Veerle Evers (2010) was fed up with classes at her old primary school. She found it far too easy. Now that she is in a school that pays more attention to her abilities, she has regained her joy in education. She wrote a book about it together with remedial educationalist Chantal Berens. They used the scientific insights of Anouke Bakx, Professor by Special Appointment of Giftedness at Radboud University. Veerle the dog is not feeling so well. She gets the same food every day, everything takes a terribly long time and there is barely any variation. Veerle’s owner is worried and decides to take the dog to the vet’s office, which eventually makes a world of difference. This story is based on Veerle Evers’ experiences. She had lost all enjoyment at school, but after an exciting new start, she feels right at home at her new school. “I didn’t like going to my old school anymore. Everything was far too easy,” says Evers. She felt so bad that she approached remedial educationalist Chantal Berens. “I wanted to find out what exactly was bothering Veerle, but because she found it difficult to talk about the subject, Veerle drew pictures for me instead.” After a few appointments, Evers and Berens had a whole pile of drawings, which brought up the idea of turning it into a book. Berens: “We wanted to make the book interesting for several groups of readers: pupils, teachers, parents.” Making mistakes is okay To complement Veerle’s story, Evers and Berens looked for academic insights, which is how they discovered Anouke Bakx’s inaugural lecture. Berens: “There we read about the self-determination theory that stipulates that (gifted) pupils have three basic needs. The need for autonomy, the need to feel competent and the need for forming a genuine connection with others.” Based on this, they wrote down practical tips on how teachers can meet these needs, by showing that they are available to answer questions or emphasising that it is okay to make mistakes for example. Feeling at home “Of course, it is nice that scientific insights are translated for a wider audience like this,” says Bakx. “This book also confirms the conclusions of our studies. Every pupil is different, and it takes a skilled teacher to recognise their needs and respond to them so pupils develop to their full potential. At Evers’ new school, she is getting the attention she needs. The teachers pay attention to the pupils and make an effort to get to know them. Based on their needs, they adjust the weekly tasks to match the student's level. Evers: “I gradually began to feel more at home. The teacher got to know me better and I got to know him. I have learned a lot of new things and started to enjoy school.” Veerle Evers and Chantal Berens | Hondje Veerle: over passend onderwijs aan [hoog]begaafde kinderen | For more information send an email at chantal.berens [at] gmail.com (chantal[dot]berens[at]gmail[dot]com) Pictures by Veerle Evers