Professionalization

Esprit Academy interview

Five questions for Marlise Achterbergh, sustainability coordinator at Esprit

What is your connection with education?
I was a teacher for 11 years and I’m passionate about education. Until last year I was a teacher, mentor and educational support coordinator. I’m convinced that education has an enormous role to play in advancing society and shaping a sustainable future.

Why the focus on professionalization?
My work as a sustainability coordinator touches upon different parts of the Whole School Approach, like greening school buildings and professionalization with respect to sustainability. Until recently, things had been rather quiet around sustainability at Esprit, so there were a lot of quick wins to be had.

What do teachers want?
Both Dutch and international research shows that teachers want to be involved in sustainability, but they do not know how. It just never came up in their training programs. The same goes for school leaders. I know from experience how busy everyone is in education on a daily basis. Taking part in a course lets you create space to zoom out for a while.

So can I register for an Education for Sustainability workshop?
Of course. Wieneke Maris is set to give a great workshop soon! She’s a specialist in the field and an expert by experience. Last year, she traveled through Europe to visit various schools that focus on sustainability education. For IB teachers, I’d recommend the English version of the workshop.

Can support staff also register for the climate conversations course?
It’s a hands-on workshop that was designed for everyone to take part in which you will look at ways to reduce your footprint and increase your handprint. If you’re concerned about climate change, you’ll learn what you can do to contribute to a solution and how to start having positive conversations about it with others.