“To provide an unforgettable experience for our students, I make sure our activities are comprehensible for everyone”, says Geertje, a volunteer with Roeland. “If I have to explain a game six times I will, and never without a smile.”
Geertje: “You can read a sense of pride and joy from the look on their faces when they understand what I am explaining, and then they go for it with gusto. When they come back to camp the following year, there is your proof they had a great and meaningful time. It is my privilege to see the progress they made in the course of a year when it comes to speaking a new language.”
First a student, now a teacher.
“Ever since the sixth grade I joined Roeland every year for a French language vacation. I recall these camps to be fantastic experiences. When I felt a little bit too old for joining the camp as a student, I subscribed for a course to become a volunteer. Now, three years later, I contributed to a lot of camps as an activity leader, a teacher, head of animation and head of projects.”
Great NT2-camps.
“Last year I discovered the Dutch camps for children with a migration history (NT2). I was keen on teaching a language camp as a native speaker. When I first got to know the NT2-projects at Roeland, I was on board right away. It is incredibly special, when children are hugging you to let you know that you really made a difference in their lives.”
“The French camps were also a joy to teach. Some attendees are quiet at first and even a little ill-at-ease, because it can be intimidating to join a foreign language camp for the first time. But in the end, we get our message across, even when we have to use gestures to do so (something that can lead to comical situations), and you can really tell everyone is having a fun time.
Jeu de forêt.
“My favourite game has to be ‘jeu de forêt.’ In this game, the participants face the teachers head-on. They have to make their way from their end to the teachers' camp site to get to the next level. The teachers try to slow down the participants by capturing ‘lives’ (fluorescent vests), and there is some rope and tape involved as well. It is a game the students and teachers will remember vividly, for years.”
Playful language games.
“To keep the acquisition of a new language fun, everything has to be as playful as possible. You have to master some ground rules to learn a new language, but there is no reason that can’t be organized in a fun and playful manner. Personally, I think that games involving a lot of action generate the best results.”
“In short, being a teacher with Roeland is impressive. Even when a kid looks you straight in the eye and accuses you of lying about your age, because ‘my mom is 36 and you look way older than that!’ …ouch!”
