Education

As a child I found school pretty pointless. It was all set up to teach us that we need to think about the collective and learn skills that we could use to build a society - one that had space for everyone who wanted to work for that idea. I got the point in the first few years and after that, it didn't seem like there was anything new to learn.

The exception was in language lessons. Here, we got to learn about how people in other parts of the world had different lifestyles and values, and we were even given the tool to go and explore it on our own. My parents took me travelling, and I learned to speak English largely on my trips to England. And I realised that Nordics are different because we can't give each other or our selves praise. If someone gave me even the smallest compliment, I felt awkward. Thankfully I got over that.

First time I was on a course in England I was surprised to find the trainer say 'well done' in the most natural way and prompted by very minor things. This is something I personally find very motivating for learning. Whenever you try something for the first time you should be told what you did well, rather than what you need to improve. You know you need to improve because you are new at it. A little pat on the back gives you hope because you know that you are off to a good start.

In this week, the a-level (lign. Studentereksamen) results came out in England. It happens every year and every year it is news. They like to interview A-students and talk about what they want to use their clever brains for. I could not imagine a news story like this on Danish telly.

The interview I saw yesterday was with two students who had gotten really good grades but couldn't get into their preferred course of study. They both chose to take time out and try again next year. I recalled when I applied for Uni in Denmark. I filled in a sheet that went to the central allocation institution and I had to rank from 1-3 of what I wanted to study. I got my first priority but had been equally happy with number two or three.