Hej!

Today we had our first day of 'School Experience' in Bakkeskolen in Kolding. 

We, me and Alexiane (my fellow student from Switzerland), met group 1B (first grade, 7 years old) and 3B (third grade, 9 years old) supervised by Charlotte who teaches Danish.

These were my first impressions (OMG!):

• it's okay to walk around in the classroom while the teacher is talking or while she's giving instructions;
• it's okay to crawl on the desks, on the ground, on each other, ... while the teacher is teaching;
• it's okay to hug the teacher during the course;
• it's okay to burp ten times without a warning or a caution;
• it's okay to start the break 20 minutes before the bell rings if the children aren't 'attentive';
• it's okay to pick up the phone while you're teaching and then to leave the group alone in the classroom;
• it's okay to listen to music on a mp3 player in the classroom;
• it's okay to eat and drink as much as you want during class;
• it's okay not to open your workbook while the others are filling in two pages;
• it's okay to screw up a brand new schoolbook;
• ... the best is yet to come?

If these things would happen during my traineeship in Belgium, I'm sure it would be the end of my placement.

Is this really all okay? 

Some pupils haven't  done anything during the whole school day (8.15h - 12.30h) but walking around, chatting, drawing and getting bored.  Most of the pupils don't listen to what the teacher is saying. I feel sorry for the children who are able to really learn something. Does the teacher enjoy her job? 

I wonder how the next days will be...

DID YOU KNOW...

• that BAKKESKOLEN in Kolding is the school where I will join the teacher of the third grade called Charlotte?
• that Bakkeskolen has a beautiful huge playground with grass court where the children can climb the many trees, where they can play on a nice wooden climbing frame, where you have to solve your own problems if you have a quarrel instead of going to the teacher-judge, ...
• that Bakkeskolen is a colorful place where every pupil can walk with his shoes off?
   (You can put your shoes in the shoe rack in the hallway.) They walk around in the school on their socks because in that way it keeps the floors clean longer and the children feel more at ease.
• that the children also can go to childcare after school where they have a large kitchen, a room with a cuddle corner, a room with computers, playstations and other games, ...
  
  
   In the hallway there's a schedule with magnets named after the kids from childcare. Hereby the parents and educators know where the kids are playing. (The children decide it themselves!)
• that the pupils from the 10th grade can speak English very well? They sound like real Americans!
• that we also visited KOLDINGHUS? Koldinghus is situated on the shore of the lake. It used to be the castle of the Danish king Christian I (1448-1481).
   (The queen looks a bit like a man, don't you think?)
• that a couple of weeks before, we also went to Kolding to take a look at the lake, but then we hadn't noticed  the big castle at the other side of the lake? Bummer!
  
• that we wanted to make a presentation about our trip to Koldinghus in powtoon.com but it wasn't working, so we've made a short movie.
  
• that we had breakfast in the sun? We've had 4 days of blue sky and shining sun. Lovely!
• that we've had a surprise party for Loes birthday?
• that we went to a sport- border school in Vojens (Efterskole)?
• What really surprised me:
• They're 171 pupils aged 16-17 living in this school.
• They live together in compartiments of say 12 girls/boys in apartments with one 'roomie'.
• Everybody has a main sport. They can choose gymnastics, handball, batminton, football, dancing, ...
• They live there for one year. Mostely they go home in the weekends.
• Everybody likes the school very much. It's a place where...
• they can be together with their friends all the time (friends forever!), 
• personal development and improvement of selfconfidence is very important,
• they learn how to be mature and be able to make a more qualified choice concerning future life and educational direction,
• If I would be left alone in this school, I would get lost for sure!
  The school has:
• a big mirror dance hall for gymnastics and dancing
• a fitness room
• lots of class rooms
• a big batminton hall
• a sports hall
• a handball hall
• a hall for gymnastics
• a huge big indoor sportshall (it's new; they can play football in there in case of bad weather)
• a big grass field 
• a room full of sewing machines where you can design and create your own clothes
• a room provided with machines and materials to do woodworking
• a room provided with machines and materials to do metallurgy
• a room provided with machines and mateials to do mechanics
• a room provided with instruments to play music
• lots of lounges where they can sit together and relax
• a big rest room with tv, an huge sofa, a football table, ...
• a dining room
• an assembly hall (where the days start by singing songs, speeches, ...)
• washrooms
• buildings where the students live together
• ...
  
  OMG,  If I would be 16 again....