It just so happens that I'm quoted in one of the major Dutch newspapers today.  Cool, huh?

My quote is in a full two-page spread about our kids' school.  It's a pretty cool article -- talking about the ways that the school has had a dramatic turn-around (for the better) over the last five years -- and I have to say that I'm pretty proud to say that our family is a part of this school.  We decided to enroll Elliot in this school five years ago, even though it was rated quite low, because we liked the direction that the school seemed to be headed, we really felt a good click with the kindergarten teacher who would be Elliot's primary point of contact for his first two years in the public sphere, we enjoyed the diversity of the school (most Amsterdam schools are surprisingly segregated), and we appreciated the fact that the school administration was extremely open to our involvement as parents (even though we were just a couple of foreigners).

For the last several years (almost since the beginning), Marci has served as a part of the school's Ouderraad (OR), which works kind of like an American Parent-Teacher Organization.  And for the last two years, I've been serving on the schools' Medezeggenschap Raad (MR), which is a bit like an American school board though perhaps not quite as formal.  Because of this involvement, we really feel a sense of ownership for what's happened at the Basisschool Frankendael.  And we rejoice -- along with all the other families and school staff -- in the results of the new inspection giving the school its highest marks in decades.  It's also fun to see a lot of the publicity which has gone along with it (television reports, newspaper articles, etc.).

So anyway, here is a link to the electronic version of the Volkskrant article, in case you'd like to read the article for yourself.  My quote is in the very last column.  For the non-Dutch speakers, here is a rough translation of the section featuring my quote:

The Frankendael has a current enrollment of 177 students, 15 under the required minimum enrollment.  If the school remains at this level for three years, it will be forced to close or to fuse with another school in the area.

That would be a tragedy, says Eric Asp (33).  He and his wife feel that the other schools in the neighborhood are too "aristocratic."  Although it's not obvious from exterior appearances, his three children are immigrants -- because they're American.  They made a conscious decision to enroll their children in a diverse school.  The same is true for Jasper Andries (39).  His daugher, Nova-Leigh, is half-Antillean.  "We chose this school because of its small size and because this school is a true representation of Amsterdam..."

I can't say that my quote is particularly brilliant -- just one word, really.  And of all the words that were spoken in my brief interview with the reporter, they picked the one word that made me sound like a bit of a grumpy immigrant with a chip on my shoulder.  But oh well... It was cool to be quoted in such a major national newspaper -- and to be a part of such a positive development here in our neighborhood.  I'm proud of our school.