Malmanger Skule-First Day :)

Today was our first day of student teaching here. I am working in a first grade classroom with Siv. She is so great to work with and get to know. We began at 8:00 with a staff meeting where us American students were welcomed. I shook hands with every single teacher, a bit overwhelming- I don't think I remember one name, hopefully I can master some by the end of my time here! Everyone's English is also very good. I am so impressed and relieved to know that they can understand me better than they can speak it. It's comforting to know I will be able to communicate with adults easily with English.

Our little welcome from the school. They also gave us each a banana :)

We got a tour of the school, which was pretty cool. It was interesting to see how different the layout and organization is from US schools. Students don't wear their shoes in the classroom-only outside. I thought this was pretty cool. It made it feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable. The schedule was also very different, school only lasts until 1:05 p.m. The days go so quickly, but seem to be pretty productive. Somehow there was time for math, reading, writing, and art, as well as community time or some singing. Lunch is very early too- around 10:00. Most students pack their own lunch, usually an open faced sandwich of some sort and a piece of fruit.

The front view of my school!

The whole day was in Norwegian, so it was somewhat difficult to follow and communicate with the students. I was still able to help, and try my best to figure out what they wanted, but challenging. I am excited to learn some Norwegian and have them learn some English. It seems like this will be quite the experience for teaching and I am looking forward to whats ahead!

The path I ran on. Love being surrounded by mountains!

 After school I went for a run along the fjord. It was a little rainy, but really nice to be able to be outdoors in such a beautiful place! I am looking forward to continuing running, hiking, and spending lots of time outdoors, especially up in those mountains!