Volunteers bring more calm to Danish classrooms

Volunteer “school friends” are helping bring calm to classrooms in several Danish municipalities, DR reports, as the government considers a tripartite initiative to address problems in the public school system.

Danish 15-year-olds have never performed worse in reading, maths and answering questions about science, the article says. School friends are mainly retired men and women who volunteer for a few hours each week to help in classes. The organisation Skolens Venner, which coordinates 550 volunteers nationwide, says a survey found that 92 per cent of teachers experienced more calm in class when a school friend was present.

“They are not teachers or pedagogues, but adults who bring different experience, time and calm. Some pupils find it really nice to have them in the classroom,” said Sigrid Larsen, head of the organisation’s secretariat.

The organisation School and Parents says volunteers must not replace teachers or pedagogues, but welcomes their involvement in schools. Its chair, Regitze Spenner Ishøy, called it a good opportunity to give children more support, given the current situation in schools.

Andreas Rasch-Christensen, research director at VIA University College, said two-teacher arrangements are one focus in the development of public schools. Some places have the funding and qualified teachers to support that model, he said, while others need different solutions. School friends could be a useful option in those cases.