Teaching in Sweden?

To be honest I’m not sure if I want to be a teacher and with only two education classes under my belt, it’s safe to say I’m the underdog around my fellow Swedish Education majors. This being said; let me tell you about my shadow day experience.

Anotonskolan, Blekedamm is a school of multiple “houses”, housing grade groups K-9. It gives a camp-like feel, where the kids remove their shoes and call their teachers by their first names. After my first day shadowing 4^th and 5^th graders I was highly impressed by the students English, number of aids per classroom and freshly made lunches prepared by a chef. This week was “North and South America Inspiration Week” and being from North America the teachers wanted me to plan three hours of lessons for students ranging from 12-16 years old—that night.

Three hours of sleep later—I headed back to Antonskolan with a powerpoint I created that focused largely on how Sweden and Scandinavia are connected to North America and how our school systems compare and contrast. I believe it got the children thinking and active in asking questions. Next we played quiz BINGO about my presentation and they all received North American and Swedish candy to compare the differences. Lastly, they each received a Minot pin to represent what we learned about the “Magic City” and where I am from. Leaving the classroom I know the teacher and students took something out of this day, but so did I. My shadow experience hardly went as I thought it would (sitting in the back of the classroom), but sometimes the greatest rewards come out of things unexpected.

—xoko