Colby Martin

Overall Experience

Norway was a life-changing experience. Student teaching in Norway was such a great way to immerse yourself in the culture, enjoy time outdoors, and meet the most amazing people. I would recommend Norway to anyone who is planning on visiting.

Learning experience

One of the most valuable learning experiences I had was getting the opportunity to co-teach a class normally given in Norwegian. While most students can speak and understand English very well many core subjects are still taught in Norwegian. I had the opportunity to teach a social studies class where my co-teacher helped translate the content. Between us both we asked and answered questions in Norwegian and English. It was such a memorable experience because of the flow between both of us as we taught in two different languages.

Memorable experience

One of the most memorable experiences I have is getting the opportunity to go on a field trip to a salmon farm with my students! This involved taking a bus onto a ferry going to another island and then loading onto boats to go out to the salmon farm. The students got to learn about the salmon industry in Norway and we even had lunch out there. It was a field trip unlike anything I had ever experienced and the students got a lot of value out of the hands-on approach of the field trip.

What did you not expect?

Somethings that surprised me was the value Norwegians have on a work-life balance. Teachers leave most of their work at school and spend their time outside of the classroom doing things they enjoy. In the U.S. there is a lot of pressure to always be working outside of the classroom. I think the experience made me reevaluate how much I value my time outside of the classroom and how balancing that time for myself can actually me a better teacher in the long run.

What advice would you give?

The biggest piece of advice I would have if you want to make the most of your time abroad is to try to say yes to as many new experiences as possible. In Norway we spent so much of our time with people who took us to try things like snowshoeing, hiking, or sightseeing. When it comes to teaching take that same mindset and be open to new styles of teaching and even teaching in new environments, like the outdoors!

How has this experience impacted your life?

The impact student teaching Norway had on me is tremendous. For myself personally it taught me so much about the important of taking time for yourself and spending time outdoors. There is so much to do outside in Norway regardless of the time of year. Norway pushed me to be the most adventurous version of myself which is an outlook I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. Professionally, Norway challenged me to look at teaching from a different angle. It was such a learning experience to compare and contrast teaching styles in Norway to teaching styles in the U.S. and while many aspects, like classroom management, can be different the ultimate takeaway is that the core of education is the same. Teachers around the world are always there to help their students be the best versions of themselves possible.

How did you learn about this experience?

I first learned about the student teaching opportunity during my first year in the elementary education program here at Iowa State in an education class. The more I progressed through the major, the more I heard about student teaching abroad and I just fell in love with the idea of teaching in Norway.

International Connections