Vrijeschool: hearts, hands, brains

It was a bitterly cold second day of term; I had already slipped twice that morning. At 10:30, I found myself perched outside the office of Mrs Janny de Vries, secondary school headmistress (or Director, as she is known) of Bonnefanten College, sector Bernard Lievegoed (Maastricht).

Mrs Janny de Vries, director Bonnefanten College, sector Bernard Lievegoed

I have to be honest, I was nervous. There’s something unnerving, even as an adult, sitting, waiting to be called in to see a headmistress, not least Mrs de Vries whose professional and personal accolades preceded her.

Bernard Lievegoed is no ordinary school and Mrs de Vries is certainly no ordinary secondary school principal: a Maastrichter mother of 3, pedologist (trained in the study of the physical and mental development and characteristics of children), teaching aficionado and Steiner-Waldorf devotee.

If she had offered me a spoon full of sugar as I sat down I would add Mary Poppins’ doppelganger to her description but the bell rang so there was no time to discover.

Period 1: Bonnefanten College, sector Bernard Lievegoed (Maastricht)
Bonnefanten College, sector Bernard Lievegoed is one of 90 schools in the Netherlands that follow the Steiner-Waldorf curriculum and the teaching principles enunciated by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher who died in 1925 (his fellowship encompasses 750 schools globally).

Rudolf Steiner

In 1932, Bernardus Cornelis Johannes Lievegoed, the founder of the Dutch Pedagogical Institute helped to found the first Vrije School (“free” Steiner-Waldorf school) in the Netherlands.

Maastricht’s Vrije School was born some 30 years ago. With a staff of 60 at the secondary school and the number of pupils having quadrupled in size over the last seven years (to approximately 440 students), Mrs de Vries heads a school in a state of growth, having been appointed director in summer 2009.

Period 2: Steiner-Waldorf method
Steiner’s education’s most distinguishing characteristic is that it is based on a theory of three stages of child development – willing (heart), feeling (hands) and thinking (brains) – but its more profound meaning is upheld and felt in the very structure of the school itself and the teaching method.

Children do not start formal learning until they are six, attending kindergarten from the age of four where the emphasis is on play, developing imagination and acquiring social skills.

The aim is to ensure that children engage at new levels of experience at each stage of development: kindergarten, primary and secondary.

Students at Bernard Lievegoed Vrijeschool

As the child grows, so does the curriculum. Continuing to explore the world around the child and his/her family and friends has a direct impact on the child’s ability to think creatively and to develop individuality: “It’s about the “heart, hands and brains” of the children,” Mrs de Vries educates me and I am persuaded.

Children engage in a variety of subjects, from maths, biology, physics to modern languages (Nederlands, Français, Deutsch and English), history of art and drama. In order to ensure a colourful palette of experience, arts and practical skills play an essential part in the educational process although the teaching methodology is left to the specialised staff to adapt to each class and the children’s needs.

Period 3: hearts, hands and brains
How does Bonnefanten College achieve the Steiner approach? I learn that given the exigencies of 21st century life, the school pragmatically adopts an adapted Steiner-Waldorf teaching method but its approach to learning remains faithfully holistic.

The Dutch national curriculum – each student graduates in accordance with the Dutch national system – is adapted by the teachers so as not to neglect the social, emotional and psychological development of each child.

At 14, pupils enter secondary school and are taught by specialist teachers with each student also being assigned a mentor allowing a supportive and respectful relationship to develop.

The first two hours of each school day are dedicated to concentrated blocks of study on one subject for each three week block with each lesson ending with an academic cliff hanger to be developed further the following day at the start of the period.

Think chemistry experiment just before the end of class: imagine the test tubes and funnel on the desk. Teacher to class: “Want to know why nitrate film burns three times faster than paper? Let’s discuss together tomorrow morning”.

Mrs de Vries is unhurried as she walks me through a typical day at Bernard Lievegoed. The school itself is similarly unhurried with its striking architectural features and enveloping atmosphere (paintings line the boards outside of classrooms; a banner hangs across the inner hall reminding the students of their school dance; the furnishings are homely; the grandiose hall is mock-theatre, mock-sanctuary, with natural light flooding the space).

Bernard Lievegoed Vrijeschool

As Mrs de Vries speaks I come to realise that the students here are special individuals, not inmates in some controlled frosty institutionalised academy. Everything seems less prescriptive, less impersonal, and certainly more real. Bernard Lievegoed is a community rather than an institution, and it is a community that is thriving.

Mrs de Vries, whose three children moved up smoothly and successfully through the school system, tells me that underlying the academic success, the objective is that children grow to become clear thinkers, interested in every aspect of life, emotionally balanced and well-developed socially. Her words seem to echo a therapeutic discourse, far removed from the authoritative, formal and distant school principal.

Period 4: Misconceptions
I admit that I am sceptical. Although I do not have children I am confident that most parents wish to chart the stages of their children’s development. If I am lucky enough to have some one day, I certainly want to know how my Esme’s or Tobias’ reading, writing, algebra is for her or his age.

Put simply, without the structure of the national educational system, with goal posts set by educationalists precisely so that parents can understand and assist with the development of their children, purist Steiner-Waldof schools offer no such safety net; parents can only have a leap of faith.

“What about the “vrij” in the name “vrijeschool”?”, I ask. The popular view of free schools and Steiner education is that they are all part of an indoctrinated cult; pupils chose whether or not to attend lessons; the curriculum consists mostly of art and prayer; there are no formal assessments or targets; and the curriculum only expands as the child’s will dictates (so probably ends as puberty sets in, right?). All misconceptions, I am told.

The reference to “vrij” in the school name refers to the teacher’s freedom, the freedom to adapt their teaching methods freely to engage with the students to learn by combining their willing (heart), feeling (hands) and thinking (brains) in the educational process.

Period 5: Learning objective
All children need to have a nurturing, caring school environment and my hunch is that Bonnefanten College is doing its utmost to develop talented young adults. To which I say: bravo. I don’t believe Bonnefanten College is the best school in all respects (I don’t believe such a school exists). What I do know is that there are great, inspiring teachers in this world and that the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion thought they would get a brain, heart and a dose of courage from the Wizard of Oz. They should have passed by Mrs de Vries’ office, she and Bonnefanten College have all three in abundance.

By Michael Wells Greco

Michael Wells-Greco, a solicitor in his former life, now undertaking post-grad studies at the University of Maastricht.