Term III in Amsterdam: The International School of Amsterdam

In the past two days we finally got to see the reason we traveled all the way to Amsterdam. While touring the city was amazing- we are here to teach!

Wednesday we met with the supervisor of ISA Dr. Green (a graduate from the 1st co-ed class of Elmira College!) and were given a tour of the school. ISA houses grades from pre-k to 12th grade and is very different from what we see in the states. First, its a private school and an expensive one at that. At 25,000 Euros a year and a waiting list at least a year long, the families and students that attend this school are very different than what we are used to. It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school meaning- in general terms- that the curriculum and learning is based completely on student exploration and analysis and is very rigorous. Touring the school was like dying and going to academic heaven. With a group of 8 strangers walking around the school and interrupting classes, you would think the students would stop what they were doing and talk or at least try to figure out who we were. Instead, they gave us a quick glance and went back to work uninterested. Even when the teacher left the room to talk to us, they never stopped working! It was amazing. The intelligence and skill level of these children blew me away. In kindergarten the students were learning about insects and were drawing (more perfectly and realistically than I could ever hope to do) the insect they were given. They could tell us what it was and all about that insect and later in the week were going to visit an insectarium to get a first hand look at what they were studying. In 4^th grade we walked in to a class where each child was sitting with a Mac laptop researching and designing a PowerPoint presentation on coral reefs. I couldn’t believe it. In each class we visited every single teacher was up, moving around the class looking on as the students researched, analyzed, or explored to learn the facts and skills that are lectured and pushed at students in the states. No wonder when the end of the day came we could hear students complaining that they had to stop and go home!

I am assigned to the 8^th grade humanities team in the middle school section. This is a group of teachers who teach history, culture, and geography to classes of 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th graders and I, along with Emily, assigned to 7^th grade, will be rotating and observing many of these different classes.

Today the 8^th grade went on a history and geography field trip to the old fort town of Naarden. It was a beautiful, quaint town that was still in its original set up from the Middle Ages. Naarden is surrounded by canals and earthen walls and mounds that held tunnels and canon holes to defend Amsterdam. The students were split into groups of 3-4 kids and were given their assignment and map. Their assignment was to find buildings numbered on their map of the town (practicing their geography skills) and once found, to try to figure out what the buildings original and modern use is. They are studying “gentrification” which is when an old, restored building or home is kept looking like it originally was on the outside but the inside is changed into a modern, high-end (gentry) use. For example, an old farmhouse from the 1700s turned into a very fancy, expensive restaurant, yet it still looks as it did in its original state. So, the students had to find the buildings designated on their map and determine what its original use was and then what it was changed into. Cool concept to begin with, but then we started to see exactly what they meant. We wondered over to “building 6” on the town map and discovered that it was the old town arsenal where all the weapons were kept to defend the town and Amsterdam. From the outside it looks like a simple, old white building, yet as we walked in, we were blown away to discover that it was turned into a ridiculously expensive home décor store and beauty salon. The items for sale in the store started at 500 Euros and included a life-size, realistic Rhino bust for 8,000 Euros and stone statue busts for 30,000 Euros. This was the epitome of gentrification! The building use to be used to defend the town, now it catered to those who could willingly drop about $10,000 on a rhino to decorate their living room wall! Students, including myself, after seeing this, will forever remember what gentrification means! This is what teaching is all about! This is how to get students excited about learning and remembering the material!

After being blown away by how much learning can make an impact through seeing real-life examples, rather than reading it in a book, we met together to take a tour of the actual fort and barracks. To my immense surprise every single student met together at the time they were told to with their assignment completed! At home, there is no way this could ever happen, yet here were these 14 year old kids ready and excited to learn- and on time! We toured the fort and learned some very interesting things- for example they were able to essentially push a button and flood the surrounding fields just enough to stop any enemy soldiers or horses and canon carts, or there is a tunnel under the fort that is pitched black with no windows, only a few holes in the ceiling that would carry the sound of the enemy camps down so the soldiers could listen to the plans of attack and better defend themselves. It was very, very cool.

I’ve learned so much today, not only about history, but about how IB schools really work and excel at education. Its been so exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow!