Running Towards Challenges
In my first week at Green School New Zealand, stunned by the natural beauty, warmed by this beautiful community - I’m more than ever aware of the opportunities and challenges ahead of me.
*Learn more below about Green School New Zealand, or it’s journey here. Hear from Sal here on Toddle Podcast or here on The Learning Future Podcast or a chat with India Future School Leaders and finally Educators.
I never thought that leaving Green School Bali and my Green School Bali family, after 11 years, was going to be easy.
Can you remember that feeling of the pulse-quickening jolt when a challenge appears? It’s like standing on the edge of an ‘opportunity cliff’, toes hanging off, heart pounding, and the wind whispering: "Jump!" That’s where growth happens, not in the safe, predictable, cushy lanes, but in the wild, chaotic corners where challenges live and breathe. The truth? We should all be sprinting toward those challenges. Why? Because every tough moment is a launchpad for something bigger, stronger, and brighter.
Think about it. The best moments in life are often the ones that demanded everything from us—brainpower, creativity, resilience. Whether it’s figuring out a seemingly unsolvable equation, navigating a difficult conversation, or deciding to leap into a new opportunity, these challenges force us to stretch beyond what we think we can handle. And let’s be real - no one ever learned anything from sitting comfortably in the easy lane. Growth is uncomfortable. It’s messy, full of mistakes, and sometimes feels like one giant faceplant. But guess what? That’s exactly why it works.
People who run toward challenges don’t wait in safety for the perfect moment - they charge ahead, knowing full well that failure might be ahead, but they’re also aware that success could be just around the corner. The key? Embrace the process. It’s in the struggle that we become better. It’s not about being fearless; it’s about feeling the fear, the uncertainty, and doing it anyway.
So how do we make this mindset more than just a cool idea we post on Instagram? We bring it into the spaces where young minds are shaped - schools. Imagine schools as launching pads, not for content memorization, but for unleashing curiosity, creativity, and resilience. Schools can be the ultimate training grounds for running toward challenges. Instead of feeding students a safe, one-size-fits-all diet of knowledge, let’s toss them into the deep end. Let them wrestle with complex problems, confront real-world issues, and fail spectacularly before they succeed. Classrooms can buzz with the energy of students actively seeking out the next hurdle, not hiding from it.
Education can be like this. I loved to see this type of learning around the GS Bali jungle - the passion projects, the community service, entrepreneurship, theater and arts (and so much more). And now I’m seeing it at GSNZ - Greenstones, Quests and Footprints fast approaching, Hikoi exploring (learners will be caving next week!), culture, language, music, Nature, and today the whole school (including some parents) went to the important Omae Marae in Waitara. This type of learning is about facing the challenges of today to create a better tomorrow.
The world doesn’t need more people avoiding challenges - it needs more people chasing them down like they're a prize to be won. Schools can be the playgrounds where students practice this, day in and day out, until running towards the tough stuff becomes second nature.
To be honest, I’m still waking up wondering where I am and I’ve been ‘feeling the cold’ (to put it nicely); I’m settling in yet still running towards the tough stuff. But I know that if you’re not running toward the challenge, you’re running away from the opportunity …
…which way are you headed?
Learn more about Green School, New Zealand Aotearoa
Green School’s mission is to create a global community of learners, making our world sustainable.
From our origins at Green School Bali, we have become a global movement in education, with schools opening in New Zealand and South Africa. Our ‘living’ curriculum educates for sustainability through community-integrated, entrepreneurial learning, in wall-less and nature-immersed environment.
We strive to champion a new model of education that nurtures the whole child, giving them agency in their own lives and learning, so that they can thrive with purpose in our ever-changing world. We invite you to join our global community and discover the difference for your family.
The global Green School movement first began with the opening of Green School Bali in 2008 by life-long entrepreneurs, John and Cynthia Hardy. After years of homeschooling, they wanted their daughters to attend a school that they believed in.
Green School New Zealand, Founders the Perretts had a similar story as the Hardy’s, and since has become a beacon for the future of education, with a growing community that includes Green Camp, numerous events and new Green School locations around the world.
Education.
Green School New Zealand has a progressive focus towards the inclusion of te reo Māori in its curriculum. The use of reo is naturally incorporated into classroom learning, meetings, school signage, kōrero (talking) at break times, during sports and extra-curricular activities. Each week, full school kapa haka sessions take place where learners not only come together for waiata (singing) but are immersed in lessons that focus on language, tikanga (practices and values) and manaakitanga (expressing kindness and respect to others). It is this weekly session and the actions that stem from it, which has resulted in te ao Māori becoming a natural part of the school curriculum. It has been said that Green School is not only a place where Māori culture is seen and heard, but is felt.
Community & the Land
The Green School community is one that honours and takes guidance from many elements of tikanga Māori (practices and values). From traditional pōwhiri and mihi whakatau ceremonies to welcome new families and visitors, to annual celebrations of Puanga and Parihaka Day, these practices are respectfully honoured as a way to acknowledge those who came before us, enhance community connections, and provide fulfilling experiences that broaden our knowledge of tikanga Māori. The rich concept of tuakana teina (relationship between young and old) is also one that is integrated into our community life, with values and skills consistently being passed from older students to younger students, or parents to teachers and vice versa. We treasure these full community experiences that have stemmed from māori tradition, and the confidence and connection those experiences instil in learners, their families, and our staff.
