Jasper Rijpma

Jasper Rijpma had a misspent youth which saw him ending up in juvenile prison. Bored in prison, he started reading history, taught himself and applied to take state exams. On leaving the juvenile facilities at 18, he was inspired to make a fresh start and help others learn, and found that teaching was his vocation. He believes his success has been due to a small number of teachers who believed in him and his abilities.

Now he is able to use his own experience to connect with students who might otherwise be described as ‘unruly’, motivating them in ways others might not be capable of. Most of Jasper’s students go on to university and a number of his students have even gone on to train as teachers, and Jasper remains in contact with them.

Due to his experiences in his current school, he is now one of the leading teachers nationally in innovative pedagogies.

In 2014, he was elected as National Teacher of the Year in the Netherlands.