Ms. Catrina Davis
Cumberland County

“After months of excitement, preparation, and planning, along with a long journey to safely arrive in the Netherlands, June 19, 2025, was an exceptional day of learning about the Dutch educational system. Waking up to the beautiful sights of Amsterdam, the sun reflecting upon the canal and the breeze of the wind, I was immediately encompassed with a spirit of exploration and tremendous excitement for the day ahead. The day started as most days would: a stretch, breakfast, and travel to whatever destination awaits. It was the destination that awaited, which provided a sense of wonder: the Ministry of Education. I had previously researched ‘The Ministry’ completely unaware and puzzled about what that could possibly be or mean. I remained baffled until the immaculate explanations by our exceptional presenter, Erin, and deep discussions with the group. Ms. Erin explained the frameworks, practices, and structure of the Dutch education system while defining the roles of the ministry, the schools, the teachers, the students and the parents. .

Erin presented a nicely done presentation while also providing personal experience, insight, and perspective. She was able to accurately answer our questions and explore comparisons and differences between the systems of the Netherlands and North Carolina schools. Throughout the presentation and finding understanding in the Ministry of Education’s role, I continued to ask myself the question, “what’s your ministry?”. That single question led me to both discovery and rediscovery of my why, how to cultivate change within the systems of my school and the NC educational systems, and ultimately, as a mentor, educator, and overall global citizen of NC and the world. After the completion of Erin’s presentation, I was able to be the first token presenter on behalf of the Go Global NC Teaching Delegation! That was an exciting moment, granting me a euphoric feeling that lasted for the remainder of the day. 

We followed the Ministry of Education visit with an incredibly delicious lunch at Indrapura and our first school visit to Hyperion Lyceum Secondary School. The school allowed me to step into the world of Dutch schools with insight into its everyday operations. The school was colorful, resourceful, welcoming, and filled with cheer from both students and their teachers. I loved touring the facilities and seeing their huge slide, computer classrooms, auditorium, and so much more. We concluded the night with a dinner at Van Puffelen. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the ravioli far more than the steak itself. 

I would rate this start to such an impactful opportunity here in the Netherlands a 10/10. It provided momentum to this grand experience and an intriguing knowledge to sustain my interest and spike passion. I am forever grateful to the Simple Gifts Fund for their generous sponsorship and granting me the ability to experience the Netherlands! “

Mrs. Jenni Cable
Cherokee County

“My name is Jenni Cable and I am the 8th grade Math teacher at Andrews Middle School in Cherokee County North Carolina.  I want to start by saying thank you to my donor, James G.K. McClure Fund for Education and Development.  I am very appreciative of your generosity and kindest to allow me the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator by visiting the Netherlands.  

Throughout the day, Thursday June 19, I learned about the Dutch education system from Ministry of Education staff and from many faculty at the Hyperion Lyceum secondary school. Erin – a teacher leader at the Ministry – was very knowledgeable and understanding of our questions.  She talked about how the teachers get to be members of the ministry for 2 years and let them be part of making changes in their education systems.  Hyperion Lyceum faculty members explained how their school is part of secondary education and how they are a rather new school. Both sets of educators stressed how important education is for students in the Netherlands.  We also asked about some of the issues we face as educators, and were surprised to find out that they face some of the same concerns. As we continue to navigate these similar challenges, we now have a new resource to communicate with on innovative approaches.  

During the Ministry of Education meeting with Erin, we learned how the Netherlands education system is structured and how she is working with legislation to help improve the education system’s effectiveness in the classroom.  I love that they want a teacher in the ministry to help support their understanding of what teachers are going through in the classrooms at this time.  I was intrigued by how they trust their teachers and have checks in place to support them if they are struggling.  

After the ministry we went and had lunch at a local Indonesia place.  The food was very different from what I have ever had but it was delicious to try.  The family style eating was nice because it allowed us to gather as a group and enjoy getting to know each other better over food which is a very southern act.

Our final stop was at Hyperion Lyceum secondary school.  The school was beautiful inside and out.  Very vibrant colors and when you walked in it had a slide, foosball, ping pong, and some amazing pods for students to use to study.  The staff was very welcoming and seemed to take pride in their school as they showed us around.  Seeing how they structure their schedule (flexible and a lot more student choice) and how they share classrooms (shared classrooms as teachers) took me some time to think about since we have such structured locations and times. As a teacher I am interested in seeing all the autonomy in their schools.  From allowing teachers to decide how to teach to the standards to kids allowed choice throughout the day to parents allowed to choose which schools their students have options to attend.  I already do some choice activities in my classroom, however, I feel that I can help students more in my classroom, I think they need more options to be autonomous.  I think as a teacher to help my students grow as people I need to release some of the control and allow them to show me how they can make good choices to benefit their learning.

I am so thankful to get to come and experience this wonderful city with these amazing teaching professionals.  We have only been here a short time and I have already learned so much about this beautiful city.  Again thank you to the James G.K. McClure Fund for Education and Development for giving me this opportunity to be here and learn about another culture, country, people.”