Susan Beckers: 'We have a jack-of-all-trades job'

Susan knew as a little girl that she wanted to work with children later on. 'Becoming a teacher was really my dream job. After grammar school I wennt - against all advice - to the pabo. I learnt incredibly much there. Of course, I could have gone straight into teaching after graduating, but I wanted more'

'I wanted to continue studying so that afterwards I could not only teach in primary schools, but also in other levels of education. I chose to study Dutch. When I got my degree, I first worked at the pabo for three years and now I have been at the teacher training college for eight years.'

Dream target

Why Susan chooses to leave her 'dream target group' of children and start teaching students? 'The most important thing for me is that as many children and young people as possible get a good education. By conveying the love for the profession to my students and sharing the importance of good education with them, I end up reaching a much larger group.'

'Moreover, I think there could also be more people working in secondary and higher education who are "a bit of a primary school teacher". Enthusiastic, coaching and comforting and empowering people where necessary is just as important with an older target group as it is with children.'

Making a boring subject exciting

No wonder "enthusiastic" and "committed" are traits we often hear back when talking about Susan. She knows better than anyone how to enthuse students about seemingly boring subjects like historical literary studies.

'I find that a very exciting subject, but unfortunately not everyone agrees with me. The trick is to convey your love for the subject in such a way that students end up being motivated. I try to keep developing myself continuously and keep coming up with new things to make something exciting. That is great teaching'.

Expert and coach

When we ask Susan in which of the Fontys roles she most recognises herself, she replies: 'I couldn't choose just one. They are all part of being a teacher. Every teacher will recognise herself in the various roles to a greater or lesser extent. Should I have to name one anyway, it would probably be that of expert.'

'I like to keep up to date and keep developing myself. Therefore, I constantly dive into the profession and the books. I also take students into that expert role every day. This is why the role of coach also suits me well. The two are inextricably linked. You can be an expert in your field, but without motivated students you are nowhere as a teacher.'

Reading promotion

With her nomination as Teacher of the Year, Susan won not only a certificate and a jury report, but also a cash prize to spend on educational innovation. She did not have to think long about the destination. 'I am going to use it to fund a reading promotion project. We all know that people are reading less and less. A very worrying development. Even Dutch students increasingly say they don't like reading. Something has to change about that.'

That is where she will set up a reading promotion project. 'It is still in its infancy, but what is certain is that I will take this up together with students. After all, they are the reading promoters of the future. The more we involve and inspire them, the more likely something will be set in motion. Besides, it's a great learning process for the student.'

Millennial job

Not only students, but also teachers need to keep learning, Susan believes. That is why she attends symposiums, is in close contact with colleagues from around the country, and constantly asks herself how her teaching methods can be improved.

'Does our teaching still fit the generation we are now teaching and the individual students we have in front of us? These are questions I constantly ask myself. In education, new things happen every day. That makes it challenging, but above all very interesting. We have a jack-of-all-trades job and that is fantastic. I think and I hope that being a teacher will always be as versatile as it is now.'

Read more

Previous Next

• 21 november
• Wendbaar

'Fontys roles' help with your personal development

To help its professionals develop more broadly and offer more career prospects, Fontys designed eight Fontys roles. What is their importance for the organisation and how can you use them for your own growth?

Read more