No blackboard Better computers not use the computer all the time no mobiles at school Free phones and computers to use only at school Wifi with password that changes every day CCTV-cameras at school
Subjects Fifteen pupils had meanings about the subjects, and their opinions differed a lot.	Like it is today More subjects Three compulsory subjects + several electives like nature & science, religion, second language ++ Math + Norwegian + English are basic subjects, you can choose between the rest and have them in periods (courses) More wood work More practical subjects Practical subjects without grades Marketing and finance Not so many subjects French + Spanish as well as German Less theory subjects Like it is today + add the new subjects “nature” where you have to have your lessons out in the nature
Start/end school Twelve pupils had opinions about when to start in the morning and when to end the school day. A few also said something about how many days a week at school, and how long the vacations should be.	8 am - 2.30 pm 9 am – 2 pm 9 am – 3 pm 9 am – 5 pm 10 am - 2 pm 10 am - 4.30 pm (7 lessons) 10 am - 5 pm  (open to 7 pm) Like it is today End earlier 4 days a week Longer summer vacation
Food Almost everyone among the eleven pupils that mentioned meals, wanted warm food at school, and a few talked about Norway, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, that doesn’t spend money on this, while for instance Sweden does.	Warm meal Warm meal once a week, Free breakfast Three lunch breaks Allowed to eat during the lessons
Tests Some want more tests while others want less. Nine pupils had answers that covered this topic.	Like it is today Not more than one test a day Maximum two tests a week Weekly tests in every subjects, End-of-year test and repeat the year if you fail. Rewards to the best pupils Not many tests because they make pupils feel bad when they fail Change the one-day-exam into three tests so that if you fail once you can havenew chances to do well.
Homework Surprisingly only nine pupils mentioned homework, does that mean they normally don’t need to spend very much time doing school work at home?	No homework Choose if you want to do your homework at school with help from teachers Not so much as today Very little homework Do the homework in the last lesson
Furniture Also nine pupils mentioned the furniture, and most of them wanted softer chairs.	More comfortable chairs Office chairs Bigger desks Bigger desks with drawers Desks with power connectors
Classroom Bigger, lighter and warmer classrooms would probably be popular, this was mentioned in nine answers.	Open all day Redecorate Classrooms for listening only Big and light classrooms All classes should have their own classroom Round classrooms with many windows Heating in the floor
School uniforms Five pupils meant that this would be a good idea, and that it would reduce bullying in school.	Yes
Transportation Only three pupils mentioned the transportation to school.	Bus all the way home Free bus wherever you live Eco-friendly buses

At the end I will also mention some suggestions that came up, but which are a bit difficult to put into the categories above.

• Enough help for every pupil
• Start school at the age of eight
• Divide into boys and girls only in a couple of subjects (PE)
• No bullying
• Allowed to go to the shop
• Library at school