Today's Monday. January 15th. Perfect day for talking about something that I still don't understand:
Why is it that stupid kids in Holland only go to secondary school for four years, while smart kids go for six years? Does it not make so much more sense to let the dumb kids stay in school longer?
Here's what one site says about the Dutch school system:
"Secondary education, which begins at the age of 12 and is compulsory until the age of 16, is offered at several levels. VMBO programmes (four years) combine general and vocational education, after which pupils can continue in senior secondary vocational education and training (MBO) lasting one to four years. The two programmes of general education that grant admission to higher education are HAVO (five years) and VWO (six years). Pupils are enrolled according to their ability, and although VWO is more rigorous, both HAVO and VWO can be characterized as selective types of secondary education. The VWO curriculum prepares pupils for university, and only the VWO diploma grants access to WO. The HAVO diploma is the minimum requirement for access to HBO. "
I totally understand the 'only educate those that have potential'-thought, but I still think the system is rather strange and maybe even unfair.
I define intelligence as the ability to learn new things (and obviously, remember them). I think it is wrong to decide at the age of 11 or 12 whether someone is intelligent. People's brains develop, it could be that the 'stupid' kids' brains just haven't developed as much as a 'smart' kid's brain.
Why should someone's life be determined by what he or she knew at the age of 12? If somebody ends up going to the VMBO (the four years programme), they'll probably never end up in a university studying to become a brain surgeon. I found a site which simply said that people that go to VMBO will get jobs like carpenter or butcher, HAVO students will go to college and become things like teachers and VWO students will go to university and become whatever they please.
Sadly, in most cases this is true. I know one person who went from VMBO to HAVO to VWO and eventually became a doctor, but this is an exception. If a student was to do this, they'd graduate at the age of 20. Let's be honest, in the 21st century, how many students are going to be this committed?
This system does bother me. I think that many teachers don't put as much effort into VMBO kids as they do in VWO kids, while it really should be the other way round - if we're so smart, we should be able to figure it out, right? Another example, of a very different type of effort (this is only concerning the RLW though): a Gymnasium TTO student goes on a school trip at least 5 school trips in 5 years. A VMBO student goes on two trips. Unfair in my eyes. (I'm not sure if it's two, it might be more, but this is what I remember from reading the many 'Logboeken'.)
Another thing, if you're a VMBO student, you do your exams in a VWOer's pre-pre-exam year. You have to be pretty mature by then, because after your exams you'll probably look for a job somewhere or do follow MBO course. A VWO'er on the other still has two full years to grow up. Again, my mind goes crazy thinking about this --wouldn't you expect a smart 16 year old to be more mature than a stupid 16 year old?
The last thing I want to point out, that doesn't have much to do with what this post was intended to be about, is why do we even need these three different programmes for different people? In the UK, in the USA they don't even have such systems. Everybody does the same. Having these different levels leads to a lot of prejudice. When somebody asks me what 'level' I do, I say VWO rather than Gymnasium, simply because if I were to say Gymnasium, you become a nerd and a smartass.
I had many more arguments as to why I disagree with the system, but I'm starting to forget. =P And I'm starting to notice my conscience telling me to study, study more and... study again.
So, lastly, why I'm writing this? For many reasons. First off, because while I was cycling back home this afternoon I was just thinking about what it would be like to be a VMBO'er. Secondly, because I found myself wondering this afternoon about how in the world of my classmates ever made it to Gymnasium (I figured they'd cheated during the CITO), and thirdly, because I just needed something intelligent to talk about.
"Disclaimer:" Yes, I know I used stereotypes and stuff in here. And that not all VMBO'ers are stupid. I know. I have talked and interacted enough with them to know that not all of them are dumb.
- Maxime
P.S. I've added a 'Song of the Day' thing on the left. I'll probably add a few lines as to why it's so special to be the Song of the Day.
6 comments:
I agree with large parts of what you've written, but I've got some arguments against as well.
First off, they don't decide at 11/12 if you're intelligent. You can get VWO, HAVO/VWO, VMBO/HAVO and VMBO advice. During the first two years of High School you can still switch. For example, my sister goes to the Adelbert and for each test she gets both a HAVO and a VWO grade. Mark had the same, but VMBO/HAVO. So you aren't immediately chained to one school type.
Also, if you're a VMBO student you don't have to get a job as a carpenter/butcher. I mean, of the 3 groups, which do you think is biggest in the Netherlands? VMBO. Wassenaar just gives you a distorted view. And if it is the biggest group, then you'd think our country would be overloaded with carpenters/butchers/comparable jobs, but it isn't.
About the not putting enough effort in VMBO students. Wrong again. Why do you think the VMBO TL+ exists? The + means that they get extra help at homework and stuff like that.
Also, in Wassenaar you can only do VMBO TL, but there are 4 different kinds. TL is the theoretical one, there are also more practical ones. There are many schools which give only VMBO, no HAVO/VWO. So what's that about not giving them enough attention? They build whole schools for only VMBO'ers!
Also, if you've always wanted to be a botanist or something (okay, bad example prolly, I know very little people who'd want to become a botanist, but still) then why try to do VWO if you can just do a practical form of VMBO?
About the early exam thing. I do think the people teaching MBO courses know that the first years are younger than first year WO'ers, don't you think? And that they don't treat them as 18-20 year olds, but as 16-18 year olds, which they are.
I do agree with you on the question if we need these differences in schooltypes. I mean, if it works for other countries, why wouldn't it here?
Well, that's it.
Wow, that could almost be a post on itself...
Those are grades. They're still following a certain course. And I know you can switch, but how many people actually do the MAVO-HAVO-VWO thing?
I know. I think more than 70% of Holland is VMBO. "..you'd think our country would be overloaded with carpenters/butchers/comparable jobs, but it isn't." We're in a shortage of doctors, dentists, technical people. I haven't heard of a butcher shortage. Or a bouwvakker shortage. Point made.
There are also schools that do only gymnasium. Or only HAVO/VWO. There are four types, but maybe that's because they want the best out of the kids? You see, there's less intelligent and there's plain stupid.
I seriously don't know what your point was with the botanist thing.
Yah, and what if you decide not to do the course because you're still rather immature and "hate school"? How many kids drop out of high school because they "hate school"? Yes, I know dropping out isnt a great trend over here, but it still does happen.
ok i like to say the post/comments were way to long to read it all. my peanut brain does not have the ability to concentrate on a text so long, so purple, while this keane song is playing.
furthermore i like to say.. im glad i can do gymnasium. at least another 5 years of not worrying about your future after de basisschool. not trying from the HAVO into the VWO or from vmbo to havo. not having to choose TL or that other stuff. just do as high as possible and don't think about it for a good other 6 years.
Second!
Yeah I'm pretty glad too. Just do Gymnasium, if it doesn't work out do Atheneum.
And its pretty much guaranteed you go to university.
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