When Idse Bruil had to choose a course of study after secondary school, he initially envisioned a career in the armed forces. That plan did not last. ‘I used to want to join the army, and because I wanted to become a non-commissioned officer, I also did havo after vmbo. But along the way I realised that I didn't want to hurt people at all or work with weapons. Sport had always been my big hobby, so choosing the ALO was actually a very logical one.’
He graduated from the Academy for Physical Education – with some delay due to knee injuries – and entered the job market right in the middle of the COVID-19 period. Because of the pandemic and – at the time – a surplus of sports teachers, it took a while before he found a permanent job. ‘After three years of temporary contracts, I found a permanent job. By now I've been happily working at the Jan Arentsz for another three years.’ He gets that enjoyment partly from contact with pupils. ‘I live and work in Alkmaar, so I regularly run into pupils. Then you suddenly hear in the middle of the shopping street: “Hey Mr Bruil!” I like that. Pupils can sometimes surprise you with the most diverse stories. And I find it special to see how quickly they pick up new things, both in the gym and in my computer room. That gives me energy every single day.’
Continuing to do what he loves most best
After a few years, Idse notices that teaching in the gymnasium is demanding more and more of his hearing. Hearing damage in his right ear, caused by a fireworks accident in his youth, is flaring up more and more often. ’Because of the noise in the gymnasium, my hearing loss got worse. Hearing protection seemed like a logical solution, but that actually made it harder for me to hear my pupils. That obviously doesn't work when you're teaching.’ However, leaving education has never been a serious option. ‘I didn't want to stop teaching at all. Instead, I started thinking about a different subject and that actually wasn't such a difficult choice. I've always been interested in computers, technology and AI. Computing therefore felt like a very logical step.’
A bumpy route
The first step towards becoming a qualified computer science teacher is an online course. ‘I’d received a budget for that from my employer. Unfortunately, that course wasn’t very well organised – for example, I had to wait two months for a textbook – and partly because of that, I realised that online learning isn’t really my thing. But I did discover that I found the content incredibly interesting. That’s when I knew for sure that I wanted to pursue this further.’ Through the Inf4All programme, he then followed a preparatory track for career switchers. For a year, he travelled to the training every Friday and also spent virtually all his evenings and weekends studying. ’It was a real slog of a year. I gave up a lot of other things for it. That’s why it was so disappointing that I couldn't progress straight on to the UvA career-switcher track.’ The reason turned out to be formal in nature. Because Idse only holds a bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences (HBO) and has not completed a master’s degree, he doesn't meet the admission requirements for the university course. This was extra galling because a colleague had previously successfully completed almost the exact same track. ‘But in the meantime, the rules had changed. What’s more, every situation is different, so it sometimes takes a while before you know where you stand.’ Idse understands that universities need to be thorough. ‘These are personal pathways and certain requirements simply apply.’
Finally underway
After a year in which his plans seem to be on hold, Bruil tries his luck at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. There he gets the green light. ’I’m really looking forward to it. After the summer I’ll be going to Amsterdam one day a week and continuing to work four days alongside that. It’s going to be a busy period, although I honestly think the preparation was harder than the Master’s itself.’
At the Jan Arentsz, he now teaches information science in the lower years and computer science in the upper years. With his Master's degree, he will soon also obtain his Category 1 teaching qualification. ‘It might sound strange, but at its core, not all that much really changes. I remain a teacher. The gymnasium has made way for the computer room, but ultimately it's still about the same thing: helping pupils grow.’
‘What has always fascinated me is how the right guidance can enable pupils to rise above themselves. In the gymnasium, I used to see pupils who, at the start of the lesson, would make a vault with hesitation and by the end would dare to do a handspring over the vaulting box. That experience of success visibly gave them self-confidence. I now see the exact same thing in computing. With the right motivation and tools, pupils can make huge strides in a short space of time. Sometimes they come back a week later with a project that you wouldn't have expected them to be able to make beforehand. It is precisely those moments that make teaching so wonderful to me.’