The notorious assignment

We just finished a two month long process, where we had to write an assignment and afterwards make a presentation.
At first, we were divided into groups because of our fields of interest. I was in group with a Danish guy, a French girl and a Spanish girl from Barcelona.
Then we had to sit in the groups and decide what topic we wanted to write about.
The assignments task, was to choose a subject, write about it within the three different countries, then discuss the similarities and differences, and write them down.
We chose the subject "Young Criminals - Legislation, Institution and Programs". Unfortunately, I wrote the exact same assignment last semester, so there wasn't that much new for me to learn, other than the fact that the age of criminal responsibility in Denmark was changed this summer from 15 to 14 years old. But of course I learned how it works in the two other countries, and that was okay exiting. I have to say only okay and not more, because I had hoped to learn something new.. And then, when we chose this subject, I hoped that I at least could learn how it works in Spain, so I know when I leave in February, but the Spanish girl from my group was from Barcelona, so she only knew the Catalan laws, and way of working with young criminals..
But it was okay, and I think it was a good learning experience to work in groups with other cultures and way of working, which was very challenging at some points. We had some difficulties along the way. For an example, we could only write between 8-10 pages, and I thought it was extremely hard to narrow everything down to that amount of pages, because we had to write the most important for each country, plus write down our thoughts and discussions on each subject in the project. But we made it work, and got the second highest score, so I am satisfied.
Now I would just like some feedback on the project, and on our presentation, because I would like to know what to do next time, so I can get the highest score. :)

Perspectives for professional work with children and young people

I remember once, when I worked at an after school club with kids from 5-9 years old. I was in charge of the new kids who came from kindergarten, and was starting in school, and one of the boys was... Actually I don't know exactly where he was from, but he looked like he came from Greenland or maybe had some Indian roots. Anyways! He was taught from home, that men (and apparently boys as well) don't take directions from women. And since most pedagogues are women, we had some of them in that institution as well..
Every time we told the boy to go somewhere, or tried to explain the rules to him, he looked at us, and then he walk along, like nothing happened. He completely ignored us. So we had a talk with the boys father, who didn't understand the problem.. He taught it was totally normal, not to care about what women says. The root to where the boy's attitude was found, but unfortunately adults are a lot more difficult to chance than kids! So it took a very long talk, to make him understand, that it is not okay to think that way, and that he had to talk with his son about it, because one of the female pedagogues was going to tell him A LOT of things, and correct him A LOT of times, in the following period, and then the boy had to listen and do what was told. After a while, we got through to the father, and after a couple of weeks, the boy actually understood it as well.

It was very difficult to be around the boy and his father, at first, because I was so provoked by their way of thinking. But after a while, I started to realise that I had to be professional, and not take it personal, and I have used that experience a lot of times since.

So what have we been doing so far?

For the first month, we have worked at lot in groups, getting to know each other, and it has been GOOOOD!

Even though there is a lot of similarities to the way that we work with children and young people, there is also a lot of differences that I didn't know. For an example, the amount of time we spend on educating our self, variates within 1 year, depending on which country you look upon. And the possibilities we have afterwards, is also very different. In Denmark we take a bachelor in social education, which means that we can work pretty much anywhere we like, when we are done. But in Spain, you become a primary teacher if you want to be a teacher, and then you have to read further on, if you want to be an English teacher.

We have made a lot of culture-exercises, and it has been fun to see or maybe realise how much we judge a person before we even get to know them. We all have a lot of prejudices, and that can never be chanced, but the exercises has helped me, trying to chance my own prejudices into something good and unknown, when I meet a new person.

We have looked at the differences and similarities between the history, traditions and way of working in all the countries, and the good thing about making that comparison, is of course to get a bigger understanding for one and other, but also that we learn the English expressions of what we are doing, and becoming. Because I might know what I am doing in Danish (at least I should know), but that doesn't mean, that I know to explain it in English, or that it is understood in the same way as I want it to be, if I just translate it, because the terms very often is used differently in other countries. And of course it's also nice to repeat some of the things we were taught at the 1. and 2. semester!

I have met an angel this first month

Now the first month is over, and what a month! I have made SO many close friends already, I never though it could have happened so fast. I have specially become very close to the once from Madrid - and even more concrete: LAURA. She is an angel send from above! They all are, but Laura, Laura, Laura.. How can I describe her in the best possible way.. As I've mentioned before, I am going to Madrid in February, for my practical placement, and I am pretty nervous. (Okay, I might as well be honest..) I am VERY nervous! Not for the placement. For that I can't wait! But the whole "being away from everything I know, for 6 months", that's pretty scary to me! But Laura has helped me in every way you can imagine. She is searching for a place to live for me, she has introduced me to her mother, brother and friends (over Skype, and the once that have visited her), she has taught me Spanish, she has taught me how to make tortillas -which I love! And most of all, she showed me what a really good friend she is, when she came to visit me every day this weekend, were I have been lying at home, with an enormous pain in my back. Her and Bea (sweet sweet and very funny Bea), came and made me dinner (delicious frozen pizzas) and just talked. I couldn't have asked for anything more! And even though I'm still scared of going to Madrid, I'm not terrified any more, cause now I know that I have a close and very good friend when I go there. :)

My new friends at the international course

We are nearly 50 students in all, with students from Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Finland, Netherlands and Turkey. All of us Danish students, are studying to become pedagogues, while most of the foreign students are teachers, or under education to become one.
It has been extremely exiting to get to know everybody, and so far the semester seems very interesting. We have had a lot of culture-exercises, were we have been parted differently each time, so even thought we have only known each other for 2 weeks, it seems like we have been together for over a month.
I have talked a lot with all the Spanish students, because I am going to Madrid for my practical placement, in February. I am pretty worried about the trip, because I have to be away from my friends, family and mostly my boyfriend, for 6 months. But I am also looking very much forward, and I think it will be an amazing experience.