No Homework?

Day 16

2/15/2016

Hello friends and family,

It is the start of Week 3. Cassidy, Lauren, and I are in our last week at Malmo International School.  Malmo International School is an IB program that host kids from all over the world. The school holds around 250 students ages 5 through 16. I work primarily with the the older students. I have had the privilege to get to know a lot of the students well! I hope to soon put up a few photos of the school and the classes (with their permission). Again, I will make a list of some of the observations I have hard or things I have learned being in the schools these past two weeks.

1. VERY little homework
Students in Sweden, not just in an international school, receive very little homework throughout the week. While I am not sure how accurate this is, the students are not allowed to receive homework on the weekends according to the teachers. GUYS! How different is this compared to America? The students are meant to be able to relax and have their own time with family and friends. I feel as if in America it is almost compulsory to give homework or at least lots of teachers feel this way. (As did I at times). Sweden is challenging my views on homework in wonderful ways.

2. Coffee and Play Breaks
Remember all those cool things you hear about European countries like Finland giving more breaks to their students to go outside and play? I mentioned this last week in the blog! (If not check it out:
 http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/ )
I have to mention them again because it just amazes me that American schools haven't caught on yet. Some are trying to bring this practice to our schools like my wonderful Kinesiology professor Dr. Rhea (check her out: http://www.today.com/parents/want-kids-listen-more-fidget-less-try-more-recess-school-t65536 ).  Students receive short breaks that allow them to get out some energy and fidgets then come back into school and refocus. This does wonders to students attention spans, achievement, and happiness.

3. Teachers are happy.
All the teachers I have had the opportunity to talk to have an upbeat and genuinely happy to be there attitude.  Teachers have a limited amount of their own time they are allowed to use outside of school hours to do work and they really don't go over it. Teachers also have their own breaks during the day to drink coffee, eat a long lunch, work on plans, grade, and enjoy each others company. WOW. When and wear do I sign up? It would be wonderful to see our education system move toward this model.

4. Student Centered Learning (students do a lot of their own learning)
In the older classes in particular, classes are very student centered and lead. For example, Thomas, a teacher I observe, assigned an essay and the students got to create the research question and topic, within an assigned subject (ie. WW1 consequences).  Students then do their own investigation and research eventually coming up with their essay. Student's do the work and Thomas acts as a guide pushing and challenging them to think more critically. A wonderful example of student led inquiry!


That is all for today folks,
Darby

(Copenhagen, Denmark) 

(stories and trip details coming soon)

Week 2

Day 10 

2/9/2016

Hello to my family members, friends, and TCU folks who read my blog,

It is the second Tuesday I have been in Sweden and I am sitting thinking about how thankful I am that I was sent to Malmo. What a wonderful city! Here is a short list of a few things I am thankful for so far in this journey:

1. Coffee - or Fika as the Swedes call it.

Fika is a synonym for coffee. Fika also can explain the time in which on sits and drinks coffee. Most business and schools have a break to enjoy coffee everyday. It is a tradition in Sweden. Coffee is taken very seriously here. It might be the best coffee (or hot chocolate) I have ever tasted. 

*(Limited experience on the coffee drinking however). 

2. Transportation

Malmo has a wonderful transportation system. From buses, trains, and walking paths, it is relatively easy to get anywhere in Malmo. Cassidy, Lauren, and I walk to and from our school everyday. Our walk is about 30 minutes and about 2 miles. On our way we pass many people walking and biking to class. I would love to live in a city where walking everywhere is possible and public transportation is easy to use for longer treks or bad weather days.

3. Stockholm

Cassidy and I had the opportunity to explore Sweden's capital city. We enjoyed walking the city and visiting wonderful museums and restaurants. Stockholm can not be summed up in a few sentences. I would recommend that everyone goes to see this wonderful city that rivals anywhere else I have been abroad! I would love to go back during the summer for a week!

4. Not having a phone

Yes. I did loose my phone in Stockholm. Don't let that discourage you from making a trip however. What I have learned in these past three days of not having a phone. I don't really need one even in a foreign country. It is a distraction. While I will miss the photos on my phone, I will not miss the constant need to check it. 

5. Students Playing

The school Cassidy, Lauren, and I have been placed at is an international IB program school located in Malmo with about 250 students. Students are from all over including but not limited to Australia, Sweden, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Yugoslavia. While there is so much to be thankful for about being placed at this school, the way the students play is one of my favorite things. Students from roughly ages 5 to 15 play outside. They get three breaks a day to do this. One during their allotted time after lunch and two throughout the day depending on their grade level's schedule. Today I played soccer with 4th graders for 30 minutes. Sweden and our school recognizes the need to let kids out for "brain breaks". I am thankful to see this wonderful model that helps students succeed in the classroom.

6. Bachelor

Something a little silly that I am thankful for is the Bachelor. For those unaware, the Bachelor is a reality TV series on ABC. We found out recently that we can buy the episode on Amazon after they air it in the US. Something silly brought Cassidy, Lauren, and I a lot of joy. Thank you Amazon.

Thanks for reading and ignoring my spelling mistakes,

Darby

Smiling through the cold weather.

Hey Hey!

Day 1 ( I might be writing this a bit late.. wooops) (also sorry for any spelling errors) 

2/4/2016 

Day 1 - the 30th of January

On the 30th of January we touched down in another country. We "hopped across the pond" to make our way to Sweden. Walking of the plane, Lauren and Cassidy, my two traveling companions, and I felt a little jet lagged and a little excited. The full reality of student teaching abroad hadn't hit us yet. We were still a bit roughed up from the turbulence in the plane. In no later than 30 minutes, it started to hit. We walked around the Frankfurt airport looking at the German people and shops. Soon we bought our first European meal. Of course it consisted of coffee and a bread item.

To quote Miley, we hoped on another plane and made it to Copenhagen. A train took us to Malmo our destination. While getting on and off that train, everyone's passports were checked.  A new law (or maybe they call it something else) was instituted not long ago within the EU. THERE ARE BORDER CHECKS. One of the largest reason for this change is the refugees pouring in needing places to go. This was a little wild to me. I have been taught all my life, one of the wonderful parts of the EU is the free passage into other countries within the EU therefore NO border checks. While it is still free to go form each country, a form of identification is needed. This was just one example of how the EU is changing slowly from the massive numbers of refugees fleeing to many to it. Don't get me wrong, I am not against this mass flow of refugees. I believe they need somewhere to go. I don't have the answers but I also wouldn't turn someone away is is fleeing their own country out of fear for their safety.

Back off of my soap box. We arrived in Malmo to Matts our Swedish supervisor. He drove us around the town showing us the sights and pointing out places we would be going. Thanks to him, in our first few days around Malmo we didn't get lost. Matts took us to our lodging and was kind enough to show us how the Swedish doors work (to be fair, it is different than America). The dorm room I am staying it was already furnished and new bedding was waiting for us. Lauren, Cassidy, and I are living in international housing. People are from all over (Hong Kong to Canada). We all have privates bedrooms and baths. We share a kitchen and main living space with 8 others. We learned soon the living room TV from the 90's does not get cable and ABC streaming does not work abroad. So Olivia, Ben, and other Bachelor women we have to forgo watching you trying to find love. Otherwise the housing is perfect for our needs!

We were off to the grocery store soon afterwards. Wanting to find something for dinner and hoping to see a little bit of the area. By this time it was 5 pm and we were getting quite tired. The store, to us, seemed like a zoo. Looking around, we struggled to read signs and find what we needed. We did get the hang of it and found the candy aisle too! Dinner consisted of a quick microwave meals. Soon we were off to bed, reading to bring on Sunday.

Signing off from Sweden,
Darby