Q+A with the Founder

Overview

Noam Gerstein founded bina, an online accredited school for children ages 4-12. She lives in Berlin, practices yoga, and focuses on delivering customized education at scale.

What inspired you to found The bina School?

Noam spent seven and a half years living nomadically, speaking with educators, parents, students, and administrators globally to understand their experiences. She questioned whether educational systems could be upgraded to fit modern life.

She frames her role as a steward rather than sole founder: "Everyone contributes their thoughts: parents, students, teachers, employees... Those are the people who are shaping and building The bina School."

What is bina?

Bina is neither a traditional school nor homeschooling. Noam describes it as "something that is meant for a completely new generation of parents." The organization builds upon existing educational approaches rather than inventing entirely new systems.

What is bina's purpose?

Bina's north star is "precision education at scale." The vision involves reaching remote communities with high-quality education within ten years. The organization leverages digital tools to create educational experiences impossible in physical classrooms--"no gravity today! Here, fly this plane!"

Noam observes widespread dissatisfaction: families across all socioeconomic backgrounds withdraw children from schools, and teachers leave the profession at unprecedented rates.

Challenges

The primary challenge involves building foundational algorithms responsibly. Noam emphasizes: "We're laying ground that no one is going to re-dig." Daily execution and serving each child effectively remain ongoing concerns.

What brings pride?

Noam admits she focuses on problems needing solutions rather than celebrating achievements. Her greatest pride centers on the team's character: "we have a phenomenal team that is hardworking and smart, just wonderful human beings."

Future vision

Within ten years, Noam hopes bina becomes an established educational model with multiple versions for different contexts and regions. The organization collects unprecedented learning data that could benefit communities globally.