“When I was in secondary school, I always enjoyed it when we got the chance to leave the classroom and learn in a different way” says Helena van Wyk (22), Dutch language guide for city trips to Ghent. Keeping the students entertained whilst they are learning is her motivation.
“On a city trip, you can make sure everything is a bit less formal than it is in the classroom”, explains Helena. “My main wish is that my French group explores Ghent in a fun way and picks up a few new words along the way.”
Whiteboard
“I use a whiteboard to draw the stories I tell about Ghent. This leads to a lot of hilarity in the group, because I’m not exactly the best artist !”
“The highlight of the city visit is the graffiti street. The young people always take photos to post on Instagram.”
Walter De Buck
“I organize competitions now and again. I challenge the young people to try to have a chat with as many Ghent locals as they can. One group even managed to sing a Walter De Buck song to a group of pensioners. That was a great thing to see. And to hear !”
Relaxed Atmosphere
“Sometimes teachers warn me about a ‘difficult’ student. But on the city visits there is a relaxed atmosphere – you’re not constantly asking the young people to pay attention and the emphasis is on having fun. So I’ve actually never had a difficult student in my group – on the contrary, they’ve always been great.’
“The students’ reactions are also always really positive. Many of the students also comment on the evaluation form that Ghent is a very clean city, which is funny.”
