Dear readers,
We need your help.
We have two fun and sweet children who are home educated. They are thriving and happy and very much want to continue learning this way. We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to provide our children with an education that suits their development and fits so well with how we approach life as a family.
Unfortunately, the State Secretary of Education, Mr. Sander Dekker, is now planning to ban home education in the Netherlands. The home education community has created an online petition for the Dutch Parliament to preserve home education. It would greatly help us if you would sign this petition. You may sign anonymously or with your name, profession and/or your relationship to a home educated child.
Please sign this petition if you are a resident of the Netherlands or a Dutch citizen living abroad: http://petities.nl/petitie/stop-verbod-op-thuisonderwijs (English translation here)
Please sign this petition if you are a member of the international community: https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-ban-on-home-education-in-the-netherlands
We do not agree with Mr. Dekker’s plans for ending home education. He is convinced that only schools can provide adequate social-emotional development for children. However, we see that our children and their home educated friends are developing wonderfully. They fit in with their friends and age mates in their neighbourhood, in their garden community and in their aikido, swimming, soccer, scouting, theater and music clubs. They fit in with other children when we visit museums, libraries and playgrounds. They positively interact with older and younger children and adults of diverse cultures and faiths. They are, in fact, very much a part of the broader Dutch society, just as the state secretary wants children to be. Both national and international research also shows that home educated children have a healthy social-emotional development.
In addition, Mr. Dekker wants to abolish home education because he finds it difficult to supervise. This is disappointing. Most other western countries such as the United States, Belgium, France and Australia have been able to find solutions that work for both home educated families and their government. There should not be a problem financially since each home educated child in the Netherlands saves tax payers approximately 6,000 euros per year.
The high quality of home education has been shown through both national and international research. It proves to be a good preparation to further education and the labour market.
All this information has been provided to Mr. Dekker.
The Dutch Home Education Association (NVvTO) was in constructive talks with the Ministry of Education to work together to develop an affordable plan to supervise the quality of home education. Regrettably, Mr. Dekker has now discontinued the dialogue with home educators without announcement or explanation.
Our children told us that they would enroll in school with their neighbours and friends if there were no other choice. However, they prefer to move to a country where they can still be home educated. Their favourites are Canada (using their dual citizenship to live close to their much loved Canadian family), England (where one of their best friends, also home educated, lives), and Ireland (where they enjoyed a wonderful holiday with family friends).
We are confident we could happily live in any of these countries. As much as we all love our life in the Netherlands, the announced law change would make it impossible to live and learn the way our family prefers.
Fortunately, the law has not yet been changed. There is something that you can do to help prevent this.
Please consider helping us, and others like us, by signing the petition.
If you would like to know more about home education or about our personal experiences, the following links might be helpful:
- Answers to frequently asked questions about home education
- Interview in the Fall edition of the Californian magazine The Homeschooler about the home education experiences of our family in the Netherlands
We are happy to answer any remaining questions you might have. Feel free to send us an e-mail.
Please feel encouraged to forward this request to others in your network. We also appreciate the sharing of this message on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn.
Thank you for your time.
Kind greetings,
Graham and Rippy Dusseldorp
E-mail: graham.dusseldorp@gmail.com
24 comments
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September 21, 2013 at 10:26 am
Moke
As someone lucky and privileged enough to have home educated both my children – now independent adults who are fully engaged with their communities and still with a love of learning – I fully endorse the petition to preserve home education in the Netherlands. Good luck with the campaign. Moke
September 21, 2013 at 10:48 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Moke!
September 21, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Tamara
Hi – how nice to see you on the Vancouver list! I’ve signed the Change.org petition. All the very best overturning the ban.
Tamara & family
September 22, 2013 at 10:06 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Tamara! I hope you’re enjoying your move to Vancouver. If things don’t work out for us in the Netherlands, we’re probably going to move somewhere around the Gulf Islands and then we’ll be ‘neighbours’ again 😉
September 21, 2013 at 7:45 pm
The Art of Home Education
I shared your post on facebook on my timeline and on the page of The Art of Home Education. Is it okay if I repost your article on our website as well?
Love, Juliette
September 22, 2013 at 10:48 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Juliette! And yes – please do repost the letter on your website or anywhere else that you think might be helpful.
September 21, 2013 at 7:46 pm
Jenni
I have signed and pray that humanity prevails and a ban doesn’t happen. ….. a frightening and damaging step if it does. Good luck!
September 22, 2013 at 11:42 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Jenni – for signing and the wishes of luck!
September 22, 2013 at 3:06 am
Justine S.
This is truly disturbing news! I have forwarded to my friends on FB and will try to raise awareness among the people I have access to. Rippy, you have always been such a wonderful resource to the unschooling community and the participants on Always Learning; I’m so sorry that you are faced with this difficulty.
September 23, 2013 at 8:57 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you so much Justine for your help and for your sweet, sweet words.
I thought about what you said and it inspired me to write some thoughts I’ve had about unschooling for awhile. Here’s the blogpost: http://seekingnectar.blogspot.nl/2013/09/ideas-worth-sharing.html
September 22, 2013 at 8:29 am
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
I’m forwarding this petition to my international friends.
September 23, 2013 at 8:57 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Paula!
September 22, 2013 at 11:48 am
Olivia Tuppen
That’s terrible news! I’m from England, I was home educated until I was 17, I loved it! (I’m now doing a degree in Illustration in university and thinking about doing a degree in biology from home after this course ends… then probably a masters in something!) I shall share this around, it would be terrible if children lost out on an opportunity to experience such a wonderful and liberating form of education!
September 23, 2013 at 9:02 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you for your help Olivia!
I’m happy your doing so well now in your adult life. Sharing stories of grown home educators makes a huge impact on people who just can’t believe that it would work.
September 22, 2013 at 2:31 pm
claire eadie
Signed & forwarded to my HE friends in England x
September 23, 2013 at 9:03 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Claire!
September 22, 2013 at 5:26 pm
Maija
Forwarding this info along to international@hslda.org. Perhaps they already know, but in case they don’t…. Here’s hoping the Dutch reconsider!!
September 23, 2013 at 9:05 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you Maija!
September 22, 2013 at 8:58 pm
Magical Childhood
I passed the information on in my homeschooling column. http://www.examiner.com/article/petition-seeks-to-stop-ban-on-homeschooling-the-netherlands I signed too. I hope the publicity helps and the government reconsiders.
~Alicia
September 23, 2013 at 9:06 am
leidenhomelearners
Wow! Thank you so much Alicia! I’m sure all the publicity we can get will help our situation.
September 22, 2013 at 10:16 pm
liveotherwise
Have signed the petition. I hope it helps.
September 23, 2013 at 9:07 am
leidenhomelearners
Thank you!
September 22, 2013 at 11:43 pm
Sharon
I am Dutch born, but found Dutch society to be too restrictive of my liberties. Once again, I know why I moved away as soon as I could. Wishing you the best; Homeschooling Mother of 5 from Talkeetna, Alaska!
October 13, 2013 at 4:06 pm
leidenhomelearners
Sorry, I must have missed your post Sharon! Thank you for your support.