Submitted by Celia Bissett (not verified) on February 13, 2008 - 19:46.
This article tugged at my heart because I too was in the same shoes as the author. We lived in Sweden for 6 years and all three of our children attended Swedish schools. I remember worrying about the same things (at first). My oldest attended preschool through 3rd grade in Sweden. Honestly when we moved back to the USA my daugther thought school was much easier here but with longer hours per day. The quantity of hours that American children spend in classrooms compared to what my daughter did in Sweden still baffles me. With our second daughter I was a little worried about her not reading to what we expected in 1st grade. Although this was a second language for her with two english speaking parents, her sister picked up reading swedish faster. The Swedish teachers were so relaxed and reassuring. Here in the USA my daughter would have already been put into some kind of intense reading program. By third grade she was reading well above reading level. We sometimes create many problems by rushing kids who are not developmentally ready and thus create anxiety (for parents also) and a negative attitude towards reading. The Swedes treat it more as a natural, innate curiosity that over time children learn. They learned how to sew, weave, cook, played outside several times a day, climbed trees, sang songs but they did not sit with a pencil and paper. Because socialization is an early priority when primary school starts they are READY to learn. I am forever grateful for that experience because without it my background knowledge and views of learning would continue to be as the author described as similar to her own childhood experiences. I also taught 7th and 8th grade English at a Swedish public school and it was an enlightening experience. My undergraduate degree is in elementary education and masters degree from Michigan State University in literacy and k-12 leadership. When I lived abroad I was always trying to learn and experience from their point of view. Their international scores in literacy and math are always ranked in the top threshold.
We also lived in Germany before Sweden. Our two oldest children attended a German Kindergarten (age 3 and 5) and that was a phenomenal experience similar to Sweden. A mother from Texas at the same school approached the teacher and said her children weren't learning "anything". The teacher was confused and the mother elaborated and said, in Texas they were writing their ABC's and 123's. This is typically rote, lower level cognitive skills. I on the other hand was extremely pleased by the constant board games that were teaching incredible number sense at an early age and collaborative social skills. The german teacher approached me as she was so concerned by these comments.
I do want to echo the affordability and quality of the schools in both countries was beyond my expectations.
Great article -We can learn from other cultures
Submitted by Celia Bissett (not verified) on February 13, 2008 - 19:46.
This article tugged at my heart because I too was in the same shoes as the author. We lived in Sweden for 6 years and all three of our children attended Swedish schools. I remember worrying about the same things (at first). My oldest attended preschool through 3rd grade in Sweden. Honestly when we moved back to the USA my daugther thought school was much easier here but with longer hours per day. The quantity of hours that American children spend in classrooms compared to what my daughter did in Sweden still baffles me. With our second daughter I was a little worried about her not reading to what we expected in 1st grade. Although this was a second language for her with two english speaking parents, her sister picked up reading swedish faster. The Swedish teachers were so relaxed and reassuring. Here in the USA my daughter would have already been put into some kind of intense reading program. By third grade she was reading well above reading level. We sometimes create many problems by rushing kids who are not developmentally ready and thus create anxiety (for parents also) and a negative attitude towards reading. The Swedes treat it more as a natural, innate curiosity that over time children learn. They learned how to sew, weave, cook, played outside several times a day, climbed trees, sang songs but they did not sit with a pencil and paper. Because socialization is an early priority when primary school starts they are READY to learn. I am forever grateful for that experience because without it my background knowledge and views of learning would continue to be as the author described as similar to her own childhood experiences. I also taught 7th and 8th grade English at a Swedish public school and it was an enlightening experience. My undergraduate degree is in elementary education and masters degree from Michigan State University in literacy and k-12 leadership. When I lived abroad I was always trying to learn and experience from their point of view. Their international scores in literacy and math are always ranked in the top threshold.
We also lived in Germany before Sweden. Our two oldest children attended a German Kindergarten (age 3 and 5) and that was a phenomenal experience similar to Sweden. A mother from Texas at the same school approached the teacher and said her children weren't learning "anything". The teacher was confused and the mother elaborated and said, in Texas they were writing their ABC's and 123's. This is typically rote, lower level cognitive skills. I on the other hand was extremely pleased by the constant board games that were teaching incredible number sense at an early age and collaborative social skills. The german teacher approached me as she was so concerned by these comments.
I do want to echo the affordability and quality of the schools in both countries was beyond my expectations.