Host Splinter Chabot welcomed those present in his characteristic relaxed and humorous manner. When asked who had ever had trouble with difficult pupils, many hands went up. Chabot walked into the audience with the microphone to gather stories from their experiences. The number of teachers who had ever had trouble with difficult parents was considerably lower. Chabot’s question about who had ever been a difficult parent themselves led to much hilarity among those present.
Holding on to what matters
This was the third time Chabot had hosted Met Alle Respect!. “It almost feels like we’re colleagues already,” he joked as he asked Amina Saydali, director of School & Veiligheid, to come up on stage. For Saydali, the annual conference is “a highlight, where we hold on to what matters. Because safety is and remains an important foundation for good education.”
Free and safe
Next, Mariëlle Paul, State Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education and Emancipation, took the floor. She had managed to make time in her busy schedule to attend Met Alle Respect!. Through her presence, Paul underlined the importance of social safety in education. The State Secretary expressed her appreciation for the excellent work that education professionals do every day. “As a society, we ask a great deal of education,” said Paul. Like Amina Saydali, the State Secretary emphasised the importance of everyone in the school feeling free and safe.
Supported Behaviour
Together with Amina Saydali and Anneke Kuilman, a member of School & Veiligheid’s Education Panel, the State Secretary discussed a number of thought-provoking statements using our familiar Supported Behaviour game. At Splinter Chabot’s prompting, the audience enthusiastically joined in. By holding up the green or red side of a card, participants indicated whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement. Online participants took part via Mentimeter. To conclude, State Secretary Paul once again thanked those present for the excellent work they do and wished everyone success in their daily educational practice.
Exclusion for inclusion
Flemish educational psychologist Beno Schraepen then took the audience on a journey through a story about inclusion. Schraepen is the author of the book Excluses. Wat uitsluiting doet met mensen. Exclusion is a daily reality in education, Schraepen stated: “The uncomfortable truth is that 70,000 pupils do not attend school. That’s a football stadium full of people.”
In a powerful presentation, Schraepen showed what segregation and exclusion do. “Segregation in education leads to segregation in society,” said Schraepen. ‘Excluses’ are created too often. Too often, people say ‘Yes, but…’ as an excuse for why inclusion does not get off the ground. Schraepen was clear about this: “When we do not consciously work towards inclusion, we unconsciously maintain segregation, exclusion and discrimination.”
Workshops
After the keynote, participants split up for the first round of workshops. At Gooiland, those present could choose from ten different topics, while online participants could choose from five workshops. The range was highly diverse: the influence of social media, crime in schools, sexually inappropriate behaviour, and so on. This diversity underlined the breadth and importance of social safety.
Lunch break
During the break, participants could enjoy a delicious lunch. Over a bowl of soup and a sandwich, there was time to meet and exchange ideas. The information stand was bustling. The brochures, flyers and posters were eagerly taken. Participants also spoke with School & Veiligheid staff about their own school situation.
'Thank you'
After the lunch break, Splinter Chabot welcomed everyone to the afternoon part of the programme. Eighteen-year-old student Evie van Aart immediately set the tone with two impressive poems. In ‘Thank you’, she expressed movingly how a teacher can make a difference. One excerpt:
Thank you
8 letters, 3 syllables
A word that floated through my thoughts for weeks
Hopefully my words have given it a deeper meaning
And if I had to put it briefly and succinctly in a report,
You were the one who unconsciously helped me shift my perspectives.
Illustrator Hjalmar Haarsma then showed the audience how he had captured the day visually in a creative way.
‘You need to shut your mouth’
‘You need to shut your mouth’ was the provocative title of Caroline Koetsenruijter’s second keynote. Research shows that a quarter of education professionals become victims of aggression. This can come from pupils and parents, but also from colleagues. Together with the audience, Koetsenruijter explored how to support a colleague who has fallen victim to aggressive behaviour: offer a listening ear, be an ally and show that you are there for the other person.
Koetsenruijter emphasised that the employer is responsible for the safety of staff. After all, education falls under the Safe Public Duty. Koetsenruijter concluded her contribution with a quotation from Amanda Gorman: ‘For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.’
With Gorman’s wise words in mind, Splinter Chabot brought the plenary session to a close. For the online participants, the conference was over; those present at Gooiland could attend a second workshop. But before everyone left the room, Chabot quickly mentioned the date of the next edition of Met Alle Respect!: Wednesday, 25 March 2026. You can already register your interest via the form on this page.
Opening photo: A room full of education professionals at Gooiland Hilversum at the start of Met Alle Respect! Photo: Nunes dos Anjos Fotografie.