By sanctioning error and valuing children who make no mistakes, we are blocking the very process of learning for all.

Céline Alvarez is a former teacher, born in Argenteuil in 1983. After the Baccalaureat, she enrolled in a master’s degree in language sciences at the University of Grenoble. Back in Paris, she trained in Montessori pedagogy and passed, as a free candidate, the competition for school teacher in 2009.

She was then given the authority from the National Education to experiment with new teaching methods. From 2011 to 2014, Alvarez was based on the scientific work of Doctors Séguin and Montessori, enriched by the contribution of neurosciences, in particular thanks to the team of Stanislas Dehaene. She works with kindergarten children from priority education areas.

 At the end of these three years, and despite partial evaluation tests, the results are excellent: the children are more independent, can read better, demonstrate remarkable social skills and show higher mathematical capacities than children from normal learning.

After 3 years of experimentation, in July 2014, National Education did not repeat the experience and Céline Alvarez resigned, convinced that the establishment of another school is as possible as necessary.

It is dedicated to the development of educational tools, the training of teachers, the research and development of new experiments to be implemented, as well as the dissemination of its experience. In 2016, she published The Natural Laws of the Child, which earned her great recognition and was awarded the 2017 Psychologies Prize.

Invited by the Belgian Minister of Education, she trained and supported 750 teachers throughout a school year. Her new book, A Year to Change Everything, relates this new experience.

“Our children are gifted, extraordinary and unique. And if our school is not able to kneel down and serve the expression of this nascent humanity, then it is preparing itself for great difficulties. Because human beings can no longer wait, their potentials must now be released and radiate their full power.” – Celine Alvarez