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What you see is often what you believe… and thank goodness for the brain to help us sort, dismiss, and figure it a bit. Remember seeing the Rodney King video the first time? Remember seeing footage on the History Channel of events you had only heard of or read before? (JFK, Vietnam, Challenger, Iraq, seeing the Earth from above the Earth).
Today, I suppose, “you tube,” says it all regarding the power of visuals…. The age-old expression “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Where learning, teaching and coaching are concerned, “show me how” will always trump “tell me how.” The eyes have it!
I went to see an old friend this summer and had some perceptions brought into focus. Having never been to Europe, you can talk and talk about it, but seeing, oh my! Enjoyed a wonderful visual-visit of The Netherlands and a peak at England…got summer-schooled. A simple, brief, yet telling glimpse we enjoyed, and gobbled it up. What is European? What is beyond windmills and tulips…a Dutch treat? What is old world?  How does this part of the planet really see us when they look back across the pond to the USA?

School
In The Netherlands — what a beautiful place — we were visiting a family one afternoon and the teenage daughter was gathered nervously with her friends (who already knew they had been promoted to the next grade) waiting on a call from her school to tell if she would promote to the next grade (based on year end tests). A short time passed and there was an explosion of excitement from the girls, the call was received, she would promote to the next grade. Everybody was really happy, emotional…it was cool to witness.
Certain things, like kids being kids, are universal. A notable schooling distinction between us and much of Western Europe is the school/career direction one will take is more rigidly defined coming out of grade school.  At the end of the grade school years in the Netherlands (Holland) there is a fork in the academic road, a branching off based on test scores, to either a technical/vocational track or university track. One’s high school days could last from four to six years depending on your track. Graduation is based on tests at the very end that are, the same throughout the country and based on the common curriculum taught. (16 million people reside in the land of the Dutch) It seems, unlike our school opportunity options here, you can’t fumble around as a student, thinking that you’ll just kick it in when you’ve decided school is now important. We certainly enjoy more individual opportunity/possibility in this regard.

Perspective
Next time, School Stuff will share snapshots of conversations with folks on this journey.  Interesting it is to hear the “perceptions” of those looking back across the pond…a summer schooling it was!

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