Teacher Spotlight: Herma DeRidder
Have you met Ms. Herma DeRidder? She is originally from the Netherlands, where she attended the Katholieke PABO, a four-year teacher training school. She taught first and second grades for 15 years before she relocated to Las Vegas. She has been teaching science at Dawson since 2003 and is passionate about making science fun and interesting for our young students. Learn more about her in this edition of Teacher Spotlight!
How long have you been a teacher?
I started teaching in 1989, so for 30 years total. Fifteen years as an elementary school teacher in the Netherlands, my home country, and 15 years as a science teacher at Dawson.
What’s your favorite thing about teaching at Dawson?
Dawson has given me the opportunity to start a teaching career in the U.S. - with my pretty broken English - and a chance to develop as a science teacher. Since I came from a school in a deprived area of a big city in the Netherlands, I was blown away by the campus and facilities. I realized quickly that I was very fortunate to become part of this amazing community and that not all schools in the U.S. look like Dawson.
What is your biggest goal for this school year?
My biggest goal for this year--actually my goal every year--is to make science fun and interesting for the kids. When I was in elementary school, I barely had science. And the science I had came from reading some books. The fact that here at Dawson we have a designated science lab in the Lower School Building, along with access to a lot of materials and resources, makes it possible for me to really create a fun and hands-on science experience for young students.
How did you discover your own Brave Voice?
I think I discovered my brave voice when I studied at the PABO, the elementary teaching institute in the Netherlands, where I attended classes and student-taught for four years. I was a very shy and quiet student in elementary school and in high school my worst subject was English. But at the PABO I met a group of people with whom I had a great time following lessons, doing projects, organizing camps and student-teaching in a variety of grades and schools. That’s where I discovered who I was and the place that shaped me to become the teacher I am today. I think I rediscovered my brave voice again when I moved to Las Vegas and started teaching science in the English language. New country, new husband, new language, new friends, new school, a whole new life. I just did it and looking back, I am sometimes amazed about how brave I was.
What is one thing about you that would surprise your students?
Shall I give it away? I never thought, and neither did my family and friends back home, that I would teach science in America. The fact is, I am pretty hesitant towards most animals. Teaching science here at Dawson helped me step over my fear, and I now handle snails, worms, mealworms, beetles, crayfish, you name it, with ease. It also led me to kiss a giraffe in Kenya, swim with seals in the Galapagos, feed wild hyenas in Ethiopia, walk with rhinos in Zimbabwe, and survive many nights in a tent in between wild animals. It has opened my mind to the amazing nature that I used to overlook, and I see the world through different eyes.
What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t working?
As soon as school is out for a break, my husband and I step on a plane to explore different countries and cultures. We met on a safari in Kenya, and have been traveling the world together since. I am always the first person to ask the staff what the calendar looks like for the new school year so I can plan my trips. This summer I am going to explore Iceland, a part of South Africa I have not been to, and Angola. And I mostly return to Vegas the night before school starts!
What are you most proud of?
That I will get a second granddaughter in August!
The Alexander Dawson School
The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain, an independent school located on 33-acres in the community of Summerlin, is Nevada’s first Stanford University Challenge Success partner school for students in early childhood through grade eight. Utilizing the unique Challenge Success framework, Dawson uses research-based strategies and programs that emphasize student academics, wellbeing, and a healthy school-life balance to create more engaged, motivated, and resilient learners and leaders. At Dawson, students achieve their individual potential while savoring life and meeting the challenges of the world.