Drejc Simnic
Step by Step (SbS) program alumnus Drejc Šimnic is a 30-years old Slovenian. He currently lives in Germany where he works as lead design engineer for one of the auto companies. Drejc took part in the SbS program during one year in kindergarten and four years at primary school. These are some of Drejc’s memories about his program experience.
Drejc, how were your school and kindergarten different from others?
First of all, the room for our classes, itself, was different. If in a conventional school there are benches, we had separate spaces where we could always find a place for ourselves. We also had all the materials to play and work with in spots that were easy to reach. I remember that the closets with books, toys and different paper that we could use were low and we could easily pick up what we needed. That was more children-friendly, I would say. We were allowed to use anything that was in our classroom.
I remember that, at some point every morning, we gathered in a circle, sitting on the floor and telling the whole class what had happened to us at home and what was going on in our lives at that moment. During such gatherings, our teachers told us the plan for the day and then one of us had to present something: a book, poem or picture. After this, we went to different spots in the same room to study different things. The teacher was going from one study group to another, helping us with the instructions.
I never had a fear from school, never felt that something was forced on me. It was easy for me to progress in school, and a good and positive attitude from teachers helped a lot.
Were your parents involved in the process of education during the program?
My parents did not interfere a lot in my school education, but we had quite a lot of gatherings with our parents out of school. For example, on the weekends we met with schoolmates and their parents somewhere, which made us feel that we are not only classmates, but also friends. We had a very good connection with my classmates. By the way, I am still in touch with them, and we see each other at least once a year.
What was your main lesson you learnt during the SbS program?
I think it was openness and the idea that I am capable of doing what I want in this moment. In general, I did not see school as a place where I must go, it was just a nice place to be at. My teachers encouraged me to do what I liked to do. I would say that now I also see my work not as something I must do, but as something I can do, I like to do and that I am good at.
