Some of you still remember when Aria was a cute little thing, hand-sewing stars on an American Flag quilt.

This year she is a high school graduate - - - in The Netherlands! We didn’t see that coming either, but it’s sure been a fantastic choice for our family. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about how this major milestone is experienced here.

Final Exams

Final exams or "eindexamens” are the intimidating final phase of Dutch high school. These exams are cumulative and crucial for earning a diploma. They cover the last three years of learning in each subject. Everyone has exams in the core subjects: Dutch language, English language and math. The remaining tests coordinate with your chosen focus. For example, Aria’s focus was sciences, so her remaining tests were biology, chemistry, physics and German. Each exam takes about 3 hours to complete!

Imagine this, all across the country the entire graduating class sits down on the same day, at the same time to take the Dutch exam. Perhaps the next day, they all sit at the same time for the English exam, and so forth. The Dutch are so serious about their exams that new exams are created every year by a special body and the timing is nationally coordinated so that no cheating can occur. Exams are graded first by local teachers and then undergo a second round of anonymous grading by a teacher somewhere else in the land. This is another measure to ensure fairness.

Passing the exams is a big deal because having good grades during the school year is not enough to earn a diploma. The exam rules are a bit complicated, so I’ll simplify. If you don’t pass 1 exam then you must score very well on another exam to compensate for it. Otherwise you won’t graduate. If you don’t pass multiple exams, then you’re out of luck. One saving grace is that you can redo one exam, hoping for a better score. Of course, that’s not the exact same test, but a second official test version made specifically for redo’s.

Why so much ado over exams? In fact, some Dutch teachers are critical of the system, feeling that it puts too much pressure on teenagers. On the other hand, it does go far to maintain the quality of their education. Dutch public schools are given lots of freedom to specialize both in content and in teaching approaches. The exams are meant to keep the standards consistent. They aren’t multiple choice exams, but written questions and challenging ones at that. As Aria said, they don’t ask you to regurgitate information, but rather to be able to do something (which might be new) with that information. That’s why they are graded by real teachers.

Geslaagd!

On the appointed day, every prospective graduate across the country receives a very important call from his or her mentor teacher. They hope to hear “geslaagd!” which means, “you passed!” Most children do pass, but this is not something any of them take for granted. Passing the exams is hard work for every student and their achievement really means something. Parents are rightly proud!

Guess how they show it? Here in The Netherlands parents fly the Dutch flag to mark the occasion, and students hang their empty backpack from the flagpole! They don’t need that backpack any longer! They’re geslaagd!

Graduation

Aria’s graduation took place just last week. I enjoyed it very much, but noticed it was quite different than American ceremonies.

First, it was a small group. They graduated students in batches, usually all the graduates from one or two mentor teachers at a time. It was held indoors, where a table waited for each graduate and his/her guests. We enjoyed cake while Aria looked over her diploma papers and special certificates, as well as the yearbook (provided to all graduating students free of charge). The setting was gezellig, as we say in Dutch. That means cozy and friendly.

Second, it was personal. After a welcome from the school principal, the mentor teacher took the stage. She spoke for 4-5 minutes directly to each student, while the screen displayed a recent picture of the focus student and one as a youngster. It was so sweet! The mentor had something different to say to each, about challenges, achievements and future plans. For Aria she explained how impressive it is that she arrived in The Netherlands just 3 years before achieving high school graduation with distinction (VWO graduation with Magna Cum Laude). She arrived speaking no Dutch and now she is fluent in Dutch and in German. She is indeed a talented young lady and a hard worker!

Lastly, the pomp and ceremony was about signing the diploma, not receiving it. At no moment did the students parade across the stage. Remember, their diplomas lay at their table upon arrival. But, at the end there was a fancy presentation with light effects and dramatic music and then, and then - - - all the students signed their diplomas at the same time, while the parents took pictures.

Yeah, I didn’t really understand what we were building up to, so I missed the signing photo. Oops! With Liam, I’ll be ready ;)

Afterwards there was a reception outside with refreshments. Such a nice touch! The teachers were present and took the opportunity to have a final word with the students, to congratulate them and wish them well.

You know, they didn’t throw their graduation caps?!? That is a fun American tradition, I do say. In The Netherlands only students who graduate with distinction receive caps, so there were few caps in Aria’s graduating class.

Well, we are so proud of her! She plans to head off in September to begin her physics studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. There she can study free of charge.

She is more than ready to begin her independent life. I know she’ll do brilliantly. It’s been a tremendous pleasure to be her mama, and I’m so glad I’m never really done with that. Looking forward to the next phase and those beyond!