Hank’s School 080226/sa

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Last Wednesday I took Hank over to Ommen to register him for the international school. Map from house to school

My personal opinion is that we in America really screw up in trying to educate every child who comes across our borders. In the Netherlands children who speak Dutch and are citizens of the country begin school at age 4. They are very big on education and have very high standards for their schools. If you don't speak Dutch and are not a citizen, you go to the international school which YOU pay for. Thus, Hank is going to Eerde International School.

Check out the pictures in the photo album:

Eerde

I hadn't told Hank anything about the school. You should have seen his face when we turned the drive and headed toward the school...the look on his face was priceless when he saw the castle. International School Eerde is housed in a magnificent castle built in 1715, located in the woods near Ommen. It looks centuries old, but the educational approach is very contemporary. It was founded in 1934 and is the only International Boarding School in the Netherlands. It tailors classes to the individual needs of each student, including children with learning difficulties and dyslexia, as well as highly gifted children. Classes are small; there are about 135 students (both day school and boarding school) supervised by 25 teachers–what a s/t ratio!

He goes to school from 8:30am until 5:00pm Monday through Friday. There is another family here with us and they have 3 children also going to Eerde. Tina (their mother) and I will alternate carpooling. I'm out on the Netherlandic streets by myself next week with four precious souls in my hands, so send up lots of prayers!

They gave Hank his own laptop with wireless access where Hank can view his tasks and assignments any time online. He receives instruction from his teachers in each subject daily. There is an on-line monitoring system that allows me to continually monitor his work, grades, etc.(This is so awesome!!! Wish I had this in the states...no more "Mom doesn't know what she's talking about!")

He is in Form 3 which correlates to 8th Grade in the US.

The curriculum and testing is provided through University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), the world's largest provider of international qualifications. They are part of the University of Cambridge and operate 150 in countries around the world including the UK and Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America, Central and South America and Africa. They will be working dual path with Hank as they are required to keep him on track to attain the Cambridge ICE credit/diploma while making certain that he can re-enter school in Lovington when we return. He must sit for at least seven subjects selected from the five IGCSE curriculum areas. The subjects selected must include two (different) languages from Group I (the student's first language + English, or if English is your first language, you pick a 2nd language) and one subject from each of Groups II, III, IV and V. The seventh subject can be taken from any of the five subject groups. The groups are:

• Group I: Languages (English & a second language)
• Group II: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Group III: Sciences
• Group IV: Mathematics
• Group V: Creative, Technical and Vocational (this is the arts, computers, IT, technical, vocational)

Secondary school leads ultimately to qualification for university entrance. Some American universities even admit graduates of the program into the second year of degree programs.

Although International School Eerde is housed in a centuries-old castle dating from 1715, the school is in the leading position in the field of e-Learning.

Recently in a publication by Microsoft, the International School Eerde ranked among the ten most Extraordinary Places to Work. (Do I hear all you teachers reading this looking for applications?) It said: "All the students have Tablet PCs, a wireless network runs throughout the campus and all course materials live on the Web-all for students as young as four years old. Oh, and the International School Eerde, a boarding school in the Netherlands, is housed in a castle in the middle of a forest. "You should see the view from my office window," says Aaron Honer, who doubles as ICT coordinator and computer teacher."

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Okay, here's some news:
The International School Eerde has the following vacancies due to the maternity leave of 2 of our current primary staff members:
Teacher Primary 3 (age 10 and 10+) to commence February 15, 2008 (up to Summer Break)
Teacher Primary 1(ages 4 – 7) to commence May 12, 2008 (up to Summer Break)
Both positions are full time and may continue in the 2008-2009 school year as the International School Eerde intends to start an International Primary School in Zwolle as of August 2008.
Now do I hear those resumes rustling?

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I love the school motto: 'Your talent is your future'. Their philosophy is that every person has his own talents. And these talents decide their future. It is important for a person's well-being that he be able to develop and appreciate his own abilities. The International School Eerde provides students with opportunities to discover their own talents, develop them and use them accordingly. This inspires and motivates them, thereby fostering enthusiasm. Based on this philosophy that each person has his own talents and each student is equally valuable, and because of the individual supervision and guarantees that each student will succeed at his own level.

A large percentage of students play a musical instrument, most of which are taught at the school. So far, they haven't coaxed Hank this direction. They have music lessons for both vocal and most instruments both individually as well as in groups. Concerts are held several times each year, during which students enthusiastically perform a wide range of musical styles. There is also the possibility to prepare for the graded exams of the Royal Schools of Music. For the more athletic, there are a slew of sports activities in which to participate including: Sports offered: Badminton, Basketball , Chess, Canoeing (summer), Fitness, Golf (off campus), Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Horseback riding, Mountain biking, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and field (athletics), and Volleyball.

A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE CASTLE

Eerde Castle's rather legendary but sketchy beginnings actually date back to the 12th century, but it was in 1380 with the marriage between Van Eerde and Van Essen that Eerde was given its truly notorious start. Van Essen managed to earn a reputation as a robber knight, a surprisingly respectable profession in those days if one had consent, which he did not. The original Eerde castle was therefore besieged and leveled to the ground, only to be rebuilt several times later on the same spot.

In 1706, Johan Werner "Baron" van Pallandt, Lieutenant General of the Netherlands, purchased the property and, in the 19th century, the castle became a summer hunting residence.

In 1924, Philip Derk "Baron" van Pallandt gave the castle and estate to Krishnamurti, Star of the East, to be the European home of the movement of the Star. Thousands of people flocked from all over the world to hear Krishnamurti, the famous Indian religious philosopher, who later disbanded the movement and returned Eerde to the Baron.

In 1933, Baron van Pallandt enabled Eerde to become a refuge for Jewish children under Hitler's threat, on the initiative of the Dutch Quaker movement. As a result, the school became known as The Quaker School, an educational direction which would continue until the Nazi invaders confiscated the castle to use as a German boarding school to replace one that had been bombed in Germany. For a brief interim, the castle also served as a camp for Russian prisoners.

After the liberation in 1945, the original school returned to Kasteel Eerde from its diverted location, this time as an international school that drew students from around the world. Throughout its history, International School Eerde's English-language curriculum, based initially on the Oxford University exams and presently on Cambridge's, has been honored universally. Indeed, many universities, mainly in the United States, are said to accept students from such an IB school on the basis of graduation alone.

Eerde and Eerde(r) Achterbroek together form an estate of some 450 acres lying between Ommen and Den Ham and extending from the Regge Valley to the northern slopes of the Sallandse Downs (eerde = earth, arable land; achter = aft, after, behind; broek = brook, 'marshy meadows').
Eerder Achterbroek is noted for its varied landscape, consisting of farmhouses beneath old oak trees, the occasional woods, patches of heather, high tree-lined paths and land cultivated by the seven farming tenants on this particular part of Eerde. Farming forms a living part of Eerde and the Achterbroek.

It is thanks to the work of the farmers that these farms are living monuments that shape the entire agricultural landscape, nature and employment, with own rights and agricultural organization. The tenant holdings vary from 8 to 20 acres, with one exception of 32 acres. They are mostly dairy farms, although corn is grown for winter fodder on the more arable land.

This land usually adjoins the farm holdings. With only one exception, the farms are of the Saxon type, with a style characterized by thatch roofs, evenly placed windows and a so-called "underbarn" at the rear. The window shutters on most of the estate buildings are painted conspicuous colors; yellow and black in an hourglass pattern surrounding by green. These are the colours of the Van Pallandt coat of arms and are symbolic of the centuries-old association between the castle and the people living on the estate.

Most of the Eerde property has gradually been handed over by the owner to other authorities. Today, most of the farms on the estate are rightfully designated historic buildings.