Judith teaches Dutch at ABC: “Language helps women overcome barriers”

Every Thursday morning, about ten women with cultural backgrounds from all parts of the world come together. Volunteer Judith van Raalte (77) from the Amsterdam Neighbour Women’s Contact (ABC), part of De Regenboog Groep, teaches them Dutch: “The most beautiful thing is when the women help each other progress.”Judith is not trained as a teacher. But she has always been interested in how people learn. “I once studied pedagogy and the development of children has always fascinated me. For years, I have guided children of non-Dutch-speaking parents in the transition from primary school to secondary school. I got to know many mothers at these children’s homes who did not speak Dutch. The children were their spokespersons in the outside world. So, there was still a world to win with the mothers.”

Group dynamics

And that’s how Judith started at the ABC. As a “neighbor,” she was paired with women whom she helped one-on-one at home with Dutch. But she soon noticed that she preferred working with groups. And she has been doing that with great pleasure for seven years now. “I love the dynamics of a group. The most beautiful thing is when people start helping each other. In one of the groups, there was an Arabic woman who had never been to school. She started writing the words from right to left. Another woman in the group recognized that and helped her do it correctly. People in my group exchanged books for the integration course. Two of my students who lived in the same asylum seekers’ center agreed to speak Dutch together at home.”

Biggest fun

The women in Judith’s group originally come from all over the world. From Turkey and Morocco, but also from Uganda, Colombia, India, and Azerbaijan. “With such different backgrounds, connecting in the group can sometimes be a challenge. But the common language in the class is always Dutch, no matter how imperfect. If we really can’t figure it out, we use Google Translate. And sometimes it happens that I don’t understand a student, but the students understand each other. Because they understand each other’s pronunciation and stresses very well. When I don’t understand anything, they have a great laugh.”

Curious women

Many women in Judith’s group have never been to school. Judith enjoys working with them. “They are very eager to learn women with an incredible dedication. And I learn so much from them myself. How many things that I find so incredibly basic are not obvious. For example, that you can look something up in a book by the numbering of the pages. You don’t think about that, that someone has ever explained that to you.”

Custom-made

Judith puts a lot of time into preparing for her lessons. And also into customization. Because the level differences are significant and everyone has different needs: “I help people who want to progress faster with extra material. And if it doesn’t go so fast, I try to give confidence. For example, I had someone who was afraid to speak. In Turkey, she had always done well in school. She was used to being good at something and because of that, she blocked in my class. Slowly but surely, she gained more courage, also encouraged by the other women in the group.

Support from ABC

For support, Judith can turn to the ABC: “Before I started, I received good training at ABC, and I also occasionally take courses on special topics. For example, on teaching people who have never been to school before. ABC has a whole library of books and materials. During such courses, we as teachers also exchange tips with each other.”
Judith also has a tip for new volunteers: “I used to think it was very important to achieve goals. If I couldn’t do that, I would work even harder, but that didn’t help anyone. Sometimes I wondered if my lessons were meaningful. Nowadays, I think: ‘If they keep coming, then it must be meaningful’. And sometimes women tell me much later how much they owe to my lessons. So my tip: be relaxed, then you and your students can enjoy these lessons a lot.”

Become a volunteer?

Do you also enjoy helping others with the Dutch language, one-on-one or in groups? You can do this as a volunteer at ABC (De Regenboog Groep) and at various other volunteer organizations in Amsterdam. For more information about volunteering, please contact one of our mediators at Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam (VCA) or schedule an appointment directly.on this page.Text: Winnie van Heesch
Image: Peter Lange