About unbricked

Hi 🙂 I’m Jana, just in my early 20s, and one of the fortunate few who fit well into the public education system. However, because of that, I’ve made early efforts to help others develop customized learning strategies for themselves.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of accompanying and witnessing hundreds of young people as they find their individuality and develop their interests.

Through my experience as a learning coach and tutor, I’ve learned how to prepare children for the necessary exams, such as the Abitur (high school diploma in Germany). However, I noticed that sometimes individuality takes a backseat, which I realized during my gap year after high school and in my internship during my studies. From that, I concluded that you can’t separate the two if you strive for a successful and self-determined life.

What are your experiences with the public education system?

I never had any difficulties with the public education system, as I was good at rote learning and always knew what the teachers wanted from me. But my luck primarily came from having teachers who were understanding, even when things didn’t always work out as planned in their curriculum. Of course, I also had teachers who took their roles a bit too seriously and prioritized homework over the everyday challenges some students faced. An 11-year-old child usually doesn’t have the skills to set their own priorities independently when their parents say that football training is more important. And a 17-year-old may set their priorities right if taking care of their grandparent or working part-time to support their family is more important than a math assignment. In my observation, the system as most of us know it leaves little room for motivated young people with great potential and an interest in learning, but who sometimes have other things on their minds. Similarly, it doesn’t leave much space for talented artists, dedicated politicians, or the annual winners of youth research if their sports grade doesn’t meet the requirements. We counteract this by having smaller classes in which our students can be individually supported to bring out the best in themselves.

Are there any aspects of your school years that you liked?

Of course, breaks. Holidays, friends, the list goes on. Overall, I have positive memories of my school years because I usually knew how much I had to do for things that didn’t interest me. Knowing that also meant knowing how much I didn’t have to do. As a result, I was able to use my school years to educate myself in things that I enjoyed. And that’s where teachers come in handy. Whether through book recommendations for the holidays or sometimes through a little kick in the rear. I would never have considered studying French or choosing a binational study program if my French teacher hadn’t motivated me to do things outside my comfort zone. In theory, our school system offers everyone the opportunity to educate themselves in things that interest them, but in practice, it unfortunately requires many methods that instill a fear of learning in many people. And life skills are also unfortunately not part of the curriculum, so a young person is first confronted with the, be it bureaucratic, challenges of our society before embarking on their journey of self-discovery.

What things bothered you about the public school system?

I remember being banned from German class for a few months. I had misplaced my copy of “Faust” during a move and foolishly showed up to class without it, thinking that my homework was still worth presenting. However, my teacher had a different opinion and banned me from class. Admittedly, it didn’t bother me much in that moment because I went to a second philosophy course instead. But I didn’t like the fact that a teacher decided what I was allowed to learn any more than I liked the 6 points that ended up on my report card. While I invested my time in more meaningful things like philosophy, my classmates developed such a great fear of this teacher that they were no longer brave enough to participate or eventually became afraid of German class in general. Similar to physical education, where you start to cower as soon as the professional handball player holds the ball. It’s pointless anyway. If you’re not in a sports club, you automatically get a grade 4. In my opinion, this fear of learning is the biggest enemy of our society, and continuous learning is the key to a self-determined and fulfilling life based on one’s chosen definitions of success. It would be a shame to lose that at an early age just because you can’t read grades.

What is your motivation for Unbricked?

To show students that learning never stops. No one. That they can choose for themselves what they actually want and that it’s always worth pursuing those goals. They don’t have to conform to be competitive; they can create their own competition. Innovations come from new ideas, from thinking differently. Not from “We’ve always done it this way.” That’s why we adapt to the child, not the other way around. Because we truly believe that children are our future. To guarantee individual support, we offer a wide range of courses and content, allowing us to adapt to the needs of every child. Additionally, we strive to create a pleasant and supportive learning environment where every child feels comfortable and can succeed.