On 18 May 2022 we celebrated the 10th edition of our International Class, in which some of our students, together with foreign students, get acquainted with Christian education worldwide.
Celebration
It was a nice to be together physically and online as a team and participants from different editions and from different countries. We brought back memories, shared stories about our work and laughed together about the things we experienced during the International Class. We also watched a compilation video with images of the International Class over the years.
Thoughtful attitude
Esther (30), a secondary school teacher, tells how she learned to believe in God's miracles from her fellow student from Sri Lanka. "The joint lessons and discussions in the International Class have contributed to my formation. I continue to have a critical eye and a thoughtful attitude that I did not have so strongly before. It is useful to realise that your own frame of reference colours your view of the world. I sometimes point this out to my students, because I want to make them aware of the fact that there are more traditions than ours and that we can learn a lot from them.”
International Class
The International Class consists of a number of weeks of lectures in Gouda, during which Dutch and foreign students study and work together. The International Class has a dual purpose. We want to form our own students and equip them for their work as teachers. International experiences and encounters help them think about who they are and what place they want to occupy in (Christian) education. Furthermore, Driestar Christian University wants to give Christian teachers worldwide the opportunity to spend a few months in the Netherlands to get acquainted with Christian education and to be inspired for their work in their own country.
Essence of Christian teaching
Students of the International Class come to Gouda from all over the world, for example from Nepal where Christian education is not allowed, teachers from countries where Christian education is not subsidised by the government, or students from a country where Christian education is possible but who are looking for a way to integrate identity into the curriculum. For the Dutch students, it is often encouraging and enriching to hear their stories and to reflect together on the essence of Christian teaching.
We hope for many more editions of the International Class!
Glossy
On the occasion of the 10th edition of our International Class, a glossy has been published.
