Copenhagen, Denmark

I just returned from a long weekend in Copenhagen.  I went there to attend a teaching conference but we managed to do some sightseeing as well.  Copenhagen is one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen.  It's relatively modern, but really clean and friendly.  The Nyhavn  (or New Harbor) area is stunning and has a slight New England-y feel.  The city is built around a system of canals, so one is never far from water.  Boats are everywhere and so are people.  I was amazed at how many people (and locals) were out at sidewalk cafes, wandering around, or just sitting on the edge of a dock in the early evening until late, late at night.  Denmark must also have the maximum 35 hour work weeks, because it seemed that no one was at work!  Even with all the people out,  I never felt crowded or like I was in a tourist-trap. 

Our conference ended by 4:30 each day, and then people set off to wander until late at night.  It was weird because with so many people out and about and it staying light so late, we'd look at our watch and be shocked that it was 11pm or midnight already!  The only negative thing I can say about Copenhagen is that it is EXPENSIVE.  Even more so than Zurich, which I find  hard to believe!  But, the local pay is really high I'm told and the quality of life looks pretty darn good. 

Enjoy the pics!

 

The Little Mermaid's sister at Tivoli Gardens.  The real statue is on vacation in Shanghai, but the sculptor's family have loaned their copy until she returns.  Too bad there was a stupid seagull on her head.  I waited 10 minutes for that bird to move!

Cute Tivoli sign

2 teachers from the kids' school in Zurich that were also at the conference.  Don't we look like a diversity poster for teachers at an International School??

Tivoli at night

Nyhavn

On the canal where the real Little Mermaid should be.

Popeye lives in Copenhagen!!!

Want to Pimp Your Latte??

If I knew then what I know now...

I would have applied for teaching jobs at International Schools right out of college!

I am spending this weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark to attend a teaching conference. The kids' school in Switzerland is sponsoring me and allowing me to say that I work for them, but since I don't I am paying for this conference (well, GM is covering the conference tuition), my flight, hotel, and an extra $75 to the state of MI to earn a few SBCEUs for attending. All the other participants are International School employees who have been sent here for training by their schools. The schools are paying for EVERYTHING for them. Flight, 3 nights hotel, conference costs, dinner expenses AND most schools pay the teachers $100 salary per day!

I remember the time I wanted to go to the MRA conference in Detroit and PCCS wanted me to not only pay for the conference, but even told me I'd have to pay the substitute teacher!

So far, from what I've seen at our kids' school and what I've learned at this conference so far, the grass really IS greener on the International side of the fence.

Even though this is a lot of money for way fewer SBCEUs than I had hoped for, I'm glad I'm here. Copenhagen is a great city, but I'm more interested in mingling with the teachers who work in these schools all around the world. When I finish this conference, I will have a certificate stating that I'm a trained Primary Years Program teacher in the International Baccelaureate Association. If I ever want to apply at an International School, this is a great way to boost my resume. Plus, I love hearing what wonderful things you can accomplish in schools where they have plenty of resources, where they value and pay for staff to attend meaningful professional development workshops, where class sizes are less than 20, and where teachers are well-compensated.

The teachers in my sessions are so enthusiastic and passionate. There isn't the usual moaning of "sure, that's a great idea, but who's going to buy that new curriculum material" or "great ideas, but that will be a little hard to implement when I have 30 students this year, 5 of whom are special needs" or "I'd love to go there on a field trip, but our district has cut back on bussing and we aren't allowed to go on field trips anymore".

No, these are people who work at schools who have supplies provided to them (instead of those of us who spend hundreds of our own dollars on school supplies every year). These teachers are respected professionals, who are treated like business people when traveling on business. They are given a professional development budget of over $2000 per year to use on conferences, classes, etc. to improve their teaching. They are full participants in designing curriculum at their schools according to IB guidelines. They are given collaboration time with their colleagues on a weekly basis for planning. They are not just teaching to the test and constantly dealing with behavior problems or filling out child study forms. They get to do the kind of teaching I was trained to do at MSU and have always wanted to do and tried to do.

Can you tell I'm a little bit jealous?

Yes, I'm sure there are down sides. IB teachers have to do much more in depth planning. They have longer report cards to write, and portfolios to create. But, it seems like they have so much more support than any public school offers. These schools are not all private, either. Many of the people I talked to today work in tuition-free schools (but in countries like Sweden and Denmark).

It sure seems like a good gig to me. I'm just going to sit and absorb now, but maybe later I'll look into a new career path.

Our New House

We are finally settled in enough for me to post some pics! We are really happy with the house and how it's working for us. The kids have the 3rd floor all to themselves. Their bedrooms, bathroom, and huge playroom are a hit and they don't mind being on a different floor from us.

We had to buy a few (okay, many) new pieces of furniture to fill up the house, since it's twice as big as our Swiss apartment and we couldn't get any of our other stuff that's in storage in MI. But, thanks to IKEA, I think we are in good shape. (too bad I have blisters from putting all the stuff together)

So, here's a tour of sorts of our new humble abode: View of the Taunus Hills from our living room window and balcony

Our bedroom, with balcony

Entry way hall to dining room and living room

Dining room

One half of living room, with balcony

Other half of living room with doorwall out to backyard

Kitchen. Good size, but lacking storage space. I like that it is a room of it's own, not open in middle of the main house.

Playroom. This half also has a great view through skylights. This will be where we put a futon, along with the TV and my scrapbooking table.

Other half of playroom. This room (and the views) are what sold us on this house!

Aidan's room. The bottom bunk is now in the guest room on the 1st floor (no pics of that, too boring-just a bed in a room right now)

Delainey's room. Both kids' rooms have the slanted wall on the one side and a skylight window because they are on the 3rd floor.

View of the backyard from deck. Aidan's soccer goals look good up there! Our yard is all treed and very private. It's funny to see how happy the kids are to have a yard again. I hooked up the hose last week and it was hours of entertainment for them!

View of house from up near soccer goals. We have 2 doorwalls, one from living room, one from dining room. The little window on the right is a half bath, and behind the tree further right is the kitchen window.

We got Lainey a (tiny) sandbox because she kept digging in the flowerbeds! It looks like we have a dog or a mole. Hopefully, this will keep her satisfied!

Besides the rooms I've taken pics of, we also have an office, 3 full baths, and a guest room. Plenty of room for visitors!