Special needs children’s teacher assistants in Holland

Hoi! This is the Friesland’s most popular form of greeting and from nowonit is also ours. We arrived almost two weeks ago but it already feels a month because so many things have happened to us and we have already had lots of experiences.

Me and Kriszti are studying to be special needs children’s teacher assistants. This week the real vocational practices began.  We were wondering what our work placements would be like, who we were going to be with and what the ’colleagues’ would be like. I am on practice with Kriszti in a Montessori school in Drachten. Since we knew very little about Montessori education before, I asked my mother, who is in the same vocation, and also I searched on the Net. I found out that it is a common pedagogical method in Holland. The slogan of this system is ‘Teach me to do it myself.’ The children do the exercises themselves, study on their own and manage their time for themselves. The teacher just shows directions.

I experienced the following things: the school building is beautiful and the people who work here are very nice. The institution teaches visually impaired student.

There are a lot of differences between the schools here and in Hungary. The children here come to school at 8.30 in the morning and they go home for lunch at 12.00. The lunch break is one hour long, after that they come back at 13.00 and they continue studying till 15.00.

There are 5 groups in this institute. In one of these groups the children are below the age of 6. In two groups there are kids between 6 and 9, and in the other two the children are between the age of 9 and 12. They study through videos that the teachers had downloaded from the internet for them. In the kindergarten group the main difference is that they don’t sleep in the afternoon like the children of the same age in Hungary. The timetables aren’t as strict as ours in Hungary.

It was really surprising for me that the children are so self-sufficient. The teachers are only in the background they are not who really teaching the children, but the children can turn to them for help at anytime.

Today we were on practice in the Leeuwarden school where we participated in interactive health care and health education lessons. They were about useful things such as caretaking and healthy eating.

Vivi

Hi!

This was my third work day in the nursery. I met new nursery nurses again. They were very kind; they offered to help in everything. In this nursery the children are children 1-2 years old. Someone told me these children went to this nursery since they were babies.

Today there were children I haven’t met before. It’s very strange for me, because in Hungary there are the same children in the same group every day. Here in the Netherlands if the parents don’t want to bring the child to the nursery they can do it, and they don’t have to say anything about it to the nurses.

The children usually play in the morning. Their lunch is a sandwich, it’s very strange for me, because in Hungary the lunch is always warm (soup, meat, garnish). Anyway, they eat a sandwich, a salty one and a sweet one, and they drink milk.

 After playing the whole morning they are very tired, so they go to sleep right after the lunch. The children have another room for sleeping and small houses where they can sleep.

In the afternoon they play again in the garden. They come in for the tee, and play more. In the afternoon come the parents to take the children home.

Every day I learn a new method for developing of the children and I intend to use these methods in Hungary too.

Évi

A bit of German for a change :)

Hallo!

Heute war unser zweiter Arbeitstag, und wir erfahren immer mehr über unser Praktikum hier. Ich bin Kinderpflegerin von Beruf. Mein Arbeitsplatz ist ein Kindergarten, ich freue mich darüber sehr, denn ich möchte später Kindergärtnerin werden.

Die Kindergärten haben hier in den Niederländen eine gute Atmosphäre, die Kindergärtnerinnen sind sehr freundlich, sie beantworten alle meiner Fragen. In dieser Woche passe ich auf sehr kleine Kinder auf, ihr Alter beträgt 3 -18 Monate. Eines der Mädchen habe ich sehr gerne, sie ist sooooo süüüüüß! In der nächsten Woche werde ich auf ältere Kinder aufpassen.

Der staatlich unterstütze Kindergarten ist hier für Kinder zwischen 2-4 Jahren Mein Kindergarten ist ein privates Unternehmen, denn hier sind auch kleinere Kinder. Danach kommt die Schule.

Was wir zu Hause nicht haben ist der Freilichtschlafraum. Mir gefällt diese Möglichkeit, denn es ist sehr gesund im Freien, auf der frische Luft zu schlafen. Die Kindergärtnerinnen dürfen diese Methode nur mit der Einwilligung der Eltern verwenden.

In der Gruppe, wo ich arbeite gibt es 30 Kinder, 3 Kindergärtnerinnen und eine Praktikantin. Aber heute waren nur 13 Kinder da.

Es ist kalt hier, besonders morgens, aber wir gewöhnen uns daran allmählich. Aber voriges Wochenende schien die Sonne, wir freuten uns darüber unglaublich!!!! Am Sonntag war ich mit Magdi und Noémi in einer Baptistengemeinde. Wir haben die Zeit dort genossen, wir haben neue Freunde gefunden, obwohl wir von den Lehren nicht viel verstanden haben. Ich glaube, wir werden jeden Sonntag dort verbringen.

Szimi

The only thing I can say after my first real work day is: I WOULD LIKE TO WORK HERE! My work place is in a private practice. They treat the patients completely different from Hungary. The atmosphere, the work ethic and the work are amazing. Going to the dentist’s is a programme for the whole family.

We can work in the mouth of the patients. In Hungary the dentist works in the patient’s mouth, and we assist him. We pass him the instruments and we sterilize the instruments. Here I had to put on latex gloves, protective eyewear and mask, and begin to work.

I worked the whole day and the dentist and the assistants praised me. They said I learn quickly and I’m very diligent. They let me assist the whole day. So after this work day I was very-very tired, but incredibly happy. I can’t wait the next day!!!!!

Kitti

Sunday

What happened to us this week?

Today we just relaxed and we really loved it after a week full of programmes. Hence I thought I would summarise the events of this week.

On the day after our arrival we went to ROC Friese Poort to Leeuwarden. There we got a lot of information about the education system. After that some kind students showed us around the school. Everything was really modern; the way of thinking about the education and also the equipment of the school.

Next day we went to Drachten where we also got new information. This school is also very nice. The students here study web design so we could go to do some creative work with them.

On our third day we spent the day in Leeuwarden again and visited the hospital there. It is unbelievable how big and modern everything is. Personally I liked the dental unit the most (as it is my vocation). Every room is equipped with the most modern instruments. They are also prepared for those patients who arrive with wheelchairs.

On the next day we travelled to Drachten, to an institute where mentally and physically handicapped people live. First we went for a walk with them and then we drank hot chocolate together. I must confess I was a little bit afraid of them at first but I calmed down quickly and I walked with them with a smile on my face. In my opinion this day was moving and shocking at the same time.

On the fifth day we went to Drachten again where we joined two different classes for the day. Everybody was very kind we had nice conversations with the students. In the afternoon we did some interactive situations with a teacher of social and communication skills. We laughed a lot. That day we finally got to know the exact addresses  of our work placements. I am going to work with a dentist who is in private practice. Today we went running there with Szimi and the place looked nice. I am really excited!

Yesterday I went back 15 years at least in time. In Holland the Feast of Sinterklaas begins on 15th November. It was awesome, we travelled on the same boat with Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Piets. We were dancing and waving to the kids together.

Ági

He has arrived!

Our day began at very early. We went to the railway station by the first bus. We were the only passengers so we could get there very quickly. After a bit of running we continued our journey by the the train. We did not suspect that this was only the beginning…

About 9 o’clock we arrived at the headquarters of the Dutch Santa Claus, called Sinterklaas. Everyone was so busy and excited about the celebration.  Sinterklaas is said to come from Spain with his helpers called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). Zwarte Piets are white men and women painted black. Every year Sinterklaas travels by his boat on the channels and after his journey he goes to the children, and everyone can meet him…there is a big celebration on the streets…

We felt so privileged, because we could have a look at the backstage. We could see how the Piets get their black looks. Among the lot of painted black people, I was a little bit scared, I felt like an excited child. I think everyone felt the same. We were waiting for the red-dressed man like in the kindergarten. J Aaaand he arrived to us! And to the children of course but first he met us…and he gave us presents  but of course we had to sing  a song before that…J

After that everyone started to believe that we met with the ,,Real” Sinterklaas. Our boat trip began.  We were lucky because we were on the boat which took the presents to the city and we waved our hands to the people who were standing on the shore. It was a fantastic experience.  Everybody was so excited! J

The drummers started their work and everybody started to dance and wave …it was great. There were a lot of people on the banks of the canals so it was a difficult work to wave… we had a good time on the boat! We danced, shouted, and waved our hands…and the sun was shining, there were no clouds. J This was the first time the first week! It was fantastic! J

The boat trip took one and half an hour. After that Sinterklaas and we left the boat. The whole city was so excited. It was like a carnival as we walked down the street. We saw a lot of artistes and musicians and of course Sinterklaas on his white horse.

After that went home.   We had quests in the evening, Annemarie and Feri came to us. We cooked for them a Hungarian dinner, and they brought us a traditional Dutch dessert, the apple pie. It was so delicious. I thought that it came from the heaven…J  We spoke a lot and it was great.J

Another day has passed, we have hade some unforgettable experinces that we will surly tell to our grandchildren some day.

Kriszti

We woke up to a beautiful morning. For the first time since our arrival we there was no fog so we took some photos. The scenery is beautiful, the grass is green, the flowers are still blooming but if you look at the trees the leaves tell that it is autumn. In this beautiful weather we happily sat out to Leeuwarden where we were waiting for us with exciting programmes.

First we went to an English lesson with the Dutch students. We talked in groups of three and after some time we changed groups and talked to other students. It was good because we could practice English and talk to many students. The Dutch students were very friendly.  

After that we took part in a communication lesson where played games. Everybody picked a card and had to explain why he or she chose that card. This class was a bit shyer than the previous one. It is interesting that they are only 16 or 17 years old and they already study a vocation.

At noon we had a free hour so we could have lunch and we taken to a computer room where we could use the internet.

After that we went to another communication lesson. The teacher was very kind and also a talented actor. We played situational games. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was one of the best programmes. We all came out from this lesson smiling.

Then came the moment we were all waiting for and we told the exact places and addresses of our work placements. We are all looking forward to the work placements. We only have to sleep three.

After the programmes at school we had some free time. Some went shopping, some went sightseeing and some went home to cook. It is also time to clean our boots because Sinterklaas is coming tomorrow. We have to get up early because tomorrow we are going to be on the ship of Sinterklaas. It is a great honour and we are thankful to Rob that he arranged it for us. I can hardly wait …

Hoi!

This is a typical Frisian greeting. If somebody sees a friend on the street he calls out loud: Hoi!

On this day we were again in Drachten. We visited the medical part of the school. We had two interesting lessons.

The first lesson was about nurses and about their tasks. I was surprised to hear that nurses work only 8 hours a day so they have 3 shifts. We were told about the different paediatric wards. There are wards for new born babies, premature babies, and quarantine wards for infectious and serious illnesses. There are recovery wards for children with appendicitis. In a room there are 3-4 children, everyone has an own wardrobe, washbasin is in the corner. There are a television set and a phone too.

There is a nurse, who has only one task: to prepare the children for the op, guide them into the surgery, to bring them back to the ward, to play with them, talk to them. The parents can stay in the hospital too, there is a bed for them too. Friends can also visit the children.

The second lesson was about midwives who help women at childbirth. In the Netherlands every woman gives birth at home, except when there are any medical problems. In this case has the woman gives birth in the hospital.

If a woman expects a baby, she has to go to a midwife. She has to go to the gynaecologist only in case of problems. You have to register in the 12th week of the pregnancy to get a midwife for giving birth at home. The midwife stays 10 days after giving birth with the family, she has to work 50 hours during these days. She has many tasks: teach the mother, do the housework. If a woman gives birth in the hospital, the midwife stays only 4-5 days with her.

The mothers can stay at home for 16 weeks with their baby. If somebody didn’t worked before giving birth, she has less time home after the birth.

After these lessons we visited an institute for disabled people. There were mental handicapped patients. The date of our visit surprised the nurses, but they were very friendly and kind. The patients, the nurses, and we drank hot chocolate together. We talked to the nurses about the institute and the patients.

Noémi

THE GROUP

Sightseeing

Leeuwarden panorama

Good evening Everybody!

Today was very interesting.

In the morning we were sightseeing in Leeuwarden, it was led by a kind old man.  With his help, we could got a lot of information about the city’s history. He showed us the sights and told their story too. In spite of the fact that he is Dutch he spoke very nice English. After that we went to the biggest and the most modern hospital of the province called MCL.

Looking at the reception you could think you are at an airport. In the building you can find everything: a flower shop, a pharmacy, a restaurant, a hairdresser, a souvenir shop, a medical aids shop, clothes shops, etc…

After that we listened to a presentation about the hospital, which was shown by the communication manager of the hospital. He said that 100 years earlier there were three hospitals in the city. This modern and fantastic building was built in 2004. The hospital treats 250 thousand patients from the North of Holland.  MLC is the main hospital of the province and educational hospital too. The atmosphere of the whole place makes on forget that it is a hospital with ill people. The decoration of the paediatric ward was peaceful and funny: there are little leds in the wall that picture the space with different planets.  

In the past 20 years the number of the beds was reduced from 657 because the patients need less time for healing. The support of the hospital is 250 million euros per year. There are 3343 employees and 700 of them are volunteers (they are all Dutch and most of them are elderly people).

After that we were separated to two groups. The first group went to the dental-wing, and the second group went to the child-wing.  At half-time we changed, so everybody saw everything. After our visit to the hospital we had free programme and then everyone went home.

Now everybody is going to bed or is preparing for the next day. Good bye till next time and Good night everybody!

Tony

Lunch at ROC Friese Poort with Rob and Greet

Dear All,

We had a long day again … In the morning we went to Drachten. We made a good use of our creativity and found a shorter way. In Drachten we were shown around the school and we saw different creative vocations like design and web design. It was interesting to see how well-equipped the school is. There are computers everywhere for the students to use. With the help of two Dutch students we also made some things in a creative workshop.

Then we had lunch with Meine and some of his colleagues and after that we went into Drachten for a free programme. We looked at the shops that are already decorated for Christmas. We came back to Sneek, did the shopping and made a schedule for the kitchen cleaning.

In the evening we watched a film because we had no internet but this problem was also solved. J

Dear everybody,

Where should I start? Today we found out a few things about the local public transport. The system works with chipcards, we mustn’t forget to check-in and then to check-out. We arrived at Roc Friese Poort at about 11 o’clock in the morning. The school is enormous and the school buildings are quite different from most of the Hungarian schools. The Dutch education system and also quite different.

First of all the complicated education system was explained to us and we more or less understood it. The main difference is that the lessons are more interactive and the students have to be more self-sufficient. After this we were invited for lunch. I eat a delicious curry soup then we got sandwiches with crockets that were a little bit strange for me.

After lunch some students showed us the building and the practice rooms of the different vocations. I must tell they are beautiful, big and well-equipped. Then we said goodbye. It was the end of our visit.

This was where our biggest adventure begun... we had to find our way home on our own. First we went to the downtown of Leeuwarden, then we went shopping in Sneek. Everything went well but then we decided to go home on foot but somewhere we missed the street where we should have turned... but we met a nice couple and they showed us the way home... After half an hour of walking we finally arrived home to Het Toppunt. And now we are here in the living room, sitting and relaxing...

Good night everybody! =)

Annamari

Dear Reader,

This is Eszti from Sneek in Holland, from our accommodation. Our plane left from Budapest at 7. The pilot did a very good job and I really enjoyed the flight which took almost two hours. When we arrived we were amazed to see that huge airport.

Two hours later Rob and Meine arrived with two vans and drove us to our accommodation. When we arrived we walked around in Sneek and went to the centre and to the station. Everything was closed (nothing is open on Sunday) and the streets were almost empty.  Then went to het Toppunt, chose rooms and packed out.

Later we realized that it was only 18 degrees in the living room and we were sitting in our coats BUT we solved the problem and now it quite pleasant. I’m sitting here on the couch and I am writing my blog. We are having a quiet evening. Tomorrow we are getting up at 8 and at 9 we set out to see the wide world.

It was Bíró Eszter from Sneek. You’ll hear from me later.  

Eszti