Visit to Agora Roermond, The Netherlands

Automatic translation, readingtime 8 minutes

 

 

Cato and I are well on our way. And the dog! Dotje is also along. She brings structure to our days. Whatever happens, we go for a walk four times a day. Cato doesn't always go out with us. But that doesn't matter. Her moments of rest are just as important to her as the walks are to Dot.

 

We tour through France, quietly and without hurry. Apart from stress, of which we have had more than enough, I try to avoid extra costs as much as possible, so we ignore the péages. It is wonderful. We drive along endless fields, through forests, past small villages built from that typical irregular light brown stone. We take a break somewhere in a forest. We have everything with us. Peeing in the bushes. There is nothing to it if you look out for nettles. We are alone everywhere. Even in the village where we stopped yesterday, we did not see a blind chicken. There was a beautiful cemetery, though. Cato has had a fascination with cemeteries since she was a toddler so I was able to take a nice picture there.

 

 

 

We left Troyes yesterday. There we met the president of Autism Aube, Petra Schlos. Autsime Aube is the interest group for people with autism and their relatives in the department of Aube.

Petra told us about the state of affairs in France and she gave us a tip for our next goal. 

 

 

 

Therefore, we are now on our way to the south. We spent the night in Lyon, where Cato made an urgent wish at a beautiful fountain.

Between travel and visits, I write about the stories told by the people I met.

 

In Belgium, we visited the VVA, the Flemish Autism Association.

 

But of course, we started in the Netherlands.

 

 

A school for Agora education, Wings Roermond, Netherlands Wings Roermond

 

The people who devised Agora wanted a learning environment that motivates children and does justice to the differences between them. Every child learns in his or her own way. Agora

 

It’s started. Cato and I have made our first visit. People around me who now think oh how nice; I would like to correct them because it wasn’t nice at all, I was very nervous. Cato was not. I had no idea what she was thinking when I first presented my plan to her. To visit a school, just like we are going to do on our research trip. Yes on a trip!" she shouts. But we have a mission, Cato.

Yes, of course, we have a mission. My ideas do not always correspond to Cato's image, I have experienced that many times.

Cato has been bullied at school. What if we arrive at the school and Cato sees all those children and she turns away. I saw it all before me. ‘Oh no, oh no, we are not going there. No way. We are going home.’ 

Roermond is not exactly around the corner, an hour and forty-five minute drive from Rotterdam. It would be a waste of time and petrol, to say the least. And the thought of the surprised faces of the pupils there and the teacher who was so kind as to invite us, made me shudder a little.

 

We arrived in Roermond an hour early. I had planned for that. First we went somewhere to eat a pancake. At least we would have something nice to look back on if my nightmare came true.

 

And then off to Wings. It was only a seven-minute drive from the city centre. We got a bit lost in the neighborhood, but the school could be recognised from a distance thanks to the cheerful colors on the facades. It could not be missed.

 

It is a pleasure to come in. The hall is spacious and light. And inside it is also full of color.

 

Three girls were waiting for us in the hall. Maud, aged thirteen, Jill and Fleur, both sixteen. They were going to show Cato and me around. But first Rob Perrée, their coach, had to be called. Cato shook hands with everyone, corona or no corona. 

 

 

 

I was immediately attracted to a room to the left of the hall. Through the large windows I saw a kind of canteen with the cosiness of a large living room. There were planets hanging from the ceiling. There were tables but also beanbags. It reminded me of the time when I showed our beanbags to a few people from some school who visited us at Acato. The coldness with which it was received. Beanbags! The idea! Here, a few pupils were lying in the beanbags by the window in the sunshine with a study book on their laps. The atmosphere in the room was quiet and pleasant. ‘This is a classroom’, the girls told me. You can choose your own workstation. All ages are mixed together.

 

We walked through the school and the girls explained. They are in the same group. They all have Rob as their coach. And that is one thing that makes Agora Education so special. Different ages are together in one group. We go up the stairs and walk past classrooms where a normal class is taught. That's the regular secondary school, they told us, for pupils who don't follow Agora education. Agora education is not suitable for every child. There are quite a few expectations. You have to work on your own development and you do that by accepting 'challenges'. Challenges. You think up a learning question and work it out, that is your challenge. You consult with your coach a few times a week, but otherwise you are on your own. Your own curiosity and motivation must help you on your way. There are no tests and there is no transfer from one class to another. You work on your projects until you reach the stage where you start working on your final exams. Then you have to choose subjects and you do go into a class under the care of a subject teacher to prepare for the final exams. But in those first years, there are no books, no classes, no tests, no grades, no reports. There is a warm environment with lots of wonderful material, from technical Lego to 3D printers to punching machines. There are people who can help you and then it is up to you what you do with it. The development you go through in those first years helps you to choose the subjects you like in the final phase.

 

In the corridor upstairs, we walk past a display case with a beautiful product made by students at the school. A mummy in a sarcophagus. As if it had been dug up yesterday. It's beautiful.

 

Jill and Fleur already know what they want to do when they have finished school. Jill wants to work in special education. Fleur wants to work in care. All three of them are very kind to Cato. At that time Cato still suffered from her demons (see post 1) and is at times overwhelmed by the thoughts that come to her mind. But the girls are sweet and patient and offer her something to drink. Jill suggests we go for a walk outside since that might be more pleasant for Cato.

It would be nice if there was a school where a child with (visible) autism and all its peculiarities could just be because the other children know what is going on and are understanding and helpful. You belong too! Let's go outside. You’re not a bother to me, because I have my friends, but we'll take you with us. Utopian, you think? I think so too, but I keep on hoping. Especially after this nice day at the Agora school in Roermond.

 

What do we take home from this day?

Exams, test, results, graduating or not ... These are all things that cause tension and frustration for children with autism in ordinary schools. If these requirements weren’t there. Just working from your own motivation, that is what we prefer for these children. For any child. Making your own choices and go for it.

 

Buts:

People with autism need clarity. They need to be able to choose, but they also need to know what is expected of them. That is important. A slightly modified Agora, therefore.

A pupil with autism needs more time for graduation. Not all subjects at once, but spread out over several months or years, for example. 

 

Agora in the Netherlands has yet to prove itself. The inspection is strict. Result is therefore needed in the form of a high success rate. Children with an unusual development cannot take care of that.

 

Question for another world: Can we do without final exams?

 

Please read also: a Mothers Tale

 

 

 

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