'Until a few years ago, I was a journalist for De Limburger. I enjoyed doing that for years, but when I was recommended a bullet-proof vest “just in case” during the corona period and was increasingly treated with distrust, I was ready for a job where I was actually wanted. So I am now becoming a teacher in Dutch language and culture.
Pieternel follows teacher training in Nijmegen and Maastricht: 'I'm glad I took this chance'
Pieternel Kellenaers is following the one-year educational master's degree in Dutch that is provided partly at Radboud University, partly at Maastricht University. Both universities are increasingly working together and offering joint teacher training for more subjects.
I am doing the one-year educational master's that takes place partly in Nijmegen, partly in Maastricht. On Mondays I have lectures at Radboud University, on Fridays at Maastricht University, and the other days I do my internship in Weert, where I live. It is a small group of students following this programme, and the fact that we can attend lectures in Maastricht saves us hours of travel time. That's nice, because such a one-year master's programme is very busy. Maybe my age - I'm 54 - also plays a role, secondary education is longer ago for me than for young people. On the other hand: I don't have a problem writing reports and am used to deadlines.
When I started looking into working in education, I was surprised by the many pathways to becoming a teacher. The online information session about this teacher training programme made me very enthusiastic. And I still am, even now that I spend more than six hours a week in front of the classroom. Everything is new, I have to master a lot of systems for my studies and my job, but teaching, working with young people, that is a lot of fun to do. I'm glad I took this opportunity.
