“Like the students, I am also a lifelong learner”
Why did you choose to work at SintLucas?
I was eight months pregnant and already on maternity leave. Then the vacancy for Creativity teacher came up. My immediate thought was: this is what I want, this is my dream job! During my training as a visual arts and design teacher, I had to write a vision. That vision is totally reflected in this job. I called and was invited for an interview. The fact that I was pregnant hadn’t quite sunk in. So when I came in I got some surprised looks. Nevertheless, at SintLucas they were convinced that I was the person for the job. They were fine with the fact that they had to find a temporary replacement. That was a nice welcome. And I also always say ‘once a Sint, always a Sint’. I was at SintLucas myself, as were many other teachers and clients. People want to go back. That connection is very special. So are you a new Sint? Keep in mind that that connection is then forever.
In what way are you the source of creativity within SintLucas?
Together with my colleagues, I changed the approach of the Creativity subject for the Stage and Event Technology course. Before this, lessons focused on a creative end product. But that is actually not that important. It is more about the creative process, because your product is actually never finished. Times change and you will always have to rethink your product. In Creativity, you learn to apply creative thinking techniques, experiment, prototype and make mistakes. You have to take every idea you have, because who knows what will come out of it. You should not think from ‘yes, but’ but from ‘yes, and’. I am glad that I was able to plant the seed that led to more attention to the value of the profession. We are revising the course and now the profession is even seen as the basis for everything. Now students are learning to think about why they make things, for whom they do it and how their work affects the world around them. They learn to give meaning to their work. Creativity is increasingly important in a world that is changing rapidly.
What makes SintLucas a good employer?
The fact that SintLucas wanted to wait for me due to my maternity leave gave my self-confidence a boost. Because even before I could prove myself, my colleagues made me feel that they had confidence in me. That feeling has grown tremendously over the past few years. That’s because my qualities are really seen here and I get the space to review and test things. I just get to do it and experience what happens. I really like that. There are also facilities to keep developing yourself, if you want to follow a training course, for example, you can. I can help shape the content of my work myself, so I’m always working on things that excite me. Besides, they always think along with you. But whatever I do, the student is always central to me.
More stories?
Koen - instructor vmbo
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Janneke - corporate contact
"I am the link between the creatives inside and outside SintLucas." Janneke is constantly looking at what can be done. You can read about the wonderful things that result in her story.