Day 1: First Day of Skole

Happy first day of school in Norway! They spell school skole, though it used to be skule. It is pronounced skool. As I went through my dad I realized a few things. I can't be afraid to sound silly. I need to try and try and try until I get it. When they make the guttural trilled r that I may never be able to duplicate, I still need to try. I also want to learn Norwegian. I want to be able to talk with the people around me. When I am speaking to anyone I am noticing myself speaking slower and with more precise vocabulary. This way of speaking required quite a bit of thinking and so I have unnatural pauses and often forget the word I am looking for. But I hope it helps people understand me better. 

I started out the day with Hilde picking me up for school. Hilde is my cooperating teacher and is marvelous! She is a wonderful teacher and is willing to ask questions and answer questions. I can tell her students really like her a lot. She introduced me to the teachers at her school and showed me around. She warned me that recess may be crazy with all 100 children that attend the school running around. I told her not to worry, back home we have 100 children in just one grade, not seven!

As class started I walked around to get a good look at what everyone was doing. Several children raised their hands and it was right then that I realized what a difference a language barrier makes. I couldn't help those kids, answer their questions, or point them in the right direction because I couldn't read their instructions or speak to them in a way that they would truly understand. It kind of hurt my heart. 

I took note of several things, but mostly what was similar or different about Norwegian schools and American schools. 

Same: The teachers counted down to let the students know how much time they had to get ready to learn. 

All of the children had cubbies for their books and equipment. 

All children love drawing, and all children can draw excellent stick-figures. Guess that is something that translates well between cultures. 

Students still learn cursive, it is just in Norsk instead of English. 

Early finishers had extra work they can do. 

Lunch is at 10:50. That was a happy discovery, it was the same time at Ellis for the 5th grade!

Attention getters such as clapping in a rhythm and the students answer in a different rhythm. 

Communicating with the parents is important. 

Different: All of the grades have recess at the same time on the same equipment.

Recess is awesome! The kids have to get their equipment and are allowed to create and fun around and play on everything. It was wonderful to watch!

They don't have every subject every day. They spread the subjects out through the week. But Mondays (mandag) are always the same and so are Tuesdays (trisdag) and so forth. 

I get to teach on Thursday. I am excited to do that! Also nervous. I wonder what it would take to get a teaching job here. I would need to know Norsk first! I want to spend an entire year here, and teaching here would be a joy!