When Karin Verheijen first visited an Applied Scholastics school in the Netherlands, she immediately noticed a difference. Instead of unruly and disengaged classrooms, she found engaged students eager to learn. The striking difference in the students convinced her that her daughters needed to be at the school. Despite the longer commute from her home to the school, Karin enrolled her daughters, and soon after, she noticed a marked improvement in her daughters’ school performance and behavior.
Realizing that there had to be something different about the educational philosophy used by the school, Karin decided to learn more about the technology used by the school and after experiencing it first-hand, Karin embarked upon her own journey to become proficient in this new educational philosophy. After completing her own training in Study Technology, Karin began her studies to become a credentialed teacher. During her journey, Karin began to realize just how powerful this new approach was. As a former nurse, Karin had struggled with rote memorization during her nursing training. Now, she could not only easily remember what she studied with Study Technology, but also found practical application followed naturally from her studies.
After graduating, Karin started as a teacher in the same school where she discovered Study Technology. She soon realized that kids who did not have the advantage of knowing and applying Study Technology needed more help to succeed. This realization marked the start of a new path, one that would ultimately lead to helping thousands of Dutch students discover joy in learning.
From Humble Beginnings: Karin Bijles Centrum Is Born
Ten years after Karin’s initial visit to the Applied Scholastics school, a parent who was aware of her educational expertise approached her, requesting that she tutor the parent’s child. Always eager to help, Karin agreed and began tutoring from her living room a few days a week. Word of mouth spread quickly.
Karin officially started her first tutoring center, Karin Bijles Centrum (Karin’s Tutoring Center), in Amsterdam Oost in 2007. Karin realized she couldn’t meet the growing demand alone. She hired and trained more tutors, and her son-in-law, Peter van de Kuit, joined as a tutor and administrator in 2013.
Expanding Reach and Impact
By 2014, interest in her tutoring services had continued to grow, and Karin now operated two centers with an expanding team. Seeing the need for effective tutoring solutions, she dedicated herself full-time to expanding Karin’s Tutoring Center.
Success led to more growth, and a year later, Karin Bijles Centrum was serving 90 students weekly. Recognizing the need for more support, Karin invited Peter to become a business partner.
With Peter onboard, they focused on developing curriculum and materials for subjects like math, time, reading, grammar, and, uniquely for the Netherlands, verb spelling. Their tutoring hours increased from 80 to over 200 per week, leading to the opening of four additional tutoring centers.
Karin Bijles Centrum educators help students overcome educational barriers, particularly those related to the complexities of the Dutch language and challenging subjects. Internal outcome evaluations showed that after an average of 60 hours of tutoring, nearly 90 percent of students previously considered “hopeless” tested above the national average.
Recognitions from Educators
What started with one individual has grown into a network of six tutoring centers, providing service to over 250 students weekly and more than 2,000 since inception. This expansion placed them among the top one percent of tutoring centers nationwide. Consequently, educators throughout the Netherlands began to recognize Study Technology as an exemplary method for enhancing learning. This sentiment is echoed by Mr. Eric Luzac, Founder of Luzac College and Schools:
“I am an idealist and I think you are idealists too. We have the same purpose. We want to build a better world through education. A world that has sanity and enlightenment. Mr. Hubbard saw that it could be done through an effective and easy to use method of learning and teaching.
“Here in The Netherlands, our education system is having a lot of trouble. Students have problem learning basic subjects of reading, writing and math. They leave school and cannot apply what they learned.
“With Study Technology we can change this. I am thinking of setting up new schools in The Netherlands that utilize this method across the country. Applying this methodology, students can learn with comprehension and apply what they learn. This learning technology will change the education system of our country.”
Karin, In Her Own Words
And as for Karin, when asked what fuels her passion to help others with Study Technology she shared this:
“Imagine a world where the Study Tech is used from the beginning of one’s career. Not as a correction but as giving one the correct tools to understand and handle life and be in communication with his environment from an early age to being a grownup, and then through all his life. Can you imagine such society?
“Less criminality, less drugs, less depression, and very happy! It is real to me that nearly all problems in society come from not knowing and using the Study Tech.
“I am living my purpose of helping an entire generation of children who can lead a much better life by the use of the study tech. I’m doing it by having an expanding organization that nowadays has almost 300 students weekly and it keeps expanding and growing.
“So yes, you can absolutely say that I am living my dream!”
The story of Karin Verheijen and Karin Bijles Centrum is a testament to the impact that one educator trained in Study Technology can have in uplifting education for thousands of children.
To learn more about Karin Bijles Cetrum, visit their website.
