No homework, no piles of books and no difference between VMBO, HAVO or VWO. That is the idea of teacher Koen van der Hagen. He wants to make secondary education completely different with his own school to be set up: Flux College in Den Bosch. But his vision caused him problems: last week he was fired at the school where he just worked for one day as a teacher.
‘Schools resemble factories where children are trained to be performers’ and ‘students are dulled’. Those statements of teacher Koen, made in an interview with the Brabants Dagbladlast week caused a lot of fuss. Koen was already hired at the Rodenborch College in Rosmalen when he gave the interview.
“Absolutely not my intention.”
He finally only worked for one day at the school and was then fired for his statements in the newspaper. “Unfortunately my statements were misunderstood. That was absolutely not my intention,” says Koen DTV News.
The school confirms that the teacher was fired in response to the earlier statements in the Brabants Dagblad. Rector Marjo van IJzendoorn understands that the statements raise questions, but does not want to comment on the dismissal.
Koen has been working as a gym and creative subjects at different schools for more than twenty years. He sees that more and more students have difficulty with the traditional lesson model. “I meant that the current system simply does not suit all children. They have to sit still for eight hours a day, learn from books, do homework and tests. As a result, children regularly sit at home because it is too difficult for them.”
“I want every child to be able to learn in the way that suits him.”
Van der Hagen continues: “Don’t get me wrong. The current education system is appropriate and good for a very large group, but for a significant proportion of the students. I want every child to be able to learn in a way that suits him or her. There are already great initiatives, and I would like to bring them to Den Bosch.”
Koen himself knows from experience how nice it can be if there are other forms of education. “As a child I did not fit into ‘the system’. Learning from books did not succeed. I have discovered everything I have learned by trying and making mistakes. I grant that other students.”
“They get a diploma in the books without four years.”
That is why Koen wants to set up the Flux College, where students from VMBO to VWO together form one class. The focus is on learning by doing: no homework or piles of books, but practical lessons.
Koen hopes that various companies want to settle in the school building. “From repair cafés and bicycle shops to coffee shops and a daycare center, where students can support the companies and gain lifelike experiences. The companies get extra hands, so it’s a interaction,” says the former teacher.
Education lasts four years: three years of practical experience and one year preparation for the school exams. “For example, students just get a diploma, just like in other schools. Only they do it in the books without four years. Due to the practical experience, they have enough confidence to be steamed with single exam training sessions in the last year.”
Koen hopes that students make more targeted choices for their further education or work. “Because of their practical experience, they know better what they are good at or what they like to do.”
“You help a child that this education is desperately needed.”
Eight hundred signatures are required for Flux College. The Ministry of Education then assesses the plans. So far, around forty signatures have been collected. “Not so many signatures have been collected yet, because only the parents of a specific group of children are eligible for this,” says Koen.
He hopes that parents will also look beyond their own child. “Perhaps this education does not fit your child, but with another child who is now stuck in the system. Imagine that it was your child who is at home or cannot go to school. By drawing, you may not help your own child, but another child who desperately needs this education.”