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This RE teacher in the Netherlands cycles to work and enjoys helping students to develop empathy - but is frustrated by her government's constant meddling
I teach RE at the Vincent van Gogh comprehensive secondary school in Assen, which is the capital of the province Drenthe, in the north-eastern part of the Netherlands. The city isn't famous for anything, except maybe for its motor races.
I teach full-time, which at our school is not all that common for female teachers - especially not when they are married. In the Netherlands, more women than men work in education - except in management. Since RE is only taught one hour a week in most years, I teach about 18 groups of around 25 to 30 students. A full-time job as a teacher in the Netherlands usually means teaching 25 hours each week.
Children start attending my school when they are 12, after eight years of primary education. They have a lot of choice around what they...