Joke Willeboordse was born in the Dutch province of Zeeland and has lived in Amsterdam since her early twenties. A certified teacher since 1994, Joke has more than 25 years of experience teaching Dutch as a second language. She also has teaching qualifications for French and art. Before her career as a teacher, Joke worked as an activity specialist in various nursing facilities.
Joke teaches Dutch as a second language to skilled and highly skilled adults in the Amsterdam area. Teaching is her passion. Meeting people from all around the world with different cultural backgrounds and unique life stories is what makes it so interesting. Her classes focus on three key aspects of teaching: creating a safe learning environment, having pleasure in learning and motivation. Learning a language is the key that can open many doors, and she feels privileged to be able to contribute to this.
In her spare time, Joke works as a puppeteer for the Amsterdam Marionette Theatre. Joke is passionate about travelling and her adventurous spirit has led her to exciting destinations in Asia and Africa. In India, Joke gave drawing and painting lessons to young Buddhist nuns in the Himalayas and taught workshops in puppet making and puppeteering at a boys’ boarding school. In Africa, she taught these workshops to adults and staged performances with students. She also set up a drawing studio for children in a village in Senegal.
When she is not teaching or planning a trip, Joke enjoys going for long walks in the countryside, listening to music and reading.
