Tweet10-12-2010 om 23:10 by Sueli Brodin

Every year before the Christmas holiday, our children bring their school reports home and my husband and I are invited to meet with their teachers to talk about their results and their progress.

Our children’s school, whose motto is: “More than just a school” (Meer dan een school alleen), evaluates pupils on three different levels: their cognitive progress, their social and emotional development and their creative and motor expression.



This means that their reports are thick files, containing not only their grades but also photographs, drawings, written texts, as well as extensive observations made by their teachers regarding their personality and behaviour at school.



The reports also include three quotes, which illustrate the school’s philosophy:

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Albert Einstein

“The more you understand yourself, the better you learn to appreciate others.” Phyllis Atwater

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Pablo Picasso

What strikes me the most in my children’s reports is the attention given to their psychological well being. The school states it clearly as one of its goals: “We want you to feel at home in our school so that you can grow as a person.”

One of the documents is a questionnaire called POP (standing for Persoonlijk Onstwikkeling Plan or Personal Development Plan).

The goal of this questionnaire, which every child from the age of 6 is asked to fill in during a private talk with his or her teacher, is to stimulate self reflection on topics such as: “How do I feel at school?”, “What subjects do I find difficult?”, “What am I good at?, “How do I experience my contact with my teacher? And with the other children at school?”



In another shorter questionnaire, children are asked to evaluate their work at school by completing the following sentences:

“In the past term, I mostly enjoyed...”

“In the past term, I experienced some difficulty in...”

“The most important thing I learned in the past term is...”

“During the next term, I will pay extra attention to..”

“During the next term, I would also like to..”

Children are also asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements regarding their sense of well being at school:

-          Everything is fine with me

-          I manage to get my tasks done

-          I have enough friends

-          I enjoy going to school

-          Everything is fine at home

-          I feel fine

-          I don’t have any problem with my homework

-          I prepare myself well for my exams

-          I am not afraid to ask for help

-          I study in a pleasant group

-          I like studying outside the classroom



An important part of our children’s school report is dedicated to their personality and their behaviour at school. Observations and advice are formulated in a kind, positive and respectful way:

“How the teacher sees me

Tim, you still find it difficult to ask things. Nevertheless we must try to get you to raise your finger when you need help and to say that you have not understood something or that you have a question. Ask your questions during instruction time instead of waiting until the end and asking the children in your group instead. Come on Tim, try it, you will see that you can do it.”

I wonder sometimes if this is a common and widely spread approach to education in the Dutch school system.  As far as I can tell, Dutch schools seem to enjoy a large level of independence in terms of learning methods and educational choices and I’m not sure if all schools in the Netherlands give as much attention to the child’s total development.

In any case, the concept is new to me, because I don’t remember that my psychological well being was ever evaluated as thoroughly in the French school system, where grades were all that counted.



Sacha uses a Rock and Water breathing technique to calm down

One of the specificities of my children’s school for example is its “Rock and Water” programme, to help them develop self-awareness, self-control and self-confidence. It’s a very interesting and helpful programme, which includes physical and breathing exercises. After learning a few of them at school during a special workshop for parents, I often find myself resorting to them as well.



I can see that my children feel safe at school at all levels, physically but also psychologically. My intuition tells me that that such a caring environment can only contribute to help them become well rounded and well balanced adults when they grow up.

Tip: The next PechaKucha Night on 20 December in Maastricht, organised in collaboration with the Province of Limburg, will have a special focus on Education and Creativity. For more information, visit the website: http://www.pechakuchamaastricht.eu

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