just keep swimming

Hi, how are you doing?  Do you have any questions?  Here, let me show you. Let’s go get a coffee, and then meet. These phrases seemed to be the soundtrack of this past week as I dove into my first week of school.  As I attempted to swim through a flood of information, the other staff at my school generously came alongside me to see how I was doing and offer advice.  There were meetings to attend, supplies to gather, lessons to plan, classrooms to prep, and an entire education system to become familiar with.  And, even after all that, I am happy to report that I am still afloat and ready for more.  I probably have a hundred stories I could share with you from this first week, but for the sake of time, here is a rundown of the highlights from each day:

Monday:  Monday was the first day that all staff reported back to school.  The day started with a short pep talk from the principal, and continued on with various meetings to get plans rolling for the year. It seemed that the name of the game on Monday was precisely that—to keep all the names straight.  Not only the names of the 39 other staff members, but also the growing list of terminology specific to the school and Swedish education system.  Lgr 11. STP.  IUP. AC. Yes, I am learning slow but sure. 

Tuesday: On Tuesday, we had a bit more time to sort through the information that was given to us on Monday.  Furthermore, I began to gather supplies for my class.  I should probably mention that one significant difference between Swedish and American schools is in how resources are distributed.  By law, teachers cannot require students in Sweden to bring any supplies to school—notebooks, pens, pencils, paper—nothing.  It is up to the school to provide these materials.  So, on Tuesday, my mission involved securing notebooks for my year 6 science class.  While supplies seem to be in short supply at the school, I had a major victory in scoring 90 notebooks for my year 6 science students.  Success!  It is exciting to think that in the coming weeks and months, these notebooks will be filled with the goodness of double bubble maps, flip books, Frayer Model vocabulary grids and the like.

Wednesday: Wednesday was another day of learning.  In the morning, the academic coordinator gave us a quick introduction to the new Swedish grading system.  Wrapping my head around this grading system was probably one of the biggest challenges this first week.  The Swedes can earn grades of A, B, C, D, E and F where E is considered an average (and decent) grade, and A is considered an out-of-this-world grade.  When grading an assignment or test, teachers are not allowed to mark on students’ papers the points they receive or the percent correct.  Rather, I must create rubrics that allow me to assign students grades based on the extent to which they have mastered a skill.  In some ways, this grading system resembles the standards-based grading system which is very slowly becoming popular in the US.  I like it, but am still learning how to work with it. 

 

Thursday: On Thursday, the administration organized a surprise all-day outing for the entire staff.  At 8:00 sharp, we boarded a bus, not knowing the adventures which lay before us.  After a two hour drive, the bus turned into the town of Lidköping.  With cobblestone streets and red-roof buildings, the town has quite an aesthetic appeal.  It is here that we enjoyed a lovely fika (coffee break) at a nice little café.  We then had about an hour to explore a porcelain museum, shop at some outlet stores and just wander the town.  

Notice the cobblestone streets of Lidköping.  Lovely. 

Before fika, the whole staff wandered down to city center.

After exploring Lidköping, we once again boarded the bus and made our way to Läckö Castle.  At this castle, we enjoyed a gourmet lunch which included freshly-caught smoked salmon and vegetables grown in the castle’s garden.  The word delicious doesn’t quite do the meal justice.  After lunch, we went on a guided tour of the castle, getting a quick lesson on Swedish history.  Overall, it was a spectacular day for staff bonding and provided a much needed break from school. 

Professional development at a castle?  Not bad.

From L to R: science teacher from Canada, Swedish
as a Second Language teacher from Poland, me,
science and maths teacher from England. 

Friday: We resumed school work on Friday, attending meetings and planning lessons.  Probably the most exciting bit of news that came from this day is that Science Solutions will be going global!  Science Solutions is a course I created when teaching at Breakthrough Saint Paul.  It includes a number of science labs that aim to give kids an appreciation for the relevance and fun of science.  You can view some of the original curriculum here, or get a flavor for the class by watching the video below.  Anyways, I was very excited to learn that I will get to teach this course as an elective this year.

      

Overall, this past week was a good one.  As a first year teacher, it has been so nice to experience the level of support that was offered by the other teachers.  A similar level of adventure no doubt awaits me this upcoming week.  On Monday, I will be going on a quick trip to Stockholm (for school, not vacation).  On Tuesday, we have a meet-the-parents evening.  And, on Wednesday, the students arrive.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.  Swimming, swimming.