Madison Hennager

Overall Experience

I was able to spend two months teaching 8-10 graders in Rosendal, Norway. My time was filled with new experiences in and out of the middle school I was placed in. While in school, I taught in six different English classrooms of 8-10 graders. I got to do outdoor school with a group of 8th graders and even spent a night camping on a mountain with some 9th and 10th graders. Outside of school, locals from the town took me and other ISU students around the area hiking, fishing, or jumping in the river. Our group was fortunate enough to make so many connections, and we really felt like a part of the community during our time!

Learning experience

At the schools, I was with older students than I am used to teaching. To got to know them and have their trust to be able to teach them, I had to learn how to connect with them. I found that all students just want to be known. This may not have been a new learning experience I had, but a reminder of the importance of seeing all students. Whenever I had a free moment, I would make sure to spend it with my students. I would ask them about things that they were interested in, I would give them assignments that somehow connected to those things I learned, or make it so there was a lot of time that I could discuss with them in class. Through getting to know them outside of class, I was able to better capture their attention in class. Getting to know my students and spending time with them was the most valuable experience of my entire trip.

Memorable experience

The last week I was in the school, I went on a camping trip with most of my students. Some of the other ISU students got to come along with us, which was pretty fun! We started our campout with a hike up a mountain with all of our camping gear. This was definitely not the most fun part, but I had two students who stayed with me while we hiked, and we sang songs and chatted the whole way up. It really made a more exhausting part of the trip go by a lot faster. Once we were at our campsite, we spent the rest of the day/night hanging out. We walked to a lake where my students jumped in the cold water, we sat around a fire, and ate dinner with the other teachers who were there. The students played guitar and sang songs, and we played card games. There was so much time to be together and not have to worry about school. There was a lot of laughter and quality time with both students and fellow teachers during this trip. It was a great way to end my time at Rosendal Ungdomsskule!

What did you not expect?

Compared to classes that I had experienced previously, these students were not as motivated when it came to doing tasks or participating in class. I had to be creative in how I planned my instruction, always thinking of new ways to get them involved and willing to participate. In my time, I found that most groups were more willing to participate in small group discussions rather than talking in front of the whole class. So, after trying that out, that's the way I would structure most of my lessons. Even still, there were days that they didn't respond well to this, so I was constantly trying to figure out new ways to keep engagement up. I think that as I approach my professional life, I will consider that not all students will have the same learning styles and that, as a teacher, trying new things will be important to make sure that my classes stay engaging and good learning environments for my students.

What advice would you give?

Every day is a 'yes' day. When people ask you to do something/try something new, don't hesitate to say yes! There were so many amazing things that my group got to experience because we decided to try anything and everything thrown our way. The people we met and befriended made our experience, and I valued the time we had getting to know them so much. So put yourself out there and meet new people, and don't be scared to try new things. I know you won't regret it!

How has this experience impacted your life?

Going to Norway, I was able to experience so many new things. Even the pace of life was so different. There were so many occasions where I did something that I never could have seen myself doing or even trying back home. As a group, we made an effort to say yes to anything. By doing this, we met some really awesome people and did some really cool things. Trying all these things and not letting business get in the way of having a new experience really made me reflect on how differently I do things in my regular life. When I think about have I spend my afternoons after school is over, I may not do much once I'm at home. But now, I see the value in trying new things and inviting others to experience that with me. My day doesn't have to end when the school day is over. That time should be used to do something fulfilling for myself. Long-term, I think this experience has opened up the possibility to someday in my future, try teaching in another place, or even another country. Everywhere has teachers, why not try for a little bit of time teaching somewhere amazing, like Norway!

How did you learn about this experience?

I had a friend who had gone on the trip 7 years prior and also learned more from a study abroad fair.

International Connections