My name is Koos Hoekstra, grown up in the early 90s; and currently living in the city of Groningen (in the Northern part of the Netherlands). I am a qualified teacher in the subjects of economics, accounting, basic math, and digital soft skills. I taught for over seven years at a vocational trades in bookkeeping and finance. And for over a decade I’ve been studying, working and training to qualify as a teacher in Groningen the Netherlands.  

After a while I found that the educational school environment, as currently is being sustained by the board and its advisors, wasn’t a good fit for me doing what I liked, namely teaching. After some years looking around, I found FabLab Groningen, my current occupation. FabLab Groningen is one of the few self-sustained Fablabs, and the 2nd Fablab to ever open in the Netherlands.   

Here I help develop STEAM-goals, and workshops for the organization. Every week I help teach students who come at our FabLab to learn about our creation tools and possibilities. It’s a beatiful opportunity for me to learn something new about creator and maker-spaces, while still using my background in didactics, pedagogy, and teaching.