I thought I was possibly crossing a line that I did not know where it ran just yet, but that graphic line of dialogue opens eyes and minds. This particular group contained older students, juniors and seniors we would call them, and they took the points well and gave them a home in their minds. That was really a break-through moment I think. I earned a bit of a reputation as a hard-hitting speaker on Indian matters this day. I would find out more about that later.
Following my presentations in the classes I had a meeting with Pia, another of the English teachers, whom I think is also the department chair. She also works for the Danish Ministry of Education as an examination preparer. Our teachers in the US will have some parallelism with this, a person who prepares and administers the end of instruction exams for the different state standards. Pia was to help me set a schedule for the remainder of my time here in Denmark, which actually she could not fully do, only give me a general idea of what might be happening in the coming days.
Turns out the educational system here in Denmark is not at all like ours at NSU when it comes to academic freedom. Colleagues, take careful note of this and be thankful for what you have. As I understand the system here – please bear in mind that I have been here only a few days and this may not be a full vision of the Danish system – teachers are not at all in control of the schedules, and the schedules change about every two weeks. By that I mean the Ministry of Education (or someone somewhere) sends out new schedules and lesson plans every two weeks. This seems very prescriptive. I am not sure I could function properly knowing only two weeks at a time what lessons were to be taught, and to have the dictated to me from someone afar who has no idea what the personality of a class is, what is going on in the classroom, and my pedagogical philosophies. There seems to me to be no academic freedom, well – maybe some, but certainly not the level we enjoy in America, and certainly not the level we have at NSU. That is not an indictment, simply an observation of what seems to be a major difference. Although I do not fully know the system here.
Students even seemed to have responded to my different style of teaching. Apparently because I am a visiting scholar I am afforded liberties that the system’s teachers do not enjoy. Students commented to some of the teachers and administrators (and it got back to me) that they liked my “free-wheeling” style of discussions. One student even told his teacher, his own English teacher, that my discussion in his class was the “… best English lesson he had ever had.” I was not sure what to say to that; after all, this was his English teacher whom he told that and who was now relaying it to me. I managed a meager “Thanks” and quickly tried to shift the topic. But apparently every class I have visited so far is eager to have me return.
Following this scheduling meeting with Pia I made my way home. The bike ride seemed very easy. What wind there was happened to be a tail wind; that combined with the longer, slightly downhill orientation of the ride home made the going easy. I made it in record time. I’m not sure what the record is, but it was record time for me.
The remainder of the evening was calm time; I sat around relaxing some at first, then later did some reading and writing. Funny, I am not feeling so driven here. By that I mean when I am home, at NSU, I feel self-driven to be productive every moment I am awake. Each day starts at zero for me, and if I do not hit 110% by the day’s end I feel a sense of nonaccomplishment. I am not feeling that here
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