Swedish Teacher Interview

1. What made you want to teach art? How long have you been teaching?

a.     I have always been interested in art, my plan was to be a photographer, but I couldn’t see how you could do that one thing for the rest of your life. So I then switched to becoming a designer, and in doing that I studied the history of art, and then realized that I enjoyed being around people. I finally decided that it was time to make a decision on what I wanted to do, so I decided to start working toward a teaching degree, which took me five years. I have been teaching for 23 years.

2. What is your favorite part about teaching?

a.     It changes all the time. I really enjoy when the kids are working hard, and are hungry for knowledge. Also when the students enjoy what they are doing, and when you are able to motivate a student.

3.     What Kinds of art do you create? Which is your favorite?

a.     It also changes! I really enjoy three-dimensional art, working with clay, design, printing, and photography.

4.     What are some of the requirements that you need to be a teacher in Sweden?

a.     You need 12 years of regular schooling, and you don’t need to take any test to become a teacher. When I first wanted to become a teacher I needed to take a test, and present a portfolio of my work. It also differs with each subject, you also need to be able to teach two subject not just one. The music teacher here teaches Music and Swedish classes.

5.     What types of art do you focus on here in Sweden?

a.     All types. The students must develop lots of projects. The digital media is getting bigger in a lot of schools, which is very different for me, because I am not used to that media as much. Also if students choose to focus on one type of media they can in the students choice class. It is very similar to an independent study class. There is also a lot of focus on reflecting on what you did and why you did it.

6.     If you could change one thing in the art curriculum what would you change and why?

a.     I would change the class sizes not too big, but not too small with about 20 students in each room. Also if there were two art teachers in the classroom. Also to have an area or a room that helps support what you are teaching, (the art room in the school is too small and there is not a lot of room to do all different types of art) I would also like more opportunities to work with other subjects (interdisciplinary).

7.     How important do you think art is in schools here? How do other people feel about art in schools in Sweden?

a.      Some people don’t see it as important, even though the Swedish education system says that all subjects are equal. Some schools don’t view all subjects as equal; they see math, Swedish, and English being the most important, and art not so much. However students need to pass 8 subjects each year to move onto the next grade.

   8.     How do teachers here feel about the changes being made?

a.     They don’t feel happy, the salaries are still too low; I am still paying back my student loans. Also now teachers need to get special licenses to become or to stay teachers. There is also less time to plan and meet with other teachers. There is also too much administration work that the teachers have to do which eaves less time for planning.

    9.  What do you know about the American school system?

a.     You work very fast! Students get to be more selective on what they want to do. You also have to pay for lunch while it is free for students here in Sweden. Here is a lot of focus on sports and extra activities, and the rules for education differ from state to state while here in Sweden it is the same for the whole country. There are also more opportunities to homeschool children in the US.

This interview was really great to do with a teacher that has been teaching for a long time, because I have only worked with younger teachers who have been teaching for six years.  Also being in the classroom with my teacher has given me a lot of time to reflect on where I want to be as a teacher in 20 years. I noticed a lot of similarities between my teacher and myself; she is a huge activist for interdisciplinary teaching, which is what I have been trying to incorporate more into my teaching. For example here in Sweden the project that I introduced to my students required some writing, so we got in touch with the English teachers to see if we could work with them so that the students could write about their art in English. Overall this experience has been amazing, and I have learned so much I can’t wait to take what I have learned here and apply it to my teaching in the US.