Lisette Schouten

Hi, my name is Lisette and I recently turned 32. I currently live in The Hague but I am originally from Brabant (one of the southern provinces of the Netherlands). I come from a big and loving family of four in which I am the oldest (2 brothers and 1 sister). My family is everything to me and we try to get together as often as possible.

I would say that my personality is definitely Dutch but has some traits from other cultures as well: after I graduated high school I lived in Japan for one year and thereafter I never stopped traveling and exploring. Up to now I have studied/worked/lived in 8 different countries all over the world and my and my partner are already planning our next adventure. Apart from traveling I enjoy reading, dancing, hiking, evenings with friends around the dinner table and long walks on the beach.

At the moment I am studying to be a teacher in Leiden while stimultanously trying to wrap up my PhD-thesis (University of Heidelberg). I am also doing an internship as a History teacher at a bilingual secondary school in Zoetermeer. At the moment I teach 2 classes (3 lessons) and my students are between 13-15 years old. Most of my students are Dutch (but have different ethnic backgrounds) but a majority of their subjects are taught in English.

Unlike others, I never dreamed of becoming a teacher, but 7 years ago I was given the chance to substitute at my former secondary school and I discovered how rewarding teaching can be. I realised that I actually truly enjoyed imparting knowledge to my students and watching their interests and understanding grow! Even though I find the current programme challenging at times and I am still working on incorporating CLIL in my lessons, it has been an enjoyable experience so far.

I am not entirely sure what to expect from the telecollaborative exchange, but I am definitely looking forward to getting to know you, learn more about intercultural communication and to work together on exciting new ideas!

Hope to speak to you soon!

Lisette

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