Doe je best!

studyblr + positivity + dutch stuff

[vincent-van-gtg]

[leidmotief]

hey everyone!!  i’m moving to @vijfhavist because i made an entirely seperate acc for studyblr now!! ill follow back anyone who follows me there x

[leidmotief]

Hey! I read your post about Dutch school and I am in shock. I knew some countries do stuff like that but wow. Is ppl happy with that system?? I can’t imagine my entire future being decided at 12 when you are a completely different person. What if you really wanted to be a scientist but you end up in the level to be a gardener? Or the other way around? I think about so many kids that get bad grades in middle school but they become incredibly talented in university and become good doctors.

Hey, thank you for your ask! I might’ve misexplained somethings, so let me clear that up! If you for example do HAVO, but you want to be a gardener, you could still do it! No one is stopping you from going to a lower level, even if some people see it as a “waste” (those people are wrong). If you for example do VMBO-B but want to go to university to study medicine, you can do VMBO-B, then VMBO-K, then VMBO-T, then HAVO, and then VWO, and finally go to univeristy. It’s possible to “rank up”, but it just takes a bit longer! A friend of mine who finished HAVO this year wants to do social work for example, so it happens. I hope that clears things up a tiny bit, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[leidmotief]

The Dutch School System

Hi! I’m Lucy, and I go to school in Amsterdam. I was born in The Netherlands, so I know quite a bit about our school system. It’s a bit different than most others, so I’ll try my best to explain it!

Basic School

You start school at age 4/5, depending on when you were born. I started school when I was four years old.

Elementary school is literally translated as basic school here. Basic school has eight “groups” (again, literally translated). Group 1 and 2 are basically kindergarten, you don’t really do any actual school work but you learn how to play and socialize with other students.

Group 3 is when “true school” starts. Most kids are 6 going on 7 in group 3. You learn the very basics, like simple math and Dutch. You start learning English around group 7, but the schools want to start teaching English at an even younger age.

In group 8 you take a big test, called the CITO test. The CITO test isn’t a test you can fail, but it determines what kind of high school you’ll go to. Allow me to explain.

Types of High School

We have four (basic) different types/levels of high school. The reason for why is that you’ll get education at your level, so it isn’t too hard or too easy.  As I explain the different types it’s important to keep in mind that you shouldn’t judge anyone on their type of education. No level is better than another.

Praktijk is the most basic level. You could score a zero on the CITO and do Praktijk. Praktijk is very, well, practical. You learn how to cut bread, how to cook, how to garden, stuff like that. You don’t have a lot of technical subjects such as chemistry. The goal of Praktijk is to make people ready for a practical job, such as a cook or a gardener. Praktijk takes around  5 years to complete.  Most people who do praktijk have an IQ of around 65.

VMBO is the most common level. People doing VMBO have an IQ of around 100, so the average person. VMBO comes in a few different forms, such as: VMBO-B (which is a bit similar to Praktijk, but with some more technical subjects), VMBO-K (more subjects such as history and chemistry, but still at a pretty low “difficulty”), and VMBO-T (the most theoretic type, the T literally stands for “theoretisch” which is the Dutch word for theoretic. You also take end exams if you do VMBO-T, but more on that later.) At the end of your second year of VMBO, you choose your profile, which will dictate what level of VMBO you’ll do. Some are very practical, others more theoretical. VMBO takes four years to complete, and prepares people for MBO (higher education) or work.

HAVO is a bit more advanced than VMBO. HAVO focusses fully on preparing children for HBO (higher education). HAVO takes 5 years to complete. At the end of your third year you get to choose your profile, which are the subjects you’re going to take exams for. Some are more Beta related (math, chemistry, physics), some more Alpha related (history, art, geography). People doing HAVO have an IQ of around 110.

VWO is split up in Athenaeum (without the old languages of Greek and Latin), and Gymnasium (with Greek/Latin). VWO is the highest level of high school education. VWO takes six years to complete. Just like in HAVO and VMBO, there are different profiles you can choose at the end of your third year.  VWO is very theoretical and quite technical; math is a mandatory subject in all profiles. VWO prepares people for University. People doing VWO have an IQ of around 120 or higher.

So, to get back to the CITO test. At age 11/12 you take your CITO test, and it determines what level of high school you’ll do. You can score between 500 and 550. The higher you score, the higher your level will be. You’ll get tested on all kinds of things, reaching from language to math to history.

Basic Subjects

You go to a school of your level. There are a few subjects every student has to take. These are:

Math* (very very simple math, basically elementary school level math)

Dutch

Engllish

Some levels have other specific subjects you have to take, but these are the basics.

End Exams

As I already mentioned, some levels of school have to take something called an end exam. I will explain what this is, and why it’s such a big deal. But first, I’ll have to explain the Dutch grade system.

I don’t exactly know how some countries work with failing a year, but in The Netherlands you can fail a whole year if your grades are bad. Dutch grades work like this. It’s on a scale from 1-10, where 10 is the best grade and 1 the worst. If you score a 1-5,4 (on big tests and on your list of grades your grade gets rounded to a single number) you fail the test. If you score a 5,5-10 you pass. If you have more than two bad grades on your list of grades at the end of the year, you fail the year and have to do it over again. For example, at the end of the second year of high school HAVO I had four 2’s on my grade list, so I had to retake my entire second year of school.

You take end exams if you do VMBO-T, HAVO, or VWO. You take your end exams in the last year of high school, so year 4 if you do VMBO-T, year 5 if you do HAVO, and year 6 if you do VWO.  Your end exams are split up in two categories of tests; the school exams (SE’s) and the central exams (CE’s). As the name implies, you take your SE’s at school. You start taking SE’s in the second to last year of school, and all of them combined (you take about ~10 SE’s per subject) make up half of your final grade. CE’s are exams you take in May of your final year, and you take them at the same time as everyone nationally. CE’s also account for half your grade. CE’s are very big tests meant to test your entire knowledge on a subject, SE’s are more spread out.

Now what does this have to do with end exams? If you score three or more 5s on your end exam, you fail. If you score two or more 4s on your end exam, you fail. If you score even just a single 3 on your end exam, you fail. That’s why final exams are so nerve wrecking for people here. You have quite a lot of subjects, and all the CE’s are in a time period of just two weeks. If you fail you have to do the whole year over again.

I’m starting my final year of HAVO soon, and as you can imagine I’m quite nervous. I hope I explained everything well! If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask or message me!

Thanks for reading!

PS: As I mentioned, I do HAVO, so if any Dutch peep wants to correct me on any mistakes I made with for example VMBO or VWO, please let me know! 

[malisoun-deactivated20200727]

How do you fall back in love with life?

clean your room.  clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders.  clean the dishes.  sweep.  take out the trash.  peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them.  take a long shower.  scrub behind your knees.  brush your teeth.  (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can.  the end result is worth it.)

pull out your notebook.  it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while.  fuck moleskins.  the yellow legal pad will work fine.  sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list.  count clouds.  describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise.  sketch the cracks in the walls.  note the shape light makes when it enters a space.  talk about what the air tastes like, smells like.  what sounds are there?  even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything.  remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail.  remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness.  your world is fathomless.  it has potential.

drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed.  it does not need to be fancy.  buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions.  eat it outside.  if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs.  take your fucking meds.  remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body.  your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor.  take care of it.

read a novel.  underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen.  read a novel like it’s poetry.  read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious.  watch a movie you haven’t seen before.  if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one.  take your time.  let yourself bask.  if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.

your chosen family is important.  remember, they picked you as much as you picked them.  the love has no obligation.  it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion.  you are not a burden.  if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people.  when they need you, listen and be gracious.  always be gracious.  the universe sometimes remembers things like that.

listen to new music.  link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that.  listen to something that you don’t usually listen to.  we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music.  we are falling in love again.  the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.  

allow yourself to indulge in romantics.  press flowers in old books.  play movies with subtitles and mouth the words.  dance in your room.  wear something that makes you feel good, even if you wouldn’t wear it in public.  write your chosen family letters, even if you hand deliver them.  write poetry, even awful poetry.  revel in its awfulness.  eat dark chocolate and when your chosen family want to go out, try to go out with them sometimes, even if its just to the market.  

[leidmotief]

Ik heb een 9 voor mijn Engels examen! Ik ben zo blij!

EN: I got a 9/10 for my English final exam! I’m so happy!

[studyelement]

Doing well is much easier said than done. The best tip I have is to just do the work. It’s going to suck, but there’s no secret other than doing the work. Though, there are ways to make doing the work easier!

I. Time Management

Have a planner to gain a general idea of your week.

Schedule your time for studying but also schedule time for breaks.

Every morning I check what needs to be done for the day.

I treat college as a 9-5 job with a lunch break. This may not work for everyone, but this thinking allows me to be done by 5, and I usually finish everything for the day by that time.

Take a break after you finish an assignment. Allow yourself to feel proud for finishing and give yourself a reward.

Break up projects into smaller parts, this is incredibly important. It’s easier to do an outline, then a few paragraphs rather than doing an entire essay at once.

It’s not time well used if you don’t focus on the task at hand. If you’re having trouble, get rid of distractions using apps that limit phone/internet usage.

Don’t waste time on techniques that don’t work for you. I don’t rewrite notes, it doesn’t help me study. Instead I do extra textbook problems or I watch a video on the topic. 

Sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself to do the work, to study. Then just do a single problem, a single page or paragraph. Usually starting is the hardest part.

II. Studying & Learning

Be present during class by asking questions and answering problems.

Use phone-locking apps like Forest if you need to to stay focused on the class.

Skim lecture notes ahead of time. You don’t need to take notes on them, the professor will tell you what’s important.

It’s ok if your notes aren’t pretty as long as they’re functional.

Practice problems until you can’t get them wrong.

Try to teach the material to someone else. This will show holes in your understanding. Pretend to teach if you don’t have a friend in the same class.

If you need, study in the library. Honestly, studying at my desk in my dorm has worked just fine for me though.

Do the homework, there’s no way around it. This is probably the biggest tip here. Do the work.

Actually do the homework, don’t just copy answers. Understand the answers. You can’t copy on a test.

Speaking of tests, do as many practice tests as you can find. Once the real test comes around, you won’t be as nervous and it should feel familiar.

Nice pens and notebooks aren’t required. However, spend a dollar and get a pen that writes well enough that you’re not wasting time during class getting it to work. (I’ve been through this)

Do the extra credit. There’s no reason not to, and your grade will thank you.

Go to tutoring, not everyone knows everything. You might even make a new friend since most tutors at my school are also students!

Realistically, you don’t need to do every reading assignment as long as you know what your professor tests on. If you don’t have the time, its fine to only skim the assignment.

Make study groups. If you don’t have a friend in the class, it’s as easy as asking “want to work on the homework together?” In my experience, most people are happy to work with you.

Go to your professors office hours if you need help. Your professors are a valuable resource.

Ask your friends for feedback, I do this all the time.

III. Treat Yourself

Sleep and eat well. Coffee is not a breakfast.

Please, don’t force yourself to cram a subject overnight. This is where time management comes into play.

An over-stressed student is a bad student, but a little bit of stress is healthy.

Find what motivates you. Personally, I wish to become a researcher so I work hard towards that goal to get into a good grad. school.

You don’t have to join a club. I’m not in one, and my social life is just fine since I spend time playing games with friends at night.

But join a club if you want, even for a single day. You might meet some friends.

Really do whatever you want with regards to your social life. Do what’s comfortable for you.

If you need it, colleges have a therapist that you can make an appointment with.

[studyspiration-coffee]

little reminders

do you have homework due tomorrow? do it

did you get any homework today? do it

did you get an assignment notification? break it into small chunks, schedule these chunks and make a start on it. 

do you have an exam tomorrow? do some light revision. or if you’ve left it until the last, turn off your phone, put it in your desk drawer and revise until you’re done. make sure you get at least 4 hours of sleep if you’re cramming, 8 if you’re not. 

do you have a quiz tomorrow? do some v light revision, and redo some homework problems or handouts on the topic.

how much tea/coffee/general caffeine have you had today? how much water have you had? switch your next coffee refill to water.

have you brushed your hair? tame that mane.

have you showered? have a warm shower right before you go to bed so you feel sleepy when you come out.

are your feet cold? put on socks.

are you working your hardest? push a little harder. 

when was the last time you allocated relaxing time? pick a cutoff point for your work, whether it’s 9pm or 1am, and spend 15-30 minutes (depending on the time) to wind down by reading a book, talking to family or friends, taking a shower and generally doing whatever you want. 

[insomniac-arrest]

I think schools need to emphasize more that they aren’t teaching specific facts but rather skill sets

are you gonna remember your algebra formulas ten years from now? Probably not. Are you going to be able to use basic logic to solve problems? Well hopefully with some solid logic practice, such as math, yeah!

did Shakespeare really mean that all of the themes of dark and light in his plays indicated internal struggle and opposing forces? Who knows! Is the ability to critically analyze a piece of writing and see larger trends and symbols useful? Hell yes!

Schools should really be upfront with students that no, this isn’t going to be wholly applicable, but any amount of school will develop your self-discipline and  overall versatility- and that’s a good thing 

[leidmotief]

someone please yell at me to do my german hw 

[nederlandje]

[leidmotief]

yo mensjes die nederlands kunnen/willen kunnen, volg mn poëzie blog!! @thematiek 💗💖

[leidmotief]

Ik heb maar twee uurtjes Nederlands deze week ik ben zeer verdrietig!! Waarom donderdag vrij waarom niet woensdag of zo waarom mijn lievelingsles!! 

[leidmotief]

Lifehack: play video games in your target language haha

[leidmotief]

💌Dutch vocab valentines edition!💌

As valentines day is coming up, the stores have been filling up with all sorts of lovey-dovey stuff! Here are some neat Dutch words and their translation!💖🍫

zelfstandige naamwoorden/nouns

de rozen - the roses  🏵 de roos- the rose 🏵 het hart - the heart  💖 de chocola - the chocolate  🍫 het vriendinnetje - the girlfriend 👧 het vriendje - the boyfriend 👦 het stelletje - the couple 👩‍❤️‍👩 de Valentijnsdag - the Valentine's day 💘 de liefdesbrief- the love letter 💌

werkwoorden/verbs

schrijven - to write 💌 eten - to eat 🍰 zoenen - to kiss 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩💋 kussen - to kiss (not to be confused with the noun kussen, meaning pillow!!) 💋 blozen- to blush 😳

bijvoeglijke naamwoorden/adjectives

roze - pink 💒 mooie - beautiful 🌸 lieve - dear 🌼 schattige - cute 🦄 aantrekkelijke - attractive 👯

I hope this was helpful for y´all! Fijne valentijnsdag alvast 💖

[studiesandspells]

Hey are there any future-teacher studyblrs? I want to follow you!

I’d also love to follow some grad students!!!

[memepjes]

Het is weer begonnen.