“Creating a space for the wonder of purposeful learning, as well as honouring the unique qualities that make us human, is something I am deeply passionate about.”

– Dr. Martina Geromin

Disclaimer: The insights and methods shared in this interview may not align with all traditional educational models. For families considering non-traditional schooling, thorough research and consultation are recommended to ensure compatibility with your child’s needs.

In this interview, Dr. Martina Geromin, Co-Founder, CEO, and Designer of School Beyond Limitations, shares her journey of creating an innovative educational model designed for traveling families, expats, and individuals seeking personalised and holistic learning experiences. Dr. Geromin’s approach disrupts traditional education by focusing on adaptability, individuality, and lifelong learning. She discusses her motivations, milestones, and how School Beyond Limitations empowers students to embrace their uniqueness while tackling a globalised world.

Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background, your journey into education, and the vision behind School Beyond Limitations?

Education has always been an integral part of my life. From the age of five, I dreamed of becoming a teacher and, later, a school leader, driven to challenge the constraints of traditional education. Creating a space for the wonder of purposeful learning, as well as honouring the unique qualities that make us human, is something I am deeply passionate about. The vision for School Beyond Limitations (SBL) is centred around every individual being inspired to discover and reach their full potential.

Over the course of my long career in education, I have worked internationally as a teacher, university lecturer, trainer, adult educator, and executive within global educational institutions. I am also a parent, with a son who studied mathematics at Cambridge University and now thrives as a mathematician and software developer.

My commitment remains focused on helping individuals uncover and embrace their uniqueness while learning how to bring it to life meaningfully. I see education and personal development as transformative drivers for real change. Having spent decades developing a new innovative educational model, our vision took shape in SBL – a school that transcends traditional boundaries and redefines education beyond limitations.

What inspired you to create a school designed for traveling families and students with unique circumstances? How did your personal or professional experiences influence this concept?

Having previously been part of an expat family myself, I understand only too well how challenging it can be to provide educational consistency and emotional stability for young people. From my own experience, hopping from school to school can be demotivating and often traumatic for children and that can be worsened by the operational differences in educational models across the globe. As a parent you would be forgiven for thinking that all schools operate in a similar way, yet the reverse is often true which can be frustrating. For families who move around a lot, changing schools can be daunting. I wanted to create a learning environment that provided the emotional stability and continuity of routine that children need, but in a way that celebrates difference and uniqueness in a flexible setting. Travelling families often face a lot of disruption and upheaval, so being able to create a more peaceful environment for children to study, while having balance for family time is crucial.

School Beyond Limitations offers a holistic, entrepreneurial, and personalised approach to education. Can you elaborate on how this model differs from traditional schooling?

It differs completely to traditional schooling. We have no pre-set curriculum, yet we still have our own proven structure which is designed to help children to develop critical thinking and resilience with a global mindset. We allow our students greater power to design their own learning and to put their ideas into practice, while still developing key academic areas such as maths and science. Our core pillars also include a focus around active entrepreneurialism, whereby we encourage and facilitate real world experiences, whether that is supporting a student with starting a new businesses venture or boosting exposure to financial education – our students start taking proactive steps towards their future supported by our high calibre teachers and mentors. Aside from the odd ad-hoc project or special module, I don’t believe this kind of thing is happening in traditional schools – certainly not to this extent where it is actually embedded into everyday school life.

At SBL we also focus on coaching students towards their personal goals while ensuring that key areas like English, maths and STEM skills are built into everything they do – whether that is guiding them through their university application, equipping them with the skills to launch a business or supporting them with a new project or careers advice. Our one-to-one mentoring is also an area that differs to traditional schooling as is our mixed-age learning environment. We create the space to learn cross-subject within our core pillars using themes and topics in class that are derived from our students’ own personal interests. The level of personalised education at SBL is key to success, as are the small class sizes. With a maximum of eight children in each class, the environment is small enough to focus on individual interests which is not possible in other schools with larger teaching groups.

How does the school foster a sense of stability and community for students who are frequently on the move or come from diverse backgrounds?

With no more than eight students in a class and with the same teacher and mentor for the entire school year, our students are given the continuity, time and space to build and nurture relationships with their peers in a consistent setting regardless of how often they move house or travel. We also provide in-person residential weeks twice a year where our students come together as a team and experience the culture of SBL in an enhanced setting. We also provide a sense of routine and stability for students who travel or come from diverse backgrounds as their weekly sessions are structured and they have an hour with their own mentor every week too. So, there is a clear structure to the school day, they also have foresight of topics, so they know that one week is focused on science for example, and the next on maths etc. They have clear schedules and expectations, which helps to create a sense of belonging and community within their groups.

What challenges did you face while developing and implementing this innovative educational model, and how did you overcome them?

We have faced many challenges during our journey and that is to be expected when you are challenging and disrupting the status quo. For parents, concerns around child isolation is a big area for online schools and it is the reason we work very hard to develop our school’s culture and that all-important sense of community. We actively encourage and support our students to reach out via their lessons, to their teachers and to their personal mentors. We also organise social get togethers for our students both online and also in person with our residential trips. Staffing and recruiting the right teachers was also a challenge initially, namely because we needed teachers that embrace our vision. Today we are thrilled to have so many teachers that believe in what we are doing and have plenty of energy, passion and patience to help us grow and develop. Having a culture of collaboration really helps because in education, there is always a new challenge. Being prepared to take risks and experiment has also been part of the process.

Can you share a memorable success story or milestone that highlights the impact of School Beyond Limitations on its students or their families?

There are too many to mention but the small ‘wins’ are often the most touching and rewarding. For example, when a parent tells you that you have changed their child’s life. It might be that they never felt they fitted into the mainstream schooling system, but SBL changed that for them. Some of our students even choose to stay with us for longer, beyond sixth form, if they feel they can still benefit from the support and spirit of the school and that is such a compliment. We often see real success on our residential trips too, watching previously nervous or anxious children learn and grow in confidence amongst their peers. We’ve also had children who were terrified of being on camera in lessons so would always turn it off but are now happy to be seen and heard by their peers and teachers – this is such a huge deal for some students. We also have students who have launched their own successful businesses and have been supported by their peers and the SBL community. Whether we’ve supported a child through a family divorce or separation or have made a family’s life easier by providing continuity and stability for their child, it is very rewarding to witness the growth of each individual child.

Mental health and well-being are increasingly important in education. How does School Beyond Limitations address these aspects for its students?

It is the reason some parents look to home educate through an online school, so our school foundations are very much built upon nurturing the health and wellbeing of our students. The wellbeing of every child is embedded into the core pillars of SBL. We work on this every day. We have our personal mentoring system which runs every week, our wellbeing strategist is in school daily and unlike many traditional schools, all of our teachers are trained to support students with their wellbeing and mental health. As well as strong parent collaboration, what is important is that our teachers are not only trained to encourage students to reach out at any time, but they are also trained to spot signs that a child might be struggling and due to the structure of the school week, they will always interact with a teacher or mentor one-to-one. We also work with external counsellors and mental health professionals – this is something that is constantly evolving.

You emphasise nurturing each student’s uniqueness and talents. Can you provide examples of how the school helps students discover and pursue their passions?

Because our learning is inspired by the personal interests of our students, finding out where their interests lie and providing them with a range of opportunities to deepen their understanding and knowledge in those areas is part of what we do every day. We also offer a bridging year to sixth form students who have completed their studies but are looking for support as they progress into the next stage of their future – whether that is helping them to set up a new business or finding out more about a specific career, we look for ways to follow up with our students and show that we are interested in what they are learning by helping to guide students in the right direction to further their passions. Sometimes that might involve putting a package of tools together to ensure they are well equipped to approach an investor or employer, some students need more support than others, so we might look at their confidence and presentation skills, for instance.

What advice would you give to educators and institutions looking to create more inclusive and adaptable learning environments?

If you want to change something you have to be prepared to be creative and to stand up for what you believe in. For education, that means reviewing the schooling system as we currently know it and creating a stepping stone for change. The education system will change dramatically over the next 10 years and schools need to be prepared for this and to move away from the outdated content of the traditional curriculum, moving more towards the human factor of education. The biggest drivers for change include flexibility and inclusivity – that means catering for all different styles of learning and also for the individual needs of students. Developing smaller more focused environments for learning is critical.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for School Beyond Limitations, and how do you envision its role in shaping the future of education globally?

We firmly believe in disrupting the boundaries of traditional education on an international level. Our aspirations are to continue to develop and grow our school as an enriching environment that provides a meaningful education to young people; one that focuses on personalised learning in a collaborative, mixed age setting where students are empowered as global citizens to unlock their full potential, by simply being themselves and bringing their own unique essence to life.

“We firmly believe in disrupting the boundaries of traditional education on an international level, empowering students as global citizens to unlock their full potential by simply being themselves.”

– Dr. Martina Geromin

Links

• School Beyond Limitations: www.school-beyond-limitations.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-martina-geromin/

Share Your Insights

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this interview! Share your insights in the comments:

• What changes would you like to see in traditional education systems?
• How do you think education can better support individuality and personal growth?
• What role should flexibility play in modern schooling?

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