In the end…Education is everything!

I am trying to get back into the rhythm of writing every week and it feels good.  My schedule allows me to have time to read about most things that I did not have time to do when I was teaching and in school.  So this has been one of the best things about this year.  Another amazing thing about this year has been the ability to take time to reflect on school, my job as a teacher in the US, and how people view teachers around the world.

Since the middle of the August, I have not had to worry about setting up a classroom, preparing lesson plans, grading, making sure that students are following directions and meeting standards in various academic areas and to be honest, I have really missed not being a teacher.  No, I don’t miss the long hours, countless number of times I have to repeat myself, or most mornings waking up worried if my lesson is going to be to engaging enough for all my students.  But at the same time, I truly miss making a difference in the lives of my students, seeing their faces light up when they finally grasp a concept they had been struggling with, or the simple fact that there is someone at school who believes in them.

However, over the last several weeks, I have been able to get back into teaching through a variety of ways and places.  Since Maren and I have gotten to Norway, I have been provided a wonderful opportunity to observe and volunteer in a class at a Montessori school in Oslo.  It has been an amazing opportunity because I have seen some things that are much different than I have experienced personally in the states, not just because it is a Montessori school compared to a public school.  In addition to observing at this school, I have been able to observe at both a public and private school as well.  What I have found at all three of these different types of school is education is the most important thing to everyone involved.

Watching the students interact with teachers, and classmates is very different than what I have seen in the states.  One of the biggest differences in these relationships is the level of trust that everyone has for each other.  In the states, there is a level of trust but here in Norway it is much higher.  Teachers will tell their students once about projects or work, but there is not a constant reminding of “don’t forget your project is due on Friday” or “you need to keep working because it is going to be on your test next week”.  Also, students are more trusting of their teachers because they don’t get nagged to get their work done, which allows students to think, process, and talk to their teachers on a level that they can be as transparent as possible.  While at the same time, the feelings are shown by teachers about the projects.

Through all the trust, students be more relaxed and comfortable at school.  Now, part of the reason for more trust is that students are not fighting to get their teacher’s attention because they get more attention at home.  Students are not acting out or being loud so teachers have to go over and talk to them about their behavior.  This is not something the education system can control but the outside world has so much control over what happens in the classroom, that I was blown away by how powerful it can be when all students have positive influences at home.

But I said that I have back into teaching in a variety of ways and I have only talked about my times at schools.  Well, I have been doing teaching outside of the classroom as well. I have taken on a small side business of tutoring students in both English and math.  This has been an amazing chance to work with kids over a variety of ages and levels, but without the stress of being assessed at the end of the semester.  Currently, I am working with a young man who is in 8th grade on math and it is amazing how different things are when working one on one outside of classroom.  They are more attentive and willing to try concepts that they normally wouldn’t in class for fear of being made fun of for not understanding.  In addition, I have also been working with two 5th grade boys on their English.  With so many people in the world speaking English and not Norwegian, many families want their children to improve their English to levels in which they can have fluent conversations in both English and Norwegian, and what a great opportunity to hire a professionally trained teacher to help improve their English, right?! These boys are so excited to learn that they are willing to try anything to improve their English because they know how important it is to their future.

The time outside the traditional classroom has really taught me a lot about what the world’s classroom has to offer.  I have told many parents and students that “learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom” and man, was I right!  I think that the biggest lessons I have learned so far is that everything comes down to how much effort you put into education is what you are going to get out of it, but also respect for others is based on the level of trust you have in them.  While teaching, I thought that I did a great job of putting in lots of effort and respect, but I have found that I can continue to improve those areas just like I continue to learn about new teaching methods.  I feel like this year is making me that much better as a teacher so when I start interviewing (hopefully) for jobs when we get back to the states, I can show all that I have learned from this experience and time.

At the end of the day, though, I can’t wait to get back into my own classroom and continue teaching!!!