Thanks to my inability to walk down the steps without trying to kill myself, I have missed that 80% attendance necessary to have the courses paid for by the Gemeente. Turns out - as long as I don't fall down the steps again - my total bill is €270. Though I'm not thrilled at having to pay, €270 for a year's worth of classes and 3+ books is not bad. Not bad at all. Luckily, because it was a medical emergency/condition that caused me to miss so much, I get out of paying a fine. Whew! Lesson learned: if you don't want to pay a fine, fall down a flight of stairs.
Since we last spoke on this topic, I've also gotten a new contact persoon (also called trajectbegeleider - meaning advisor or, you guessed it, contact person). This is my third one since beginning this process less than a year ago - living proof of what I noted in my most recent Next Steps column:
"...you will be assigned a trajectbegeleider, which is an advisor of sorts that will be there for you throughout your year of inburgering. Until she goes on maternity leave, at which point you will get a new one who will inexplicably vanish. He will be replaced by someone who will eventually change jobs, this replacement will be more or less useless, forcing you to request someone else who will eventually become ill, leaving you with yet another trajectbegeleider."I must say, this one's my favorite. Unlike my first one, she knows what she's talking about. Unlike my second, this one's not trying to be my mother. In fact, I just found out today (my first meeting with her) that we were born in the same year! She's very meticulous with taking notes and everything she had promised to prepare for our meeting, she had actually taken care of. Only if you have dealt with anyone employed by the government do you know how rare this is.
Since we last talked, I've traded in my speaking group for a writing group. Now every Thursday evening, I go to the Gemeente building for two hours and work on writing in Dutch. For my first class, I was put in the wrong level, so there was a period where I couldn't go to the group because I had to get an official letter from the leader of my new writing group to invite me into that group. It's this kind of thing that just drives me bonkers. As soon as I've had a session or two in my new writing group, I'll be back to post a little about it.
Here comes the "Rant" part. I go to class three days a week and over those three days I have two teachers: one for two days of the week and one for the third day. Our one-day teacher is magnificent. She's so excited about her profession and about her students and what she teaches. It is important to her that we clearly understand what is being taught. Always above and beyond what's in the textbook, she expects lots from us and always has something extra to add. If there's a concept we continually get wrong, she drills it with us and finds new ways to explain it until we understand.
The two-day teacher is so boring and too structured. She has every second of every lesson planned out. That means no time for drilling, no time for explanation, no time for questions. Conversations are always going on while she's teaching and she does nothing to quiet them. Homework assignments are handled in one of two ways: A) we never go over them or look at them again or B) we do the entire assignment all over again in class the next day. On Fridays, she has an assistant. An assistant who is always correcting her. Because she doesn't know what she's talking about much of the time. In the time that I missed class because of my foot, I had so much catching up to do for Mevrouw One-Day and missed nothing with Mevrouw Two-Day (I kept up with bookwork while I was out).
This, of course, has sparked a new trend among my classmates. I call it "The Mass Exitus." In short, this is when each student does what he or she can to 'get the hell outta Dodge.' For many, this means taking the NT2 (the Dutch as a second language test also known as the Staatsexamen) early so they can finish the classes early. Some have been very successful at weaseling their way to two-day weeks instead of three (oh do I envy these people). In my case, ending classes early means having to pay a fine, plus the €270 for the classes, plus the €90 out of pocket fee to take the NT2 (Gemeente Utrecht covers this cost if you complete the inburgeringscurses). I'm sure negotiating shorter school weeks would mean a fine and the class fee. I didn't bother to confirm that though.
My other option is to complain. To the teacher or to the school, doesn't matter. A friend and classmate informed me that she had already tried talking to Mevrouw Two-Day back in November. As you can see, that's done a lot of good (NOT!!). I'm afraid that complaining will do one of three things: she could make my life miserable for the duration of my time at the school because I insinuated that she was a crappy teacher; she could make my life miserable for the duration of my time at the school because I insinuated to her boss behind her back that she was a crappy teacher; or I would just be wasting my breath either way. To top it all off, I actually like this lady. I know you probably won't believe that after what you've read so far in this post, but I do. She's very lovely and very nice. But, like I keep telling myself, nice people don't always make good teachers.
Now it's your turn to rant! I know I'm not the only one going through this right now. How is the process going for you?
20 comments:
Bluh. That doesn't sound like much fun at all. Because of our circumstances I don't have to do inburgering, but sometimes I think I should. At 270 euros a year it's way cheaper than the language classes I've been taking locally.
Well... as one of the 'weaseling' students mentioned above, I really feel Mevrouw Two-Day could learn from the story of Nero playing his violin while Rome burned. Mevrouw Two-Day is so firm in her administration of the most boring class possible that she fails to look up and notice students behaving badly, or leaving, or just not showing up. She is a lovely, warm-hearted person who really thinks she is doing the 'right' thing by us in her teaching methods. And we're going to improve anyway, with or without a good classroom environment. But I cannot believe the lack of appropriate feedback. I mean, we are adults, and our feedback should be solicited. I worked at a college for many years and most instructors solicited class feedback at least once per year on a voluntary basis!! How can this organization not be 1. organized or 2. adapatable!!!! Drives me NUTS!
I had a very nasty teacher in the beginning of my inburgeringcursus. She was rude to the students and made them feel dumb. TERRIBLE. The next semester we all got a new teacher (for the next level) and all my classmates and I were overjoyed.
I ran into the nasty teacher a few years later and she didn't even remember me! Unbelievable. Guess she didn't find her students important enough to remember.
I'm so happy that as a European I don't have to deal with the inburgering
Ugh... Maybe it's best to inform the schoolinspection.
Seriously, I think you should make a complaint, or at least see what you can do about switching classes. Like you say, your teacher may be lovely, but if she's not a good teacher, you won't get anywhere near what you want out of the lessons and you might just become resentful of the entire situation(I know that's how I'd react).
I've gotta say, I really like my teacher. I only have classes two evenings a week because I work full time, so I'm wondering if I'll be stuck in classes forever sometimes...
My big inburgering rant is related to my trajectbegeleider. At my initial intake my contact person was very visibly pregnant, so I knew I wouldn't be seeing her again. She was friendly and was happy speaking English with me and even offered me a drink :O My second contact person on the other hand absolutely reeked of prejudice. You could almost smell her distaste, especially when I pushed her to speak English. I specifically asked her because at that point I had had no formal lessons and event though I could understand quite well, I wanted to be absolutely clear in what was going on. She couldn't give me any information as to what I would be expected to do as part of the process, or either of the schools I had to choose between (Ttif or ROC), she couldn't even tell me where my they were in Almere. I also had to sign their offer on the spot and they didn't tell me that everyone required to take the inburgering course is also eligible to take the Exemption test (korte vrijstellingstoets). I may well have failed the test, but would have appreciated the opportunity to study for it and take it, thus avoiding the portfolio/assessment process.
On the upside, the only time I've heard anything from her since is when she sent the confirmation of my intake test (actually, I don't even know if it was from her specifically) and the 270 euro invoice for the course.
But love my teacher. Incidentally, she's Romanian and teaching Dutch to people who have living here for many years more than her!
Oh good Lord, don't even get me started on this inburgering. Big FAIL in both principle and execution.
You know...reading all this actually makes me feel less crazy. Thank you. I am a teacher and so I feel like I am hypercritical as I keep hoping for some actual instruction to go on in my Dutch class. I like my teacher- he is a nice and understanding man who I realize has a difficult job with the situation. I do not really blame him, I think he is doing what is expected of him in the structure of these courses.
That being said there is just little to no delivery of instruction. We are just doing excercises and assessments and practicing speaking. I have adjusted to marking what is wrong without surprise since it was never really taught to me and I either guessed or figured it out the best I could. I do my best with the work (even though I could do more homework) and adjusted to the feeling of confusion that prevails... but it is not very motivating.
I hesitate to switch classes only to find myself in a worse position with a teacher who is neither nice or understanding.Also, just getting started in inburgering classes-- took long enough and the disorganization and language barriers created so much confusion and delay-- I worry that I will be again not attending any class if I make a switch.
At this point I keep reminding myself my inburgering is required and free and my plan is to teach myself more, be better with my homework, and supplement with some other better instruction on my vacations.
Again, thanks for sharing ... it does help to read I am not alone or unique in my experiences.
Hi Tiffany,
It's Matt, fellow American ex-pat; we corresponded on another inburgering thread some months ago.
Sorry about your foot - it's terrible you got penalized for it. The inburgerings people in Amsterdam wouldn't have forced you to pay for something that wasn't your fault. They're much more lenient and generous than the people in Utrecht appear to be.
I guess I was just lucky. I did have to wait almost six months for my NT2II course, but once it started it went very well. I was given nine months of free lessons. In the middle of the course, I had to return to America for two months. No problem - I simply signed a revised contract. After the nine months of coursework were up, I took the Staatsexamen II and passed.
While the class was in progress, we students were periodically asked to write an evaluation of the class and teacher. We also had a couple interviews with the administrator of the group that sponsored the lessons.
There was a silly mixup with picking up my diploma which was resolved after several unanswered emails and a merry-go-round of phone calls.
I ended up picking it up during the pauze of my former class. The teacher told me I was the only one in my group to have passed all four parts. She also said that the Amsterdam NT2-inburgering system had been radically restructured (yet again). The group that sponsored my classes was going to be dissolved - along with the 30-odd similar groups. Amsterdam was going back to a more centralized system, with only about 3 groups. So it goes.
Meanwhile, I finished the "Het Neusje van het zalm" course, given earlier this year at the Volksuniversiteit in Utrecht for post-Staatsexamen II people. It was excellent!
I'm sure you've already looked into the possibilities so I won't advise you to fight against having to pay the 270 euro... Then again, I DO advise you to fight it. It's not fair!
Take care, Matt
Amanda - Right now the situation is not fun at all, but you're right, it's less than what I paid for a 12 week course at the Volksuniversiteit here in Utrecht (and they're raised their prices since!) As an American, I didn't have to do it either, but I was drawn to the "free" aspect lol! Obviously that's not working out, but I can be satisfied with "dirt cheap". You may want to look into it - if I'm not mistaken, you can start any time.
Dear Anonymous A. Weasel - Your image of Mevrouw Two-Day fiddling away as the ROC burns to nothing almost made my Diet Coke come out my nose (I'm glad it didn't as I'm sure it would have hurt like nuts). Perhaps we should pick a day where we all agree to show up to class and go out after for a therapy over coffee... or something stronger. I 100% agree with every statement you make here.
Brigitte - What an unfortunate situation. How can they possibly expect students to be motivated in these kinds of environments? Good thing you got another teacher. I'm thinking maybe we should either talk to Mevr. Two-Day as a group or go to the administration all at once - a united front either way... just dunno that I can deal with it two days a week for another 4 months!
Invader Stu - actually, as an American, neither do I. Which makes me want to bang my head repeatedly against a tree. I keep telling myself how much money I've saved. It at least makes me feel like it should make me feel better!
Greetje - The more I complain - I mean, think about it, the more I think that's a brilliant idea!
MissNeriss - I'm afraid my non-school schedule is a bit too fixed to switch classes. I am resigning myself to making a complaint though. Stupid thing is, I hate to do it because I like the teacher as a person even though I have huge issue with her teaching (not a good reason at all, I know). Hang in there! I know trajectbegeleiders can be an issue. It always seems to be the administration, doesn't it? Too bad your didn't know ahead of time about the Exemption test - how frustrating! They really should provide literature in English and in Dutch. I just keep thinking about the people who don't have a Dutchie at home to translate for them. I've been keeping up with your inburgering adventures as well - can't wait to read the next installment!
Dana - haha! Agreed! I did get you started on it a bit today during the pauze though ;)
Eileen - No, you're certainly not crazy... though I'm sure the inburgering is slowly driving you there as it is all of us! Consequently, I'm relieved to be hearing from everyone that my classmates and I aren't the only ones with less-than-desirable teachers. I understand where you're coming from - the teacher's not great but nice, but nice people don't always make great teachers, however, if you move elsewhere, can you guarantee that what you'll get is better and not the same as or worse than what you have? Just keep plugging away and feel free to come back and commiserate any time!
Matt - Hi and welcome back! Actually the Gemeente Utrecht is very upfront that they will cover the cost as long as you keep up an 80% attendance. If you miss more that 20% of the classes, you will be obliged to pay for the course. This includes if you get pregnant or have a baby during that time, if you go on vacation, and any non-life threatening injuries. But to be honest, by the end I'll have gotten 3 books, 9 hours a week of instruction over the course of a year and the NT2 exam for only 270 Euro. Normally they fine anyone missing much more than the 20%, so the fact that it was an injury helped me avoid a fine. Th only thing that bugs me on that front is I would have been fine attendance wise had I not been in such a hurry to get down the steps. I do however, wish Utrecht would take a tip from Amsterdam and do teacher evaluations and meetings with the administrators. I'm not sure if that chance is given at the end of the traject, but that wouldn't do me much good anyway. Overall, I'm very glad I did it, I just wish I wasn't forced to be committed to it for a whole year. Glad to hear the Volksuniversiteit class went well! I really think that's a great institution and I'll certainly be back once I finish with this mess :)
sooooo, if the US don't have to do it, and the Europeans (that's me) don't have to do it, then who the hell is doing it???? I did mine back in 2001/2 when we still had Nieuwe Buren, De Winkel van Sinkel and you will be im-geburgerd (yes, I made that one up) or die in the attempt! I had 15 hours a week of ik ben, jij bent, hij zij het is, until I could spit like a native, but the one thing that amazed me? The fact that I didn't have to have a single driving lesson (apart from on a bicycle, that was on the imburgeringcursus) but actually being armed with a car wasn't a problem at all. I'm British, which means that roundabouts aren't such a big puzzle to me as to a lot of Dutch people, but the other side of the road is a whole new experience! I have almost ghost-ridden, and in the beginning had sore knuckles from banging them on the door to change gear! Still the good news is I am used to it now, so you can all come back out onto the roads. It sounds like you are all having wonderful fun with the language course, should have gone to Deventer! We had the same teachers from beginning to end of the course, three of them, one for normal conversational Dutch, one for written/official Dutch and one for grammar. I'm glad I did it tho, and the homework was always a laugh as well! (buy a pound of cheese at the cheese shop)! Still enjoying life in NL.
There are a lot of EU citizens and people from Canada, the US, Australia that do it just because they're a free way to learn the language. That's why I'm doing it. There are also a lot of Middle Easterners and people who don't have any English. If they don't have the opportunity to study Dutch, they simply just can't get by here. Now, the driving thing ALWAYS baffled me. My American license was good here for 6 months. After those 6 months, I had to do the driving tests ALL OVER AGAIN. The very same ones I took in the US when I was 16! And we drive on the same side of the car and the same side of the road. But I think that's less a "Dutch" thing and more an "EU" thing. Although Deventer is beautiful, the expat community is far too small for me - gimme my big city lol (not as big and expat-y as Amsterdam or The Hague or even Rotterdam, but that's the way I like it)! Glad you're still loving it! I am too :)
I'm about to start inburgering - maybe. I'm not actually even sure what I'm supposed to do, what I have to do, and what the options are - the people who work at the inburgering office only speak Dutch. Of course, the reason I'm there is that I do *not* speak Dutch... it's quite frustrating to try to figure out what is going on. I've had 3 meetings so far, and have no idea what happened in any of them. {{{sigh}}}
It does amaze me that people complain about immigrants' failure to integrate, when the system seems to make it unnecessarily difficult to comply.
Hi Daria! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I know it's frustrating. But actually, having them speak nothing but Dutch (they DO speak English - trust me) forces you to learn. They're not babying you by speaking to you in your own language. You have to learn to sink or swim. Try asking them to use simpler terms and do as much as you can yourself online to learn Dutch so that you're not completely in the dark (there are loads of website recommendations on the Links page of this blog). You can also see if you can find a native Dutch speaker who can help you with any literature on the program they give you.
My recommendation is to take the inburgering now because the program is only going to get more and more expensive (the new gov't wants to make it so that by 2014 all immigrants must pay out of pocket for the entire program - roughly a 5-6,000 Euro value).
It is frustrating and not always easy, but int he end, you'll be glad you did it :) Succes ermee!
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for the encouragement. Many people have told me that it's better if people speak to me only in Dutch because then I'll learn... and, of course, that follows the pedagogical principle of 'immersion.' I just haven't gotten the flow of that yet - I ask them to repeat what they've said, but I still don't know what the words mean.
I wish they would give me literature. All I know is that I keep getting invitations in the mail with a time for me to show up... my boyfriend is there to help me with those. Then I show up, they say a lot of things to me in Dutch, ask me something, repeat the question more slowly and loudly, repeat it again, finally I nod and they nod and escort me out. Then I get another letter, for an appointment with a different person. Tomorrow my boyfriend is going to call them and ask them to tell *him* what it's all about, because from what I thought I understood, one person said that I don't have to do the course, another said that I don't have to do any course, but they recommend that I do the Dutch one, and yet another person said that I have to do a course on Dutch society for a year first, if I want to get enrolled in Dutch courses (which wouldn't be until after a year.) Obviously I didn't do too well at figuring out what they were all saying to me :-P
And I think it's very likely that they don't speak English. I think people in your part of the country do, for the most part - but down here in Eindhoven, it isn't typical for people to know English. My boyfriend does but the majority of his friends do not, and none of his family does. Sometimes it starts to feel like the only person who I can talk to (literally!) is my boyfriend...
Sorry to whine. I want to learn Dutch - I really, really do. It's horrible being so cut off. I just wish it wasn't so difficult just to get in to the place that is supposed to help.
Daria, I'll tell you something that will both frustrate you and make you feel better at the same time... even if they did speak English to you or your Dutch was perfect, you would still have no idea what you're supposed to do! I've found in dealing with the Gemeente, IND, Bureau Inburgering that you can ask the same question to three different people and get three different answers. I'm now on my 5th contact person and each one seems to have a different idea of how the program is run and what the requirements are. It's my biggest complaint about the system in general. I know what you mean about feeling as though you can't talk to anyone, but if you keep persisting, it will get better. I've heard that it takes about 3 years before you feel as though you can really express yourself in Dutch and feel like you belong in the crowd. I've been studying for almost 2 and I would thoroughly agree with that. It's not easy, but it does get better! Hang in there!
geez, it seems a life-time ago when i inburgered...but so glad i was forced to! i'm a canadian with dual (now triple) citizenship...canadian/british (now also dutch). actually i wasn't required to inburger due to my britsh citizenship, but they made me (ok, i didn't fight them as my dutch back then sucked)because i was born and raised in canada. the lessons (nieuwe buren)were ok, the computer stuff less but i loved the course about dutch society! the teacher was an older man who was like a stand-up comedian, hilarious! what a great way to learn!
...i went on and passed the NT2-II and am working now as a nurse (after having to re-do my nursing degree in dutch). it's been 10yrs now (almost)...and i'm as fluent as i am in english and french. i got my first job 6 mnths after arriving in this country in an all-dutch nursing home and the forced me to learn the language FAST!...actually no one...not from the gemeente, to the trajectbegeleider to teachers, etc, etc...no one EVER spoke english to me, ever....it was do or die!...not easy...but man, i can speak dutch now like nobody's business! ya, i do have an accent and probably always will...but who cares! i have chosen to live here and am eternally greatful to the government who made me inburger in the first place!!haha!
Hi susymac! Thanks for another juicy comment! It is really so wonderful and inspiring to hear success stories like yours! And fantastic to hear that the inburgering program helped you so much. It is definitely worth while - especially now as the government plans to stop funding the program completely as of 2014. As frustrating as it can sometimes be, I think the more you are forced to speak Dutch, the better and faster you will learn it. Great to hear from you!
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