Joan de Ruijter, teacher of Philosophy & Dutch at the 4th Gymnasium
‘Education is something you create together with students'
I have been teaching within Esprit Scholen for seventeen years and teach at het 4e Gymnasium. For me, education is not something you do as a teacher or school leader, but something you create together with students. I always try to learn as much as possible from my students by drawing a lot out of them. I do this by creating space for dialogue and by really probing their answers. At the 4th Gymnasium I teach Philosophy and Dutch, and Philosophy in particular is a subject in which you can give students great freedom to question what they themselves find valuable.
Balance leads to greater happiness
For me, sustainability is closely connected to citizenship: becoming a fully developed human being, showing solidarity, and being mindful of your surroundings. At its core, this takes me back to a classic life question: how do you achieve happiness? How do you live according to virtues, taking nature and the long term into account? Research repeatedly shows that money alone does not make us happy, but living in accordance with our values does. That is why, in my philosophy classes, I keep asking questions: why do you want to become wealthy? What conditions do you unconsciously link to happiness? Almost always it turns out that health, friends and family come first and second. These are conditions students do not always immediately recognize, but which they often feel deeply inside. To achieve better health we need healthy air, water and a greener environment.
More activist within my work
Three years ago I took part in a A12 blockade and asked myself: can I also be an activist in my professional role? Since then, I have organized excursions for students, such as visits to Tata Steel and the Port of Amsterdam. During these trips, I present different perspectives so they can form their own opinions. In this way, they see how industries are interconnected and how sustainable choices can be made. I am also part of The Esprit sustainable teachers’ network, where I meet colleagues who share the same ideals. Together we develop projects and exchange experiences, enabling us as teachers to truly have an impact, in the classroom, in the school, and beyond. One of the strengths of Esprit Scholen is that there is room to experiment with initiatives and that the ideas of both students and teachers are taken seriously. This creates an environment in which learning, sustainability, and engagement come together.