Flashback: 'He dares to be vulnerable'

Tekst Maaike Lange - Redactie Onderwijsblad - 6 mei 2021 - 3 Minuten om te lezen

Picture: Fred van Diem

“Harold Meulendijks teaches at the Care & Welfare College in Helmond, where I now work as a trainee teacher. I met him there and we clicked right away. The sad thing is that I never took lessons from him when I was a student. A few years ago I went to look at his classes to see if being a teacher is right for me. He teaches in such a beautiful way. He dares to be vulnerable, he is not the omniscient teacher, like 'guys I know everything', he just says it when he doesn't know something. He is standing next to the student. He talks to them. And he dares to improvise.

He's not the omniscient teacher, like 'guys I know everything

I recognize myself in him. I also think you can be vulnerable. If you show something of yourself, you get something in return. I also do this with my patients in elderly care. When I did an internship in a healthcare institution, an internship supervisor felt that I share too much of myself with the patients. For example something about my girlfriend. But if anyone asks, I think it's polite for you to answer. Some seniors would like to have a real chat with you.

After high school I didn't know what I wanted to be for a long time. High school is separate from practice and the real world. Mathematics didn't interest me, I didn't see the point of it. Economics, a boring teacher, old-fashioned, it didn't make sense. I could do it all, but I had no passion for the subjects.

Something for women

My mom told me to try care. Then I laughed at her. She worked in healthcare. "That's for women," I said. By then I had already quit training twice, first marketing, then cultural work. I would also earn money on the BBL education. I liked that. I thought: Let me go, you can always stop. To my surprise, I liked it right away. What makes healthcare so interesting are the people you work with and for.
Now I want to combine care with teaching. I hope to inspire students in the same way that Harold does. I see him more as a friend than a teacher.

I hope to inspire students in the same way Harold does. I see him more as a friend than a teacher.

I am a student who has a lot of difficulty in making an effort. I procrastinate everything. I need pressure to finish something. In that sense, I am the same as when I was fourteen. At school I am now working on a project that I am quite panic about. I'm afraid I can't. They asked me to make an alternative program for first-year students because they cannot do an internship due to corona. I said yes, but I have no idea how to do it. One of the things I cannot estimate is how much material you can put into a program. If I have to speak somewhere for half an hour, I can speak for three hours. Do you understand? In situations like this I approach Harold. He helps me with practical tips. ”

Teacher Harold Meulendijks

Harold Meulendijks, teacher of care and welfare at ROC Ter AA in Helmond: “I encouraged Tommie to start teaching, it is a wonderful profession. We look at people the same way, as equals. We stand next to the student or in Tommie's case next to the client, never above them. As a teacher I want to coach and guide students towards their dream. Then I sometimes stand with tears in my eyes looking at them at the final exam. Tommy is now at our school as a trainee teacher. He is super driven, tenacious and creative. ”

Every month, the Education Magazine lets a more or less well-known Dutch person speak about a teacher that is important to him / her. Do you want the education trade magazine in your letterbox ten times a year and unite in the largest trade union for education staff?

Become a member!