This is a blog post written on March 6th, 2017.

The education system in Scotland surprised me. It was interesting to see the teachers in action, instead of just reading about it online. My observations and interactions today challenged the way I view primary/elementary education. Although this wasn’t a physical challenge, it was a challenge to my previous thinking. I am grateful for this challenge, because it is forcing me to open my mind and think critically about my views of education. I overcame this challenge by asking questions of both the students and my professor; in other words,  I opened my mind (which is super important when being in a different country!).  Seeing the school really changed my previous views on education. They take student-centered education to a whole new level. I really like that they encourage students to take risks and live life as it comes. We do not do that in the States. I was always under the impression that students had to be under constant supervision, but today I was shown otherwise. This challenged my perception, because it is so radically different than what we do at home. I am hoping to bring this technique home and use it when I teach. I think that the life skills these children are learning are helping them become more well-rounded individuals. They have concrete curriculum, but also “hidden” curriculum that helped build real life skills. On a similar note, the way curriculum is constructed is extremely different than home. I really like how it is created by the student, for the students. It has changed my idea of what curriculum is. I think it has changed my idea, because of the success it has and the positive impact it has on the students.

 

I am so glad I got to compare the ways Scotland and the US educated primary/elementary aged students. This experience opened my mind to different education styles, so when I become an educator, I can merge the two together to be the best I can be for my students!

Our group with one of the primary classes. As a school, we planted 500 trees!