It was great to welcome David Theune as the guest speaker to present a program featuring he and his family's sabbatical visit to teaching around Utrecht, the Netherlands. As many know, David is a teacher at Spring Lake High School, and he received one of the few Fulbright Scholar grants to spend 6 months this past year studying the differences, and similarities, in the teaching of upper grade students in the Netherlands and the US. The grant from SL Rotary helped bring David's wife and children with him to experience a different culture and process for educating young folk. Since many of our ancestors are of
Dutch heritage, the presentation by David seemed especially relevant to our own backgrounds. My grandfather was educated in the Netherlands before migrating as a young man to the US, and his view of education at the time my father was in a public school here was different than what was offered to US schooled students. There still is a difference, but the systems seem to remain essentially the same in the Netherlands for the past 100 years, and in the US.
David visited 25 different schools, at the primary and secondary levels while using an office, at Utrecht University, as his home base. His family was able to find living quarters in the same city, and his children were admitted to local schools. The Netherlands living experience was diverse, cultural, and very exciting for everyone in his family. The main purpose of the visit was to enhance the SHARE CARE Pod Cast exposures, to publish the different school experiences and bring back to Spring Lake ideas to enhance the workforce/student experience.
Dutch Educational systems require formal schooling to Age 16, at one level but major life choices occur at Age 12. At this somewhat younger age, which might be the 7 grade for US schools, a Dutch student is tested to reveal a secondary school track preference, from an intellect, interest, experience and desire perspective. In effect, the 3 different tracks are those pursuing a service/mechanical/trade track, which for purposes of this memo is #1. It is what the Dutch refer to as VM BO, and is the practical track. By age 16 the student may continue with some vocational training, but required public schooling is complete.
Again, at age 12, a student can be slated to pursue HAVO, which is the business, sales, commerce, and finance track, sometimes here #2. This is the track that requires in most cases advanced education past Age 16, usually a college specializing in an accounting, marketing, advertising concepts, and business type of curriculum. After completing this track #2, a graduate would proceed to secure employment in a business that involves selling, marketing, insurance, finance, banking, and similar endeavors.
The #3 track is the pre-professional and professional school track pursued by future lawyers, doctors, teachers and professors, and advanced science students. Again, these folks end up with a college degree and post graduate degrees in their chosen fields. It is the VWO and is not too different from the current AP curriculum for Spring Lake students, through the 11 grade, but with post secondary college level courses starting a year sooner than the typical US high school curriculum.
David observed that like any track or curriculum, there are positives for students in Holland, and perhaps some negatives. All outside extra curricular participation in sports, bands, concerts, etc is on a club/community basis, not generally through a school. Students interested in music as a future endeavor can take various introductory and advanced music courses, but with the intent that Track #2 will take them to a specialty curriculum in music after Age 16. In effect, advanced Orchestra, etc. Also, the major question for the Rotarians, was how does a student change from one track, to another?? While it is not common, with the proper input from the student, the family, and the school, a student can be considered for transfer to another track, say from track #1 to track #2, but the student will have to back up for perhaps 2 years, depending on the age of transfer, and pick up the pieces of the track moved to, which were missed in the other track. There is very little waste of effort in teaching courses that do not belong in a track, so a change means getting out of the prior track, and starting over in another track.
Also, there was very little competition among tracks. The student that wants to be a contractor and drive heavy equipment will be immersed in curriculum that will result in a heavy equipment operator, with knowledge of all the things required to operate equipment, repair it, and function effectively on a job. In the US there is little incentive for a student to take vocational training (even though the training is good)and it appears that the bias of State mandated curriculum is toward a college education in liberal arts, some sciences, and perhaps languages. David observed that for the Dutch, and most of the other European based education systems, the student appears to be well served in furthering the best interests of the student, whether as perceived by the student or the community and family. Those going into Track #2 spend an additional 3 years of studying than those in track #1.
In the Netherlands, the tuition and generally most other fees, are paid for by the government. The student covers room and board, and generally this is in typical student private apartments, not in dorms on a campus. Most students can graduate from their particular track with little debt from education expenses, as there are different schools in usually an urban environment for track 2 and track 3 students.
A common denominator for both the Dutch and US versions of secondary education was observed by David..all students share common emotions, and want to be accepted for whom and what they are.-.young people trying to learn as much as possible and begin to be productively employed as soon as possible. Bullying is frowned upon in all levels of schooling in Holland and the US, common interest
clubs (book, drama, art, music) are appreciated in both cultures, and the ability to share experiences is valued. The learned ability to Elevate Empathy became a common part of the Pod Casts and the students began to believe in this effort. The Dutch want to be sensitive to the feelings and beliefs of others, just as their own personal beliefs need nurturing and respect. You can find the SHARE CARE podcasts where interviews and discussions with Dutch students (and some visitors from other countries) appear on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. That will highlight the result of the sabbatical experienced by David, with the help of many organizations.
The conclusion of David was that the universal question of teenagers is What's Your Story? Young people want to know about you, and also want to participate in life. With the goal of Work, Life and Balance being very important to the Dutch culture, as evidenced by the 45 interviews appearing in pod casts. The students in the Dutch culture appeared to find encouragement in the educational system, and David was helped in his efforts to be an educator by bringing to the classroom cultural ideas that will help him teach students to be workforce ready.
A challenge left with our Rotarians was to see if as a Club we might help initiate a fund that would provide a $1000 grant each year to two deserving students who use the services of the OAISD Tech Center for vocational ed, for up to 10 years so those students can spread the word that Vocational Ed is not a dead end, last choice, but a viable choice for interested students who want to be better trained to enter the service work world, whether in construction, culinary areas, helping of others needing care, and similar worthy occupations. As a Club, we can consider this matter later this year as the budget is established for our community and world service projects.-.We enjoyed seeing David and his wonderful presentation, along with the thoughtful proposal on making Track #1 a viable career choice for many capable young people.
The 50/50 drawing winner was Doug Heins!! He was present to Win... Your Scribe, Tom Boven