Flashback: 'She gave me the love of writing'
Guus Valk (42) is the writer of the book Obamaland, former US correspondent for NRC Handelsblad and currently head of The Hague for that newspaper. In pre-university education he got Dutch from Era Gordeau, who taught him to crawl out of his shell.
Picture: Fred van Diem
“She's a little bit famous. When she was nominated as the Best Dutch Teacher in 2017, I heard her on the radio on the program The language state by Frits Spits. She still sounded just like I remembered her in front of the class: a good and accessible storyteller. This accessibility, or rather openness, was not so common at our fairly good Protestant school. Most teachers were really above the students. Mrs. Gordeau was in charge, but was not the type to assert her authority at all costs.
For example, she spoke very openly about her own life. Like: 'This weekend I did this and that. And you?' I was not used to this kind of small talk from teachers. It created a very nice atmosphere in the classroom. Friendly and safe. We were full fellow human beings to her, whom she took seriously.
Literature shows what life has to offer in all its rawness. One day you are madly in love, but a while later that man or woman is letting dirty winds next to you.
When I picture her, I have her neat sweaters on my mind. She really was: a neat lady. Still, she could say things like, “Literature shows what life has to offer in all its rawness. One day you are madly in love, but a while later that man or woman is letting nasty breezes beside you. ' We found that hilarious, but also an eye-opener: the fact that literature is more than entertainment. Novels provide life lessons, give you a preview of the world around you.
She was a very skilled teacher. Crazy about language and a striker, it turned out when she signed up for it Great dictation on television. She learned it all Green book out of her head and the students had to test her. That she won in 1999 was deserved. Besides a love for literature, Mrs. Gordeau has also given me a love for writing. One day she had me read in front of the class a review I wrote. She wanted to get me out of my shell with that. It gave me confidence and belief in what I already saw as a future: journalism.
She could give you a nice rating if it made you stronger. For her, it was not all about your acquired, dry knowledge. For my oral final exam I got a 10. I had not understood everything perfectly from what I had read, but I had made a kind of analysis of the similarities between Mulisch and Nooteboom. It was far from brilliant, but she appreciated the initiative, the attempt and that she expressed with the beautiful grade. At an age when you are often searching and sometimes insecure, such a teacher is an enrichment. ”
Era Gordeau (60)
“Guus was an ideal student: smart, eager to learn, interested. He was also a pleasant, friendly and extremely modest person. The latter is also evidenced by his claim that his oral school exam was "far from brilliant." The literature analysis he gave at the time was indeed far above the level of a student in 6-VWO and the 10 was justified. I thought he was going to study journalism as a good choice. Guus has the gift of the word. ”
