"Less is more": What 28 years at "Spillschoul" have taught a teacher

The game is simple. As long as the music is loud, parents and children run round in a circle. When it gets quieter, everyone has to grab a ball from a basket in the middle. The aim is to carry as many balls around as possible.

This little icebreaker at the parents' forum seems unremarkable. For Renée Fretz, however, it's an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. She can both break the ice and observe parents and children whilst they play together. "Here, I can give the parents the space I've always wanted to give them, " she says later in an interview. Plus she is able to make full use of her many years' experience as a nursery teacher.

Even at the age of six, Renée Fretz knew that she wanted to become a "Spillschoulsjoffer" (preschool teacher) one day. Her own experience of nursery school, however, was rather off-putting: she found that time "harsh" and "arbitrary". Her parents, both of whom worked in education, are likely to have played a part in shaping her career aspirations, explains the mother of three.

When verbal communication with pupils is not possible

In 1994, Fretz stood alone in front of four-year-olds for the first time in Wiltz. Even back then, the classes were linguistically diverse, although around two-thirds of the children still spoke Luxembourgish. Portuguese, however, was becoming increasingly prevalent at the time. Fretz recalls taking Portuguese courses at the former teacher training institute, ISERP, so that she would be able to welcome these children.