The interesting thing about the word “community” is that it can be applied in many different contexts. I consider myself a part of multiple communities here, such as my teaching community (the Dutch teachers & my fellow English Teaching Assistants), the Amsterdam community and, finally, the larger Netherlands community.
For me, integration into my three partner schools means being an active contributor and a valued member of the team. I strive to interact frequently with my co-workers and to create meaningful relationships with my students. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I work at a middelbare (secondary) school, OSG Meergronden, in Almere Haven. There, I assist with a variety of subjects, such as Biology, Art & Culture, Geography and more! On Tuesday, I travel to Almere Poort where I work with two primary schools, Letterland and Ontdecking. At these schools, I plan English lessons for small groups of students so that they can improve their ability to speak, read and write in English. So many students here learn English in school at a very young age.
One of my favorite parts about school is that I learn Dutch from my students. I then try to use all of the new words and phrases inside and outside of school. Using the Dutch language is a major part of integration!
