Psychological Safety, Emotional Security, Sense of Belonging
In 2013, I began working to build a school where children could experience a sense of safety - with a bit of inspiration from the school I grew up into and that was my safe space.
The idea of being in a place where people can be themselves, protected and cared for, so that learning can happen in a calm and creative way, stayed with me throughout those years.
Over time, learning brought not only answers, but more questions, and with deeper understanding came a new set of questions, more complex and more demanding.
In 2020, I decided to write these questions down and explore which of them could become the foundation for a research project - one in which I would no longer teach children or teachers, but instead deepen my own understanding and, perhaps, generate new questions and understandings.
Since 2020, I have been working on this research project that explores what makes alternative schools (especially self-directed learning environments and nature-based schools) feel safe, secure, and experienced as places of belonging.
Along this journey, I developed a methodology, tested it during a visiting research period in the United States, learned from early trials and mistakes, and returned to the work with greater humility and curiosity.
I pursued additional training to better understand key concepts from a practitioner’s perspective, began reading beyond what initially seemed directly connected to my topic, redesigned my methodology, and conducted a new phase of data collection.
I now find myself in a place where I can say: I have the right questions.
And the next step is to travel and ask them.
In 2026, I plan to visit schools in France, The United Kingdom, and Spain to collect data for this project.
You can stay connected to my research journey on Substack, where I share a research diary and ongoing reflections from the field. Sometimes I post few of my experiences on instagram and facebook too.
The idea of being in a place where people can be themselves, protected and cared for, so that learning can happen in a calm and creative way, stayed with me throughout those years.
Over time, learning brought not only answers, but more questions, and with deeper understanding came a new set of questions, more complex and more demanding.
In 2020, I decided to write these questions down and explore which of them could become the foundation for a research project - one in which I would no longer teach children or teachers, but instead deepen my own understanding and, perhaps, generate new questions and understandings.
Since 2020, I have been working on this research project that explores what makes alternative schools (especially self-directed learning environments and nature-based schools) feel safe, secure, and experienced as places of belonging.
Along this journey, I developed a methodology, tested it during a visiting research period in the United States, learned from early trials and mistakes, and returned to the work with greater humility and curiosity.
I pursued additional training to better understand key concepts from a practitioner’s perspective, began reading beyond what initially seemed directly connected to my topic, redesigned my methodology, and conducted a new phase of data collection.
I now find myself in a place where I can say: I have the right questions.
And the next step is to travel and ask them.
In 2026, I plan to visit schools in France, The United Kingdom, and Spain to collect data for this project.
You can stay connected to my research journey on Substack, where I share a research diary and ongoing reflections from the field. Sometimes I post few of my experiences on instagram and facebook too.
