Guus

“Speaking English well will benefit you your whole life.”

Guus chose Sondervick College because he thought the school looked like a friendly place. Plus, he could take part in the bilingual education program (TTO) there. He really enjoyed his first school year in the bilingual HAVO/VWO transition class. “We went to the English city of Brighton—it was amazing.”

Guus sees TTO as a great challenge. “Speaking English well will benefit you your whole life,” he says. “I want to pursue a career in economics, and it will definitely come in handy. Fortunately, bilingual education is easier than I expected. If you don’t understand something, you can still ask the question in Dutch.”

Making videos

For Guus, the transition to high school took some getting used to at first. A longer bike ride, a lot of homework, new teachers and classmates—the first few weeks were hard work. “But after that, I was totally into it,” says Guus. “I think we do a lot of fun things at school. English Language and Culture, for example, is a fun class. We work on different projects in small groups. For instance, we made our own short film about the flood disaster. I also gave a presentation in English about Austria. I’m glad we don’t just sit quietly in class, but that we also get to create things together.”

To England

The highlight of the first year of 7th grade was the field trip to Brighton. There, too, Guus and his classmates were given all kinds of assignments. “We had to interview people on the street about traditions,” he says. “That was exciting, but it went well. Next year we’re going to London, and I’m already looking forward to it. Field trips like that are an added benefit of bilingual education.”