It all started with a discussion. It took several week-long conversations, from Canada to Australia. These discussions have turned into studies and then into a doctoral thesis. We have talked at dozens of conferences about what is going wrong with our educational system and how to make it better. At these conferences there was always a lot of interest in the topic. We were looking for the key to the solution, unsuccessfully, because at this time, the other three components were still missing from the formula. 

The First Component: The Teacher

Teachers are known to be best understood by their ‘teacher friends’. Outsiders either envy long summer breaks or criticize us for other reasons. During teacher-friend discussions we often wondered what the solution could be. We were convinced that the good old “somehow we will endure this year” is not a long-term solution. We have always felt that there is a need for a place where not only colleagues but everyone agrees that working with the younger generations is a serious intellectual mission. The doctors, lawyers, actors and parents of the future are all in their teachers’ hands. And the summer break is the time to recharge, balance and prepare for the next year to be at least as successful as in the previous one. 

The Second Component: The Student

During the conversations with the students, we realized that they also needed a helping environment where they could be understood and could find purpose. They are unmotivated and they realized getting better grades because of pressure from their parents’, is not the right path. Besides firmness and high expectation from others, they need more freedom to show they can make responsible decisions for themselves.

The Third Component: The Parents

We believe that only cooperation can really succeed in future education. Instead of misinformation, uncertainty, and judgment, we believe that parents – with the help of teachers – can create a stable, trust-based environment in which the younger generation can develop and learn to pursue their goals.

The Fourth Component: Companies and Universities

A quintessential phrase I heard from a project manager: ‘You (teachers) are not even capable of teaching them (students) how to behave.' Businesses have already given up expecting relevant skills from their young colleagues. ‘You need to be motivated and want to learn new things. That is enough’, they say. University teachers need to produce the same results from ever-diluting knowledge, which can only be achieved by manipulating the data. We have to realize that our current education system is wearing the ‘emperor’s new clothes’. Entrepreneurs and university lecturers are looking for a place where students have the opportunity to learn new skills responsibly; where it is important to be aware that development never begins the easy way and persistence and teamwork will be essential in the future. 

The Fifth Element: the Grund 

This situation can be frustrating or exhilarating. After summing up the experiences and memories mentioned above, we realized that we had to go one way, together, to achieve the desired results for everyone. The Grund was dreamed of, consciously or unknowingly, by all the teachers, students and entrepreneurs who dared to say out loud what the problems are, and more importantly, they were interested in the solutions.