During the E-waste Race Blink 2021, teacher Willeke, from Kindcentrum de Mozaïek in Helmond, shared a beautiful story about her group 8 class. She saw her students, who normally do not come to the forefront so quickly, blossom during the project. Children enthusiastically stepped out of their comfort zone to do their part. A student called Rinaldo made a presentation about e-waste to share with other classes and on social media. This was definitely a special reason to interview the Miss Willeke and Rinaldo, thought Monique, Blink's waste coach.

Monique:
“How nice that you participated in the E-waste Race. How did you experience this as a teacher?”

Miss Willeke:
“The E-waste Race really motivates the whole class to do something and the competition element also made it fun for the children. It really created awareness in the classroom.”

Monique:
“In the evaluation of the E-waste Race, you already indicated that despite the lower collection score, the children thrived during this project. How did the children deal with the project?”

Miss Willeke:
“The guest lesson really prompted the children to act. During this lesson they were enthused to collect and collect electronic waste. The competition element motivated them to keep collecting and earning points. That provided an extra incentive. They were impressed by what they were able to collect in their own neighbourhood. People handed over their e-waste to them and the children all loved it. So that was nice to see.”

Monique:
“I understood that particularly children in your class flourished. Why was that so?”

Miss Willeke:
“Some children find it difficult to say something in class. They are doing well but remain a bit more in the background. During the E-waste Race, that group set to work very fanatically, because they could mean something for their class. For example, there was a girl who spoke very enthusiastically about the waste collection at her home. Because she could easily tell the group about her own experience, you could see her flourish. Because all the children could contribute, I could see them all step out of their comfort zone.”

Monique:
“It's nice to hear that more is happening uring project like this than just collecting e-waste. You grow as a class and children gain confidence. What skills have the children acquired?”

Miss Willeke:
“The children learned a lot about working together, so they immediately had to make agreements with each other.
Who will collect the waste? Who will keep count of the points? Who will check whether the electronic waste has been registered properly? The children actually did that automatically on their own! Normally in class I notice that they sometimes find it difficult to work together, but it came naturally now. It was nice to see that the children divided the tasks based on what they liked, such as making posters and handing out flyers. There were also children who actually liked playing manager and arranging everything. And so Rinaldo wanted to make a presentation.”

Monique:
“That was of course the reason for this interview! Super clever Rinaldo that you wanted to make a presentation yourself. How did you like that?”

Rinaldo:
“I put a lot of time into it. Together with a classmate we made a little start. After that I regularly showed the teacher if I could improve something. I looked up some facts online and put them in the presentation. Then I put it on social media, where it was viewed 45 times.”

Monique:
“That's cool, you've done your best Rinaldo. How did this happen, Miss Willeke?”

Miss Willeke:
“I noticed at one point that the kids were at the bottom of the standings and some got demotivated as a result. Rinaldo remained very enthusiastic, so he came up with the idea to make a presentation for other classes.”

Monique:
“It sounds like you spent every spare moment on your presentation. How did it feel to make a presentation?”

Rinaldo:
“Exciting and a little stressful.”

Monique:
“Compliments for making it all by yourself. How did you experience the E-waste Race?”

Rinaldo:
“It is nice to work together in the classroom. Also going door to door for the e-waste was very pleasant. And I thought it was funny that someone gave us a jacuzzi pump.”

Monique:
“What did you think was the most important message of this project?”

Rinaldo:
“That we can reuse electronic waste and other items to save resources from the earth.”

Monique:
“How did you feel about your class getting extra points for your presentation?”

Rinaldo:
“It was nice, but I didn't really do it for the points. For me it was more about learning about the raw materials and how important it is to recycle. So not to win.”

Monique:
"I completely understand. You did this for yourself and to take better care of the future. That is a very nice aim. After your experience at school, do you have any tips for the readers of this interview?”

Rinaldo:
“If you have electronic waste at home, hand it in for free at the recycling center. And don't throw it away!"
Thank you Miss Willeke and Rinaldo for this interview. Congratulations to the whole class for doing their best during the E-waste Race!


Do you want to participate in an E-waste Race with your school? Check here if a race will be organized in your municipality or region and contact us!

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