Yvonne Defour, Mélanie Dion and Mathieu Fontaine
What’s your wildest dream? To be a movie star? A stunt double, bullfighter or butler? How about spending a year on a sailing ship or breaking-in Spanish thoroughbreds? If you had to choose fame, fortune or passion, which would you pick?
In this documentary series, we look into the lives of people who are doing what it takes to succeed. In each episode, host reveals the essence of two schools through the eyes of their students, parents, teachers and founders.
This rare profession wows kids of all ages as they reach breakneck speeds both on land and in the air. Today, we'll be discovering the world of future racing drivers training in Austria. We'll see that they'll need to work very hard both on and off the track before they can even dream of testing their skills on the most prestigious circuits. We'll also see how budding bush pilots are taking over the South African sky. These men will need to tame the strangest takeoff and landing strips where they might encounter just about anything. Day after day, it's in schools like no others that men are learning to control race cars both deftly and safely.
It's a well-known fact that man is his own worst enemy. And even in the most advanced societies, no one is ever totally safe from assaults. Today, in Chicago, we'll tag along as a team of volunteers learn to patrol the streets of the city's most crime-ridden neighbourhoods. During their training, these volunteers will realize that it takes more than just brawn to become Guardian Angels of the streets. It mostly takes heart, courage, and a lot of determination. And in Sweden, aspiring bodyguards learn how to protect future clients. They'll need to work hard to master the many skills involved in close protection, in order to always be ready to foil any attempt on their client's life. Day in, day out, it's in Schools Like No Others that you can learn to put someone else's life above your own.
We all know art comes in many forms, which in turn gives rise to many trades. Today, we're going to Paris to explore the world of those who might turn out to be the next big names in fashion. At the Marangoni Institute, some students learn to design clothes on the drawing board as well as on mannequins, while others focus on the marketing aspect. After 3 years, they'll all be ready to enter the labour market. We'll also visit Florence to see artists learning to restore some of the world's most important masterpieces. Students of the Opificio delle pietre dure need an in-depth knowledge of art history, but most importantly, they must be dedicated to breathing new life into masterworks that have seen better days. Fortunately, science is there to help them perform this meticulous task. Day after day, it's in schools like no others that students learn to create or restore artworks that continue to dazzle us.
Approaching lions, elephants and other wild animals has captivated mankind for centuries, which might explain why each year hundreds of thousands of tourists go on safaris. Today, we'll follow future guides as they explore the Tanzanian bush on foot. We'll see how they learn to spot wild animals to wow thrill-seeking tourists. And in California, we'll discover how students are learning to forge bonds with wild animals at a teaching zoo. JULIE LAFERRIÈRE: Here, students learn to understand, care for and tame wild animals while sharing their knowledge with the public. Day after day, it's in schools like no others that students learn how to live with animals.
Certain types of performance arts are the product of centuries-old traditions. And though these arts may change over time, their conventions remain the same. Today, we'll travel to Japan and discover a Noh theatre school. In this most traditional of settings, grand masters introduce novices to delicate forms of singing, music and mime. We'll also travel to São Paulo, where the blind learn to dance ballet and manoeuvre around the stage. Through the use of novel techniques, coupled with courage and perseverance, these young ballerinas are able to push themselves to the limits of their impairment. Day in, day out, it's in Schools Like No Others that you can learn to take your first steps on stage.
When it comes to excellence or performance, the sky's the limit for certain parents and employers with regard to their children or to their underlings, respectively. Nothing is ever too efficient or too good. Even the sky isn't high enough! Today, we'll travel to California and discover how toddlers are already being educated like grown children. At Genius Kids, not only do children learn to read before attending kindergarten, they also learn how to use a microphone and perform on stage, through a completely novel teaching method. And in Japan, we'll visit a one-of-a-kind school where young managers are trained to become hard-line leaders. During their stay here, Japanese managers will swap their suit and ties for school uniforms. Here, they'll learn to express themselves in front of a group, they'll review basic Japanese etiquette, and they'll push themselves to their absolute limits. Day in, day out, it's in Schools Like No Others that you can learn to become leaders.
Throughout the world, fantasy characters entertain young and old, either during specific holidays or all year round. But whatever the occasion, their main job is to spread joy. Today, in the American state of Michigan, we'll see that not only does Santa Claus exist, you can also become one. All you have to do is attend the oldest Santa Claus school in the world. All the pros' tricks and techniques are taught to the apprentice Santa Clauses so that they have it all down once they sit in the chair of the mythical man in red. We'll also see how to make people believe in make-believe at a Japanese school for mascots. We'll come to understand that mastering the art of bringing these wacky characters to life takes more than just enthusiasm. Day after day, students learn how to play fantasy characters to fulfill the dreams of young and old in schools like no others.
Sedentary lifestyles are becoming the norm, so sports may not always figure as prominently in our less active lives. And when traditions enter the mix, "physical culture" takes on a whole new meaning. This week, we'll travel to Calcutta, India, to visit the world's very first polo club. While getting familiar with the rules of this prestigious sport, we'll watch future polo players learn to ride horses and master the art of hitting a ball with a long-handled mallet. We'll also travel to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, where these novice wrestlers train intensively. In preparation for a junior tournament, students refine their techniques, build up their endurance, and rub shoulders with the professionals of Mongolian wrestling, a thousand-year-old sport that has garnered worldwide renown for the country. Day in, day out, it's in Schools Like No Others that you can learn to turn your sport into your livelihood.
How can the police be sure that the suspect they have in custody is the one they're looking for? And how can a crime scene reveal what really happened? That's what we'll find out at the School of Forensic Science at the University of Lausanne. We'll see that to solve the mystery behind a crime, these future forensic police officers will have to learn finesse and painstaking attention to detail. And in France, we'll put a tail on some apprentice private detectives. At the same time, we'll see how these apprentice investigators learn how to blend in with the crowd in order to collect evidence against suspects. Day after day, students learn to investigate to uncover the truth in Schools Like No Others.
In French, "terroir" means rural traditions and age-old skills that are passed down from generation to generation. Today, we're heading to France to meet future wine-growers who are learning to make champagne the way Dom Pérignon himself used to. Avize Viti Campus is a public school that 80% of champagne producers attended. Each year, over 1,700 students take courses in winegrowing, oenology, wine marketing and also learn… how to drive tractors. We'll also go to the Spanish Basque Country, to meet future shepherds who are in school to learn a 10,000-year-old trade. For 6 months, the 10 students of the Artzain School will be taught ancestral techniques pertaining to grazing, milking and cheese-making. But artificial insemination, marketing and small business management are also part of the curriculum. Day after day, it's in schools like no others that students are learning to keep artisan traditions alive.
Many martial arts are made up of armed or hand-to-hand combat techniques combined with a spiritual aspect to encourage a person's overall development. Today in India, we discover a school for kalari, considered the world's oldest form of martial art. We'll see how the students learn to improve their flexibility, handle weapons and use the human body's energy points to dominate their opponent. In Cambodia, we'll also follow students from a school for bokator, a unique martial art originating in the land of the Khmers. Bokator students learn many punching and kicking combinations, become acquainted with the performing arts and seek inner peace in order to better perform. Day after day, students learn to defend themselves and find balance in schools like no others.
Traditional education hasn't changed much in the last century. But for a few decades now, alternative educational methods have produced surprising results. An American school in Massachusetts even proposes a revolutionary model. This democratic institution, called Sudbury Valley, was founded in 1968. Here kids have the same rights as adults and vote on all school regulations. Everyone learns at their own pace and there are no exams. Its educational philosophy is utterly unique. And so are the Danish folk schools. Founded in the mid-19th century, they offer adult education to those still unsure of what they want to do in life. They're there to help students find their true selves and determine what their future goals are. After finishing high school, Danish students have the opportunity to explore their own interests without worrying about grades or academic performance. Day after day, students enjoy total freedom in these schools like no others.
For the longest time, water was people's most-used transportation route. While nowadays the sky has taken over from the sea, the oceans are still very busy. Today we sail with the prestigious Spanish navy training vessel. We'll see how these future officers learn old-fashioned navigation methods, putting all their efforts into becoming hardened sailors able to stand up to the vagaries of the sea. We'll also set sail with some future merchant mariners and fishermen in France. These young men will have to learn to handle the ocean and its many resources before taking on the demanding career of a deep-sea fisherman. Day after day, people use the sea as their workplace and living space in schools like no others.
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