SCRIPT

 Anne: Good morning, my name is Anne Marie Hagebak, I am a language teacher in Bærum
Waldorf School.

As a teacher, I am very happy to do my job, since we have one of the best educational systems in
Europe and the world, which has several similarities with the education system of our neighbour,
Finland.

 Anne: Since the barnehage the system is quite different from what you'll find in the UK or
USA, as it starts at a much younger age.

Anne, you mention the barnehage, can you talk to me about it? What is it?

Anne: Well, it is an institution for children below compulsory school age; it is often translated as
nursery school or kindergarten.

 Anne: For early childhood there are barnehage or kindergartens, which are educational
institutions responsible for providing a space for the development, support, and care of
the child. Besides being a good pedagogical institution for children, the kindergartens also
take care of children while their parents work or study.

 Anne: Children who reach the age of one by the end of August are entitled to a place in a
barnehage from that August. Children who reach the age of one in September, October or
November of that year are entitled to a place from the month they reach the age of one.

At the age of one, approximately 70% of children attend a barnehage, a figure which rises to 92%
at the age of two, and 96% at the age of three

 Anne: Everyone between the ages of 6 – 16 must attend school in Norway. All public
education is free in Norway, and classes are taught in Norwegian with the exception of
foreign language classes, of course.
 Anne: Regarding the school system in elementary  and high school, I can tell you that in
Norway, the education system is made up of primary school (Barneskole), lower secondary
school (Ungdomsskole) and Videregående skole (upper secondary school).

 Anne: En Barneskole (elementary school) Children begin Norwegian primary school at the
age of 6 and then leave at the age of 13. It covers 1st to 7th grade. In first grade, pupils
spend their days playing educational games, learning social skills and basic education.

From 2nd to 7th grade, children are taught a wide range of subjects from maths to gymnastics and
English to social studies. Children do not receive official grades during primary school; however,
teachers often write comments and unofficial grades on tests to show progress.
  In Ungdomsskole that is Norwegian lower secondary school begins at the age of 12 or 13
and lasts for three years. It covers 8th to 10th grade. During lower secondary, pupils are
graded and need to maintain good grades in order to attend their upper secondary school
of choice. When pupils are in the 8th grade, they have to pick an elective (valgfag), which
is typically a foreign language (e.g. German, French or Spanish) or additional English or
Norwegian studies.

On the other hand, exists ideregående skole (upper secondary school)

Journalist (Camila): What does it consist of?

 Anne: Norwegian upper secondary school consists of three more years of “optional”
schooling. All upper secondary education in Norway is predominantly based on public
schools, and up until 2005 Norwegian law practically made private schools illegal unless
they provided some form of “religious or pedagogic” education.

Anne: Before each lesson begins, students and their teachers remain standing and exchange hellos
and a few words together before diving into the day's tasks. It goes a little something like this:
"Good morning class. Good morning! I hope you're all doing well today; I am happy to see you! As
you can see, we have a visitor from the U.S. today. You may be seated."

We also have some customs, for example, students and teachers have specific indoor shoes. In
many towns, students walk or ride their bikes to school and keep a pair of slip-ons in their
classrooms to change into when they arrive. Usually they are clean tennis shoes or sandals like
Birkenstocks with comfy socks.

Journalist: The space must be very welcoming for the students, because (from this it starts that
the) in this way students feel comfortable to receive their classes, the more welcomed they feel,
the more receptive they can be to what they want to teach. What about the classrooms?

 Anne: The dynamics in the classrooms is very normal, students stay in the same classroom
with the same classmates all day long, and teachers rotate students. Norwegian students
are very surprised when I tell them that, in American high schools, a student’s schedule is
unique to the student, and they move all around the building throughout the day.
Students here also eat lunch in their classrooms, and everyone brings a small tin or plastic
box with bread and pålegg, which are the toppings for an open-faced style sandwich. Fruit
and yogurt are common sides.