Tweet05-02-2011 om 13:28 by Sueli Brodin

“Why wouldn’t I have done my best?” my son Tim teased me on Thursday afternoon when I went to pick him and his sisters up at school. For three days in a row this week, he and his classmates from Group 8, took their Cito-test which will help determine their choice of school next year when they start secondary education.



The Dutch education system allows for various types of school to co-exist next to one another. My three children are currently attending the local non-denominational public  primary school. But we could just as easily have opted to send them to the private catholic school next door or to a school following a specific philosophical or pedagodic principle such as the Montessori or Dalton Plan educational concepts.



Now that Tim’s primary school cycle is coming to an end, we need to decide which secondary school will suit him best. We actually started “school shopping” already last year and visited a few secondary schools in the area during their Open Days.



Tim’s own preference last year went to the Vrije School (or Free School) in Maastricht, “because it stimulates creativity...





... and because of the great science teacher who showed us many cool experiments!”



One of the main characteristics of the Free School system, which is based on Rudolf Steiner’s teaching principles, is that it aims at giving students the possibility to develop as full human beings, not only academically but also emotionally and psychologically. The school offers a wide range of extra subjects besides the standard curriculum, in order to stimulate creativity through the practise of arts and handwork. As a result of all these additional activities, secondary education at the Free School lasts one year longer than at more conventional schools.



During the Open Day at the Free School last Saturday, while my son and his best friend had disappeared into the Science room, my husband and I attended a short presentation of a subject called MEGA.

The young and bright looking teacher explained the meaning of the acronym: “MEGA stands for Maaschappij (society), Economie (Economy), Geschiedenis (History) and Aardrijkskunde (Geography).”

He said that the Free School combines the four subjects because they are linked to each other. “Students are given a better understanding and more complete overview of a topic by studying it from these four different perspectives and by learning to see and establish relevant connections.”



The teacher invited all parents and children to take part in a short exercise. He first asked us to take turns in reading a text about the difference between topographic, thematic and overview maps...



and then to walk around the classroom with our open Atlases and discuss the various types of maps among each other.



The teacher went on to explain that apart from taking standard tests after each study theme, students at the Free School were also expected to produce a personal work showing their assimilation of the theme.



In order to demonstrate that he had understood the lesson about mummification techniques in Ancient Egypt, a student had invented an electric game called “Do it yourself mummy”. Another one had made a mummy doll in a coffin-like box and explained the mummification process with small labels glued on the box.



A third student had chosen to draw a three page comic strip while a few others had designed beautiful sarcophagi in which they had placed little mummies.



The teacher said that most of the works had been started at school and finished at home and it was obvious to me that the students had put a lot of time and dedication into them.



An important appealing factor to us about the Free School system is that children are given a period of three years before they are asked to choose their definite study orientation. This would be beneficial to Tim, who is rather young compared to his peers. In most other secondary school systems, children need to make up their mind at the end of the first year.



We spent about two hours visiting the school, going from one classroom to another, looking at study books and students’ works, talking with teachers, asking questions. And finally Tim had the last word: “I’d really like to go here next year.”

But nothing is sure yet. Next month he will be invited for an intake interview at the school and it will be up to him to convince the staff there as well that he and the Free School are made for each other.

Comments

Leave a reply