Flashback: 'Being seen is invaluable'
Jennifer Faber (37) is a meteorologist. She makes weather forecasts and presents them on RTL 4 and RTL 7. As a geography teacher, she took an example from the mentor from her own turbulent school days: Rita van der Stoep.
Picture: Fred van Diem
“I have known both: teachers who practiced their profession on automatic pilot and teachers who did it with heart and soul. As a student you can feel this after just two seconds. It is the difference between feeling unseen or counting as a unique person. Teachers who pass on the latter to their students deserve all the praise you can give them.
After the fourth year of the Stedelijk Gymnasium, where I did not feel at home, I went to another school, the Dorenweerd College in Doorwerth. There I got Rita van der Stoep in 5 VWO as a Dutch teacher and in the last year as a mentor. Her classes were always interesting, even if you didn't have a special fondness for language or literature. She was also very special as a mentor. She is one of the warmest people I have ever met.
Her lessons were actually always fascinating, even if you didn't have a special fondness for language or literature
That meeting came at a very good time for me, because a divorce made it difficult times at home. In short, it means that I had to become independent in one fell swoop. I came to live on my own and lead the life of an adult with all the responsibilities that came with it.
Signs
But of course I was just a 17-year-old girl and an ambitious, eager student at school. I insisted on keeping all those signs in the air. Where another teacher might have said: your schoolwork always comes first, Rita said: “Your grades are really good. You can also take it a bit easier at school. Just take care of yourself. ' This is how she dealt with her students: understanding and with an eye for the person she had in front of her. Being seen, heard and understood is invaluable at that age. Years later, I taught myself as a geography teacher and mentor. I tried to do it like Rita van der Stoep: with an eye for individual needs, qualities and vulnerabilities.
Being seen, heard and understood is invaluable at that age
When I think back to Rita van der Stoep, I think about the way she awarded our graduation diplomas. It typified her. She did not give a general talk, but had prepared a personal story for each of her students. We all got a different kind of flower from her, which she thought symbolized us. She gave me a calla. 'Because you are exotic and passionate'. ”
Rita van der Stoep (71):
“The calla is a strong flower with a somewhat dramatic appearance. I thought he was a good fit for Jennifer, because she was a special, strong and passionate girl. Due to her difficult circumstances, she appeared more mature than the rest of the VWO students. She was determined to make the most of it and showed a lot of initiative. ”
