First Day of Teaching Practice!

Yesterday I began my teaching practice at Folkungaskolan. I couldn't have asked for a better placement! The school is even more beautiful than the photographs. I arrived about half an hour early by accident (like my dad says, "there are two times: too early and too late." and I was NOT going to be too late on my first day). My supervising teachers weren't there yet but the headmaster, Of (pronounced oof) invited me in for fika. Can you guess what was on the coffee mug he gave me? That's right!

Finally I got to meet the teachers I'd be working with. Karin arrived first. She was so kind and welcoming. I also met Sara, Karin's Swedish student teacher. Sara worked with the class during their Svenska class (Svenska means Swedish. This class is like our English/Language Arts classes in America). Sara speaks Swedish and English and has been so helpful to me. We love discussing the similarities and differences between Swedish and American Education, not just in Elementary Schools but also in how the teachers are trained in Universities. Sara has two more weeks left in this placement, so she will leave halfway through my placement.

My supervising teacher for the fifth grade classes is Björn Lorenzoni. This teacher has charisma that sets a room on fire. His personality is so big that it wasn't until later that I noticed the tattoos covering his arms. As Lena had told me, piercings, tattoos, and street clothes are not as frowned upon in the Swedish culture. I knew I would enjoy working with Björn. He is one of the most enthusiastic teachers I've ever met! He immediately greeted me and told me how excited he is about me being here. I never considered that they are just as thrilled about this as I am! I gave Björn and Karin the gifts I brought for them from Kentucky (a Kentucky Derby horseshoe, a miniature Louisville Slugger bat, and a bag of modjeskas).

I met Karin's fourth graders first. They were very shy but also very excited. I showed them the powerpoint I made to introduce myself then invited them to introduce themselves in English.

After the introductions I had to run straight to Björn's room. His students are a year older than Karin's. I was amazed by their English! They were much more fluent than the fourth graders. It's amazing to me how much English they must learn in only one school year. I really enjoyed watching Björn with the students. He has such a great energy and rapport with his students. They absolutely adore him. When I walked in I could immediately tell how much the kids had been looking forward to this. Many of them had never met an American. Björn teased them saying "Why don't you get this excited when I walk into the room." They were on the edge of their seats during my powerpoint. They loved all the pictures of my family and friends. After my powerpoint they hit me with a waterfall of questions. I loved it! They were just so happy about me being here and so am I. 

Björn told me that he and the students spent the last month working extremely hard to get a full month ahead in their curriculum so that when I come, they are completely free to spend this entire month as MY class. This was exciting but also very intimidating. Due to the nature of the exchange program, no one had really explained to us what to expect. I just met these students who are only in their second year of learning English and now I was told I would take over their entire English class starting tomorrow, without any knowledge of their classroom procedures or standards! I was caught completely off guard. I'm used to everything being so structured, this is very different. But I know I can handle it. As scary as it is, I am thrilled for this opportunity to be thrown straight into the deep end. What an incredible learning experience this will be for me as a teacher!

After meeting all of the 110 students I will be teaching for the next month, Björn invited me to the Personelrum (teacher's lounge) for a brainstorming session to generate some ideas for this month's English classes. When he said brainSTORM he wasn't kidding. We were both so enthusiastic, our pens couldn't even keep up with our ideas! There are so many teachers out there who seem to have burnt out and I never want to let that happen to me. That is why it is so inspiring when I get to work with a 10th year teacher who still radiates with a passion for teaching and a drive to be the very best for his students.

This experience is going to be more rewarding than I ever could've imagined. I could really tell this school puts a strong emphasis on student engagement. Björn and I have already come up with some wonderful ideas to help our students learn English through the exploration of their passions: art and music. One of the foundational ideas behind my personal teaching philosophy has always been that the most profound and effective way to learn something is by using it to do what you love. By incorporating my students' passions into their learning I will help them to develop a passion for learning itself.