week 6 Professional

Over the last couple of weeks we have spent time talking to others about their education systems and visiting some Swedish schools. First we visited a gymnasium school (senior high school) where we were able to look around and see what programmes were offered to the children who attend; these ranged from construction to bakery to hairdressing. They were similar to courses offered by further education colleges at home except only children aged 16-19 can attend, what I noticed most was that the school appeared to have a lot more facilities than an FE college and the workspace available for each course was larger and better equipped. We have also visited a Montessori school which was an interesting experience and the teachers and children were happy to show us around and talk with us about the differences between Montessori and municipal schools.

We have also had the opportunity to talk to Swedish students and we used this time to ask what they thought of the fact that Swedish children do not wear uniforms. Most of them agreed that they liked the non-uniform policy and felt that it allowed them to keep their identity. Some of those who thought uniform was better were in favour because they thought it would stop bullying in school as it put everyone on the same level. We know that this is not true as we have uniforms yet there are still problems with bullying and did point this out to the students in our group. Teachers in Sweden also have a more relaxed dress code than at home and wearing jeans on school placement is considered normal. I am not sure how I feel about this as I am used to teachers dressing in a smart way and I am not sure if dressing in a casual manner might take the emphasis of school being important. On a previous teaching practice at home I recall a teacher saying that she never dressed up for parent/teacher meetings because it wasn’t her clothes but was her attitude and personality that determined her ability as a teacher so perhaps this is a reflection of how Swedes think.

Children in Sweden don’t start school until the age of 7 and are in compulsory education until the age of 16. This is much later than at home but appears to be similar to a lot of other European countries. All education is also free, including any field trips that the children may go on. This may sound like a good thing but we have been told that it means there are not many opportunities for children to go on trips because the school budget doesn’t cover the cost. While school trips are not essential I believe that they are an important part of school life and would be sorry if they were not offered to my children.

Next week sees us on a week-long placement in a local school so I am sure my next professional blog will be full of reflections on the Swedish education system and on myself as a teacher outside my normal environment.