You won’t often find teacher Willem Verwoerd in the classroom when the school bell rings. More often than not, he’s on the farm of father and son Henk and Christian van den Broek in Lunteren. There’s no need for desks or smart boards here. The sty is his classroom.

Today, his students from De Meerwaarde, a pre-vocational secondary (VMBO) school, are in their boots and overalls for a lesson on housing piglets. How much space does each piglet need? How many feed troughs and drinkers should there be? After a short bit of theory and some practical instruction, the students get to work. One group works out how many pens are needed for the piglets that are due to be weaned. The other joins an inspection round and scatters lucerne. For Willem, this is the ideal way to teach. Theory and practice come together naturally here. And just as importantly, the students can see with their own eyes how a farm really works.

REAL-WORLD LEARNING

There’s a good reason why so many of Willem’s lessons take place on farms. At De Meerwaarde, learning is built around learning based on real-world experience. For Willem, that means getting students outside as much as possible. ‘I teach third and fourth-year VMBO students who have chosen the land-based studies pathway. Almost all my practical lessons take place on farms within cycling distance of Barneveld.’ Willem was introduced to Henk twelve years ago through one of his students. ‘I asked the class whether anyone knew of a farm where we could learn to clip cows. Henk’s daughter put her hand up. I’ve been bringing my students here almost every week since.’ It’s been a great collaboration. ‘Henk and Christian are completely open to it. They like the sense of activity it brings to the farm. They trust me and I trust them. It just works.’

MUDDY BOOTS

The lessons are hands-on and varied. The students observe the animals’ behaviour, learn to estimate an animal’s weight, take manure samples or measure the pens in the sty. Theory and practice overlap. ‘You’ll rarely see me in a classroom,’ Willem says, laughing. ‘I often teach the theory lessons in our nature centre. But ultimately, you really just need to get your boots muddy. Students learn much more by doing.’ Willem’s students take their roles seriously. They all have their own set of boots and overalls. ‘They can pick the colour they want, and their names are embroidered on them. They’re really proud of them. Some of them want to cycle home in them to show their families.’

AN HONEST IMAGE OF FARMING

Willem has another good reason for bringing his students to the farm: letting them see where their food comes from. ‘Many young people these days have absolutely no idea what happens on a farm. Even here in rural Barneveld, few children have ever set foot on a real one. Years ago, nearly everyone had a relative with a farm. Now, most of them can only get their ideas about agriculture from what they see online. This, to Willem, is why it’s so important that his students get to see the reality for themselves. ‘We’re all entitled to our opinions, but they should be based on what you see and experience first-hand. If you keep up a dialogue about it, you can prevent a lot of misunderstanding.’

MORE FUN THAN A THEME PARK

Not all his students go on to study farming. About one in ten of those on the land-based studies pathway pursue further education in the agricultural sector. But that’s not Willem’s main objective. ‘It’s not just future farmers that you’re teaching. There are also students like Henk’s daughter who want to be florists, for example, or who choose to go into other fields related to the pathway. But it’s no less valuable for them to see how food is produced.’ For Willem, it’s ultimately about increasing their awareness. ‘The meat on your plate has a story behind it. Every choice you make has consequences. It’s good for young people to think about that.’ The students’ responses are almost always positive. ‘They often enjoy this more than a day out at a theme park,’ Willem laughs. ‘The only thing they sometimes moan about is having to cycle to the farm, especially when it’s raining.’ And what do Henk and Christian think? Having students around is no trouble to them at all. And by now, Willem and his classes feel like part of the family.