For my second inquiry assignment, I chose to look into the alternative education system in the Netherlands. At home, I have worked with non-traditional learners in several settings between my GED classes, after school activities, and through time in a placement at the Lansing Alternative High School. After our school visit today, I was left with a feeling of both familiarity and surprise. I was unaware that a school like the one we visited today even existed. I especially enjoyed hearing how the national policies have effected the life of this school and how it has changed the services they are able to provide. I saw some of the students that I work with at home in so many of the students at the school today. At the same time, the issues that these students were facing as international refugees is something I can’t even comprehend.
Something that I have really found the most interesting about schools in the Netherlands is the ability for schools to choose what type of system or philosophy dictates their school. In the United States, a public institution would never be able to chose different pedagogical styles. This is something that, once I observed it in these classrooms, seemed so obvious. It is a completely novel idea that students should be allowed to guide their studies, or that a school would be more healthy if everyone in it subscribed to the same teaching philosophy. For such a small country, the diversity within the education system is huge.
This topic was difficult to find research on because I think so much of the language and ways to explain schools are different. As far as I can tell, there are not alternative schools, like we know them in the United States, available to students as a ‘last chance’ option. According to the Department of Education, homeschooling is an option, but is widely met with opposition. I feel that this is because of the array of choices families already have in placing their students. In the US, a family can homeschool a child if they don’t agree with the public system, but in the Netherlands, they have more options to find a school that better fits their families lifestyle.
International schools, like the one we saw today at Sind-Maartens College High School, are another option that is considered ‘alternative’ in the Netherlands. These schools provide a space for students who come from many different countries, to learn about Dutch history, language, and culture. Most of the students, at least at the school we visited today, were there with the intention of becoming Dutch citizens.
In the following week I would like to explore this concept more. I would also like to take the chance to look more at the policy side of the changes that are being made in Netherlands schools. Several of the teachers have mentioned that the overall shift to the right has been detrimental to the education system. I would like to find out what these changes look like, and some of the ideas behind them.
I am also interested in this question. I was placed at an alternative high school for part of my student teaching. I saw a lot of similarities between my students there and the asylum seekers. I think this is a thoughtful question. I would be interested to find out if there are more students in the US who need the alternative option because they are being forced to be something they’re not (like chemistry and math whizzes). Anyway, you might want to find more information on alternative schools in the US to make a better comparison.
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