In Denmark we go to school from Monday to Friday, and then we have the weekend free for other activities. There are different kinds of schools, some are owned by the state, others are owned by persons. In Denmark it is a law, that everybody has to go to school for 9 years. Parents aren’t paying for their children to go to school, the state is paying. It is typical for a student to take the bus, bicycle or walk to school. Students are going to school around 8 in the morning until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. In the afternoon we have time to make our homework’s and be with our friends.
Typical classes have 20-25 students and different teachers for different subjects. So we have many different teachers, one for Danish and history.. One for English.. One for biology and so on. Besides that we have 2 lessons of gymnastics a week. So we got about 6 different teachers, and besides that the school got a principal, secretary and other staff, who run the school.
Boys and girls are in the same class. It is a very free environment, because we dress in whatever we want and we sit wherever we want, and we call the teacher by first name. So we decide for ourselves and therefore we are very independent. In class the students are making different exercises and projects, also group work. During the year the students work with different topics in each lesson, such as grammar in English. In the end of the year students in 9th grade take their exam and finish primary school. Afterwards finishing 9th grade, the students can choose between different educations. You can choose between business school, gymnasium, 10th grade or something else. From there your education is your own responsibility.
Laura Hjortkjær
Skals Continuation School
Boarding schools:
A boarding school is a place where students study, but it is also a place where students live. In Denmark we go to boarding school for a year, or 10 month. Or you can choose to stay on the school for two years. This cost from 30,000 kr. (11,889,092.78 Ugandan Shillings) to 50,000 kr. (19,815,154.63 Ugandan Shilling's).
Boarding school is optional, but before you go to boarding school, you have to go through an elementary school. It is a 9 year education, and it is a law that you have to go through it in Denmark.
In Denmark boarding school is only 9th and 10th grade. But there are few schools in Denmark we call private schools, where you also can go for more than two years. A private school is a school founded by the students parents and are independent of the locals and the government. Here they have their own rules and laws.
In the boarding school there are normally from 100 to 200 students, they all live together and have to be around each other every day. But it is normal to go home in the weekends and you have to go home during the holidays.
Christoffer K. Stæhr
Skals Continuation School
Danish Schools (Eisbjerghus)
In Denmark we have the school for young children, and teenagers. It named secondary school.. You’re starting when you’re 7 years old, until you’re 16 years old. There is 1-9class. Its compulsory that you had take those classes. Its just like every others schools in others country. You have to learn our language (Danish) –German, mat, English and many others thing I’m sure you’re learning in your country too. Many kids who ‘s going in Danish school isn’t thanks full, because they really don’t know how it is in many others countries, example in the most of Africa – their don’t have the money, to built a school. Or the parents don’t have the money.. Denmark is one of the most rich countries in Europe, so we have the money. But we haven’t tried something else in others countries, so we don’t know what is like to don’t have a school. And then the most of us hate is, its taking all of our time (we’re think) – but the school and the teachers just want to help us.
After 9th class you can take 10th class, like I am doing at Eisbjerghus, which is an ‘’Efterskole’’.. It’s something you do if you’re isn’t ready to high school. But if you’re ready after 9th class, then you can take high school. I am taking high school after this year, and then I’m ready for high school – I hope.
Sheena, Eisbjerghus 09/10
In Denmark we have some schools we call boarding schools. It´s some schools where students from 14 to 18 years can go and live for a year, and they live there and get many new friends and a lot of impressions. There are 263 boarding schools in Denmark, and the one I live on is named Eisbjerghus and is on the island of Fionie. On my boarding school we live 121 people side by side, in the year 2009 – 2010.
In Denmark our Boarding schools are very different to many other boarding schools around the world. In Denmark we live on a boarding school for one year, but we can go home in weekends, some weekends must we go home and others we must stay.
We started the 9th of August, 2009. And now, after a month, this is the best thing I have ever tried to do, imagine to live with your friends all the time, to go to school with them, to laugh with them, eat, sleep, cry, and make fun together with them. It’s the best thing you ever can do to yourself!
Om my school we live in rooms where we are 3 or 4 students. It’s nice and lovely to live so many in one room, you’re never alone, and that is a very, very good feeling.
In the end of September we are going to Germany, to a village called Borgwedel. We are going to be away for 5 days. In that time where must see a lot of things. In the area near Borgwedel, we shall see a town called Slesvig and the old Danish fortress Danevirke.
In the end of March we all shall go to different countries, the countries where we could choose to go to were; Germany, Poland, France, Spain, Lithuania, Italy. We are going to be away for 1 week and live with a boy or girl in the country which we have choosen and go with them to school and live with them in the weekend.
Eisbjerghus
Julie Bligaard 2009
Boarding schools
*Efterskole is a Danish concept; it’s a kind of a boarding school. You can go to an efterskole in either 8th grade (14-15 years old), 9th grade (15-16 years old) or after finishing the public school, which is for nine years – you can take what we call a 10th grade (16-17 years old). There aren’t really similar schools in USA or England – so there isn’t really a word for it in English – therefore I’ll just write efterskole – and you’ll know what I mean. While you go at efterskole, you go to school 5 days a week, then you can decide if you want to stay for the weekend and relax with your friends, or go home to your parents and siblings. There is over 200 efterskoler in Denmark; each one of these has different opportunities and subjects. I’ve chosen Eisbjerghus efterskole which is what you can call a pretty international efterskole. Besides ordinary English, I have Cambridge English – in this subject it’s more about talking English, getting a better accent and so on. In the end of the year, can you choose to take a Cambridge English exam which will be checked by teachers from Cambridge University. Besides the English, I got French as a subject. Other students here have chosen to learn German, Spanish or Italian. In the middle of the school year, everyone is going to visit another European country as exchange student; the student that we visit will then come to visit us here at the school. So as you can tell, this efterskole is pretty international. I’m going to visit Spain as an exchange student, and therefore I’m involved in this Red Cross Denmark – Uganda project, which I find very interesting.
So I would like to tell you about the life and the everyday on my efterskole – Eisbjerghus efterskole.
I’ve chosen to talk about my wednesday – a totally normal wednesday here at the efterskole look like this:
I live with 3 other girls in a room, one of them might need a bath, others need to put on make-up or fix their hair - So we wake up around 6.15 in the morning. Then there is breakfast from 7.00 to 7.30, all the students eat together in our big dining hall. From 7.30-8.00 we have to go clean our rooms. From 8.00-8.30 we have this morning “get together thing”, where we watch the news and then one of the teachers tell us a story, sing with us or something like that. Then there are the lessons, at an ordinary wednesday I have: math, Multi Art – which is one of my two self chosen subjects, that I have every week, then I have French and English. In between the lessons are there a warm lunch and small breaks, which make the day seem lighter and easier. After the lessons we’ve got our daily exercise to do, it’s either walking or cycling. Then it’s time for cleaning up a sudden area with your roommates. By then it’s almost 17.30 and then it’s time for dinner. After dinner around 18.00 o’clock, we’ve got something called “silence hour” or “homework hour” in this hour we have to stay in our room and make homework or maybe take a nap. In the evening is there often what we call evening activities, I could be a quiz with some of the teachers or maybe some exercise. We have to be in our room by 22.15, and the lights must be switched off by 22.45 and then it’s goodnight and hello to a very deep sleep.
I might sound like we don’t have any spare time at all, but as soon as you have gotten used to the daily routine, it’s very nice being at efterskole. You’re never alone, you got your new best friends around you all the time, I mean, how lucky could you be?
Written by: Emma 10th grade at Eisbjerghus efterskole.
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