Olten Highschool by Timo Bernhard (CH)
Learning extends beyond individual processes that take place in solitude, but it thrives in collaborative environments. To attain enduring success, it is imperative for young students to cultivate the skills of teamwork, mutual support and motivation, embracing the “WinTheDay” ethos.
Great achievements can only arise when a class functions cohesively as a team, with students assisting each other through challenges and engaging in critical questioning, ultimately steering towards their goals.
In the role of a teacher, is not only important to guide the stundents taking the right path through many possible directions, but also to impart those values which might contribute to a successful life, raising up the “WinTheDay” spirit in their souls.
Achieving that can only comes to life when theachers themselves live out these values authentically. Just after you will succeed in keeping them alive in the minds of the students, in and out the school.
With Timo we are very proud having found a master piece to accomplish that. Besides beeing teacher at the Highschool in Olten und after having finished his MSc. in Maths, which pushed him through though and demaning times, Timo was also deeply engaged with Orienteering and recently rather in endurance Sports. After some years into Triathlon, looking for new challenges, Timo was able to qualify and compete in the Iroman World Championchip that took place in Nice last July 2023, even achieving an incredible performance thanks to his high resilience values.
Not limiting the lessons to the teaching of traditional subjects content, but also tackling projects outside the classroom leads to achieve intrinsic motivation among the students. In order for such a project to be realised profitably, every teacher is dependent on a helpful team of outsiders.
In that matter, we were able to join a 100km Bikepacking Tour with Timo’s class, where we did night together in a Farm. The students had to prepare for the challenge in different groups and share the different tasks: looking for proper bike tools and replacements, choosing the dinner’s menu and buying the food, cooking, cleaning, entretainment…
“No effort is too high when it comes to guiding the new generation onto the path of success.“, remarks Timo.
The school is definately not a place for lone wolves, but a place where every day, we try to prepare and provide the girls and boys with the tools for a successful future.
