Debilitating school camp strengthens the group feeling
For one, the camp is a 'magical moment', for the other, she consciously switched to middle school so that she never had to go to the annual school camp again.
After three days of camp, it was “demolished and in need of restoration”, but Rowdy de Visser thinks the school camp is absolutely fantastic, he says. “After the camp, it only gets more fun in the classroom. You have been through a lot together, shared a lot with each other. I am broken afterwards. But it is very special, such a camp is a magical moment.” But also: “I have three young children myself, but it does demand a lot from the home front. And when you get everyone home safely, you have a huge responsibility.”
Some children see the sea and the beach for the first time
'His' primary school Pope Joannes is located in a deprived area of Zaandam, the camp is always in Egmond-Binnen. “Some children see the sea and the beach for the first time. There are those who have never been away from home for a night.” Preparation starts months in advance. “We go by bike, via safe routes, which is thirty kilometers. Not all children have their own bicycle or are good at cycling. So we arrange bicycles and we practice beforehand. There are of course children who are, say, not at their target weight. Then thirty kilometers is quite a challenge. We cycle a total of one hundred kilometers in three days, which they think is super cool.”
This article is from the May issue of the Education magazine. Do you want to stay informed of everything that is happening in education? Join the AOb and receive the Education magazine every month.
CHECK ALL THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
He describes the camp as 'a three-day party': “Swimming, cycling, survival, eating together, bubble football, a colorful evening: it is so completely different from math and language. It is team building for both us and the children. The placement at secondary school is complete, the pressure of performing is off, it is a special end to their primary school time that they will talk about for years to come.” All other teachers also come along on the colorful evening: "That is of course hilarious for children, when you see the teacher at the disco."
Responsibility
Hennie de Boer went on camp for years as a teacher of group 8. “It was part of it, but I never really liked it.” Three days with thirty children to Ameland: “Are you on the beach, everyone has wet hair, there are still three schools, you can no longer see who belongs to you. I found it hard to be on 24 hours a day. If one of them lost his bicycle key, if they had played in the woods they were covered in ticks. That you have to make sure everyone has a good time all day long, I found the responsibility too heavy, I slept badly.”
“As you get older, you may also be less flexible. It was also nice and fun, but I couldn't handle it myself and it was partly because of that that I left the senior years. It doesn't suit me.” Such a camp at the end of the school year is of little use for group formation, she thinks: “In such a different setting you discover new things in children. Then I thought: hey, I wish I had known that earlier in the year.”
Camaraderie
Sytske van Strien has been to camp dozens of times. "I'm 65 now, I hope I can come along for the last two years." The Houtrustschool in The Hague always goes to Wilhelminaoord in Drenthe, to the outdoor center of the municipality of The Hague. “Originally intended to introduce urban children to nature. There's a prehistoric village, we're making fire, we're going to cast bronze: it's fantastic.” She thinks it's great that children are so different at a camp. “You use that for the rest of the year. I say: dude, you can do this or that so well, would you like to help me. Some children blossom so much outside of the classroom, I think that's super cool.”
“After a good camp there is more camaraderie, more connection. They have also seen me do crazy things as a teacher, you take that with you for the rest of the year. I love that we can offer them this. We are a mixed school: one child often goes on holiday, the other child hardly ever.”
“Miss, is this Austria?” one of the children asked Patricia van Eldik. “One has never seen hills, the other is used to long journeys.” Scouts Hill, a simple accommodation on the Cauberg has long been the traditional destination of the school camp of the Daltonschoon in Rhenen. “back to basics, it's a wooden hut, nothing more. But the place and the atmosphere are very special. We have our own campfire place, it is a large area with many trees, on top of the mountain. And the address is also special: we are located on the Lijkweg!”
It is a huge responsibility though
The anticipation is already good for the group feeling, and everything is special in Limburg: eating pie, taking the cable car, to the cemetery in Margraten, into the coal mine: “The accommodation is very cheap, so we can do many things.” It is a huge responsibility, she says. “At night you are also in the watch mode. You are working 24 hours a day, it is intensive. As teachers, we drive there with our own cars, each with four children.”
But it is certainly worth it, says Van Eldik. “And we manage to get enough teachers every year. It's very special. We have a lot of fun, there are great conversations, also as a team. There is a nice and confidential atmosphere. It is so different from school when you also eat together and are together in the evenings. You are surprised by children. In such a camp you see: hey, he can do chores independently, he arranges everything. You have children who are enthusiastic about everything and children who are squealing about everything. At school, children are more predictable.”
You can read this article for free from the May issue of the Education magazine. Would you like to receive this magazine - packed with journalistic background articles, interviews, columns, legal advice and tips - in your mailbox every month? Become a member of AOb.
