America Letter - The Danish Immigrant Museum

The Krogh Nielsen and Finsen family were happily settled in Ringive, Jutland near Billund for
fourteen years when they decided to take the position in Yorba Linda, California.
Krogh Nielsen and Finsen
continued from page 5
Danes to bring their families to class and
to stay for worship and fellowship.
Now, back to the Krogh Nielsen and
Finsen family.
Pastor Anne-Grethe and Søren returned
to their jobs in Denmark after that first
contract at The Danish Lutheran Church
of Southern California. “Kristian,”
Pastor Anne-Grethe says, “was on
the plane crying all the way back to
Denmark.”
Søren and Pastor Anne-Grethe were
happy to be back in Denmark – back
with family and old friends. Kristian,
for his part, says that it was “weird”
returning to Denmark. “I hadn’t seen
my friends in a long time. I didn’t
know the language, I didn’t know
what the people were like.”
Pastor Anne-Grethe says when the
kids started school in Denmark,
“They were appalled. The other
children, they said, are making
so much noise and calling
teachers by their first names!”
Mads and Kristian had had a
terrific school experience in
Yorba Linda. In fact, Pastor
Anne-Grethe’s descriptions
of it might surprise
6 • America Letter
Americans who are used
to hearing lousy reports
about American education.
“Here [in the U.S.], you
have an authority. Respect
for teachers is not high in
Denmark. Overall, there
is a big problem with
unadjusted students.”
She continues, “In the
younger grades [in the
U.S.] the parents are very
strict. When we went home,
the teachers were so
impressed with our kids.”
Parents, she feels, have
less connection to their
children’s schooling in
Denmark. “Parents are so
involved here in the U.S.
My mom and dad never
went to soccer practice
with us and here we go to
all of them. We enjoy it. It’s
a nice way of being part
of your children’s lives…
I like the fact that over
here there’s a notion that
WE as parents have the
biggest impact on our kids.
In Denmark many people
do leave kids in school and
expect the school to bring
them up.”
Søren, who was an
elementary school math
teacher in Denmark,
points to other differences
– including some areas
where he feels American
education falls short. In
the U.S., he says, “They
[Kristian and Mads] have
a lot of homework. There’s
a lot of repetition. And that
gives you a lot of skills in
that area. In Denmark you
spend a lot of time sitting
and talking with the kids as
problems come up. There
are trips to art museums
and overnight trips where
you see each other in
another context. That
matures the kids.”
He continues, “It’s easier to
prepare kids for a test; it’s
harder to teach how to be
a person, how to cope with
life. But then it’s a job for
parents to do that.”
After a year, the family
was still missing Yorba
Linda. The Yorba Linda
congregation was missing
them too. Pastor Anne-
Grethe says The Danish