Vålkommen till Västangårds skola!

Today was the day I got to the Swedish schools. It was not an easy start to the day, leaving when it was dark and a windy -9C, catching 2 buses to ride across to get there before 7:55. I'm making it sound dramatic and bad, but it was all worth it! My school, Västangårds, is located right in the middle of the sculpture park! The teacher I'm working with, Micael, said the school used to be a 'crazy house' so nobody ever goes to the very top or basement floors. But there is plenty of space with what floors are used. The multiple buildings on campus holds either classes or gym or lunch. Each building has its own function or grade levels. The building where I am holds grades 2-6 and there are only (no more than) 28 students per grade. There are obviously many schools this size throughout the town.

Teacher lounges in Sweden are so nice. They are equipped with a full kitchen (as is our classroom) with multiple coffeepots, electric tea pots. Each teacher brings coffee to share with the group and everyone just drinks whatever is there. However, once a week, according to a schedule, two faculty members bring a treat for fika, which is their snack. It is always homemade, usually a cake. They have fika between breakfast and lunch. Faculty really use this area to break and enjoy the newspaper or just relax. As you can see it is a very relaxing environment.

The students were really excited to have REAL Americans there and asked us (me and another girl) any questions they wanted, either about ourselves or our country. It went really well, they asked quite intelligent questions for 9-11 year olds. Micael went between Swedish and English while he was teaching his lessons. I could go on and on about how great everyone was, but today I want to note the 'physical' or mechanical differences between this school and the elementary schools I've worked in Wisconsin. There are no bells or anyone telling the students to come to class. Before school they are inside playing games (table tennis is a favorite), or just visiting in the game room. Each classroom has their own game room space, which is also used for after school-type program. The students quietly come into their classrooms, get out a book and read. I knew the school had a rule that you could not wear your boots or outside shoes in the classroom. What I did not expect was for all the students to be in stocking feet. This was very much the tradition and norm for all primary students in the schools, only 2 students had on slippers! This is so different from Wisconsin schools where I've struggled to get a kindergarten student to put on his shoes so many times! The room also has a much more relaxed vibe. The teacher is the leader of the room, but its so much more casual. Students call their teachers by their first names. They had never heard 'Carly' before, so they all (including Micael) had a very hard time pronouncing it! Another unique thing about the school environment is that each teacher sets their own schedule, they must put in 40 hours a week, 34 of them must be at the school, the rest can be done at home. As a result our school week gets shorter and shorter. Today school went from 8-3, tomorrow will be a bit shorter and by Friday we will be done by 1pm. Micael, who has been teaching for 24 years, says he does this because he wants to enjoy his job and not feel like he HAS to be there until X o'clock. This is a common practice among teachers here, the other group of students from Whitewater's cooperating teacher doesn't start until 9:30 on Mondays. Seriously, how much more would you enjoy your time if you set the hours you got to work! Its not arbitrary, its set for the year, so parents can adjust accordingly.

Tomorrow grades 4,5&6 are starting a new program where they are going to walk briskly for 20 minutes outside before school starts! They've read the research that suggests a workout like that in the morning allows more oxygen to the brain, creating more brain power and less sleepiness among students. I am looking forward to this and seeing if it makes a difference in the students (and faculty!).

These are some pictures from inside the classroom :)