On Saturday we gathered in Amsterdam Oost for the famous Field Trip – a treasure hunt-like walk that sparks a kind of fanatism that one usually finds in a kid’s eyes. All of my students were already there when I arrived at the meeting point, casually sipping their thee or koffie verkeerd and catching up with each other in Dutch. Couldn’t be any more proud of the progress they’ve made over the past four weeks.
When everyone received their handouts with the route and questions, it was time to leave. I was about to get the whole group together, but one of my students already took the lead. “Okay guys, let’s go! Patricio, can you read de eerste vraag please?”
And there they went. After all the grammar, words and expressions and the endless practicing in class, this was the real deal. Talking to actual Dutchies! I’m proud to see they’ve gained enough confidence to ask people questions on the street and even make some small talk here and there. This is my reward as a teacher.
Seeing them have fun with each other, learning new words and expressions, learning about all the different areas in Amsterdam and gaining enough confidence to start taking what they’ve learned in class into real life is what the Koentact courses are all about. What a job.
Picture made by Yuki Cheng.