| The Netherlands is a country known for
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| | school called the 'Episcopal College', a
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| its religious, ideological and ethnical
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| | name reminiscent of its past when it was
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| tolerance. But what is perhaps less known
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| | an integrated part of the monastery still
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| is that it is also a country religiously
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| | located in the adjacent building. A few
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| divided into a northern part dominated by
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| | monks even taught some classes there
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| a culture of Calvinism and a southern
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| | until as late as the early 80s. I will
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| part, which is predominantly Catholic.
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| | not draw out all the petty arguments, my
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| Today, when people speak of 'below the
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| | naively offending inquiries into the
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| rivers' they refer to the Catholic
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| | reasons for certain rules and
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| provinces and when they talk about 'above
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| | disciplinary measurements that followed,
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| the rivers' they are pointing to the
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| | and the tensions between me and the
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| Calvinist provinces north of the
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| | school master and head teachers that
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| geographical border of the rivers Maas,
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| | arose. Enough to draw out a particular
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| Waal and Rhine, which roughly run
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| | scene, which engrained itself in my
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| parallel to this historical and cultural
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| | precious and unraveling awareness as a
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| border.When the Netherlands declared
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| | budding teenager. It was this experience,
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| independence from Spain in 1579 by the
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| | which was to become my sobering 'way of
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| Union of Utrecht and were recognized by
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| | light' while finding my way through the
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| the peace agreement with Spain by the
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| | dreary labyrinth of the world.Once, we
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| signing of the Treaty of Munster in 1648,
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| | were given back our graded Latin exam to
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| 'the Low Lands' (as the Netherlands is
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| | review. We could take them home with us,
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| literally translated), did not include
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| | but had to hand them in the very next
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| the southern provinces. Only with the
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| | day. Of course, it came to be that I
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| defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of
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| | forgot to pack my papers and I
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| Vienna in 1815 were these provinces
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| | apologized, pledging I would bring back
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| included, and not until 1831 when Belgium
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| | the exam the next day. But it caused my
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| gained independence were the borders
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| | teacher great anger and he punished me by
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| constituted that comprise the Netherlands
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| | ordering me to hand copy the school's
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| as we know it. Culturally though, the
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| | regulations and hand them in with the
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| southern provinces and especially the
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| | exam the next day. Unfortunately too, I
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| province of Limburg (the hind leg of the
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| | was the only student who had forgotten
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| Dutch lion) where I grew up belonged to
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| | his exam and I suspected a personal
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| the Catholic sphere of influence. Even in
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| | vendetta in his harsh and unreasonable
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| present day the Netherlands, it makes a
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| | punishment. Now I understand his reaction
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| huge difference in attitude and
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| | was a typical scholastic pedagogical
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| perspective on life if you are from above
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| | method that must be common in the
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| or from below the rivers.As a child I
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| | Catholic training of a teacher, but I
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| slept in the attic room of our home,
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| | also resented his incompetence as a
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| which had 5 windows that looked like
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| | pedagogue who failed to acknowledge the
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| embrasures cut out in the rooftop. In the
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| | reasonable nature of the child I was.At
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| small distance that separated the small
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| | first I didn't, no couldn't, take his
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| town of Papenhoven from adjoining Obbicht
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| | response serious and in a calm manner of
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| to the south, I could see the church
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| | disbelief I politely replied: 'I am
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| belfry in the center of town rising high
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| | sorry, I will return my exam tomorrow.' I
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| above its surrounding, the short line of
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| | couldn't and still don't see the loss of
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| farms and single family houses of red
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| | returning the exam one day later, but it
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| brick stone and tilted tile roofs.
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| | seemed to make a huge difference for my
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| Looking out of a 'loophole' in my little
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| | teacher, who insisted.The next day I came
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| fortress in the attic, to the west I
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| | to school and handed in my exam without
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| looked over fields of golden grain stalks
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| | the composition, which as a result
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| billowing like ocean waves to a slight
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| | accumulated to a doubling of the writing
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| breeze. From my window I could clearly
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| | imposition for each extra day I was late.
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| see the river Maas cutting through the
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| | In the following lessons again it was
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| landscape meandering along, and at the
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| | doubled until finally I was excluded from
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| other bank of the river, Belgium. I lived
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| | Latin classes overall and was called into
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| on the narrowest stroke of land in the
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| | the principal's office to explain my
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| Netherlands, where Belgium and Germany
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| | behavior.The school principal, Bitsch,
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| squeeze the hind leg of the Dutch lion.
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| | had the posture of a saturated pig,
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| On the other side of our house was the
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| | adorned with a friendly neighbor's smile,
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| Juliana canal and only 2 or 3 miles
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| | in which I hoped to find the insight of
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| further to the east lay Germany, the old
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| | reason. Maybe I should have abandoned all
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| heartland of Charlemagne, buried in the
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| | hope the moment I entered his office and
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| nearby famous Dom of Aachen. Like in
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| | heard him recite a quote from the Bible.
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| Belgium, most people in Limburg are
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| | Of course I forgot the quote, as I also
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| Catholic, so are the schools, the soccer
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| | did not know the answer to his question
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| clubs and of course the 'fanfare', the
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| | of where in the Bible the quote was
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| drill band to be found in each small town
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| | located. He provided the answer for me,
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| in Limburg. The 'Episcopal College', my
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| | although I could not know if he was
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| secondary school, was located in Sittard,
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| | sincere in answering, more than I had
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| a border town with Germany and 5 miles
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| | been. His 'compromise' was for me to copy
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| from my home. Diligently for almost 6
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| | the school regulations ten times by hand,
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| years, I bicycled every morning through
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| | encouraging me to be the wiser of the two
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| the alternating corn and grain fields,
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| | and just swallow my pride. This
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| meadows and small villages on my way to
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| | halfhearted attempt to reason made an
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| school.I never liked school very much,
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| | even weaker impression upon me than the
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| not even my Catholic primary school, the
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| | complete lack of it in my authoritative
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| Saint Joseph school. At first of course,
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| | Latin teacher Hanssen. The punishment was
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| I didn't think much of it, like small
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| | ridiculous from the start and I could not
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| children never do. The world to small
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| | submit myself to ridicule. The main
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| children is simply what exists
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| | conclusion I drew from this was that my
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| immediately around them. To the young
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| | enthusiasm for formal education
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| child's mind, there is no other happiness
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| | definitively cracked and it was not long
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| than the one that surrounds them. At
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| | after this that I would drop out of the
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| Catholic school we would say our prayers
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| | 'Episcopal curriculum.'Despite dropping
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| each morning before lessons started, and
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| | out of school, I never lost my enthusiasm
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| on Friday and Tuesday mornings the local
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| | for learning. However, I never lost my
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| priest would teach Bible classes. All
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| | skepticism for formal education and have
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| this constituted my childhood happiness
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| | become an autodidact by heart. I consider
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| in which I participated wholeheartedly
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| | learning a life-long obligation without
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| like all children did, even though my
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| | end in the line of Comenius' thought. I
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| parents were from above the rivers, and
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| | think back of my days at school now with
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| even though now the faithfulness of
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| | a certain bitterness for the professional
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| Catholicism is a strange entity to me. As
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| | pedagogues who could not recognize a
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| a young child I didn't give it much
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| | child's nature and instead of stimulating
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| reflection, nor could I. With the wisdom
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| | it to find its own path, they attempted
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| of hindsight, it might look cruel that it
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| | to curb and bend it to serve their own
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| was always Mohammed, the Moroccan kid
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| | purpose. Nevertheless, I am a warmhearted
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| whom the substitute teacher used to pick
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| | supporter of education for all and the
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| on, until one day the teacher, holding
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| | principles promoted more than 400 years
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| him firmly by his neck, pushing him out
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| | earlier by the Czech educational reformer
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| of the classroom, ended up busting his
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| | Jan Amos Comenius. Comenius was born in
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| head through a glass panel in the door.
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| | 1592 and brought up in Bohemia in the
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| Yet, I didn't think much of it. Now, of
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| | present day Czech Republic; and like I
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| course I recognize the scholastic methods
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| | did, Comenius suffered from incompetent
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| of Jesuitism, and the dominance of
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| | teachers as a child. But despite their
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| structured discipline in Catholicism at
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| | incompetence, he grew to love learning
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| my school over the Protestant's care for
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| | and proper education as the pillar of
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| nurturing each child's inner nature and
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| | societal reform and human progress.In a
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| the diversity of individual
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| | time of fierce religious conflicts,
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| personalities. I didn't think much of it,
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| | Comenius was the head of the Union of
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| even though my most profound school
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| | Brethren, the first Reformed Church in
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| memory has always been boredom and
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| | Europe, which followed the principles of
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| aloofness from the Catholic methods of
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| | the Czech reformer Jan Hus (1369-1415)
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| education.My parents of course did not
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| | and was brutally suppressed by the Jesuit
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| grow up in Limburg, but they moved there
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| | King Ferdinand of Habsburg. Despite the
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| when I was barely a few weeks old. They
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| | incredible hardship he would suffer in
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| raised me in the progressive spirit of
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| | life, from an early loss of parents, wife
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| northern reformers like Comenius,
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| | and children, home and experiencing the
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| Rousseau and Froebel, allowing me as a
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| | Habsburgian contra-Reformist suppression
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| young child to explore my own needs,
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| | and the cruelties of the 30-Years War
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| drives, feelings and thoughts and form my
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| | between the Catholic League and the
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| own personality freely and spontaneously.
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| | Protestant German princes, Comenius was
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| The only limitations I faced were the
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| | able to find his way out of the
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| limitations of common reason, which were
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| | 'Labyrinth of the World' and regain the
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| without exception explained to me
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| | 'Paradise of the Heart'. His book of that
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| rationally after which it was left to me
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| | title would become a classic in European
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| to decide on my actions AND bear the
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| | literature, while Comenius himself grew
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| consequences that resulted from them.
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| | to become one of the most celebrated
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| This of course was the worst preparation
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| | educational reformers in history. He
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| for attending a Catholic school one can
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| | advocated reforming the old medieval
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| imagine, with its more rigorous
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| | scholastic method and introducing a more
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| perception of social hierarchy and
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| | child-friendly method of education, which
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| educational method. Yet, alternatives to
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| | in our time has become so evident.Being a
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| attend other schools are scarce in
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| | refugee most of his life, Comenius was
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| Limburg unless you are able and willing
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| | finally settled in tolerant Amsterdam in
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| to travel more than an hour daily to
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| | 1556 until he died in 1570. He now lies
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| reach one of the few Montessori schools
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| | buried in the Wallonian Church in
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| in the south. Thus, my parents being
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| | Naarden, the Netherlands, a place of
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| pragmatic and practical people, I
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| | pilgrimage for many Czechs, to whom
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| completed Saint Joseph's elementary
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| | Comenius is one of their biggest national
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| school and entered a Catholic secondary
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| | heroes.
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