competent, sassy southern american seeks practical adventure in denmark.
hej there...here's a little about me, although i expect those who take a look at this actually know me..but just in case, some basic details:Hometown:
Memphis, TN or Loudon, TN depending on who you ask
I am pretty much a Southern girl, but I have spent some time living in Boston and traveling. Certainly at some point "daddy's little girl" would be an appropriate description, but I am lucky to have wonderful parents (mom and dad) who taught me to be independent and self-sufficient. I change my own oil, have a tool box and drill set, but can cook and sew and be Martha Stewart as well.
Undergrad:
University of South Carolina Honors College
- I studied Marine Science and Mathematics--specialized in Biology and Mathematical Bio or Population Studies. I also spent a lot of time at USC studying Russian, but never actually went to Russia.
Grad School:
College of Charleston
- Masters in Science and Math Education as well as a secondary teaching certification in Biology and General Science
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Bobo, Charleston Day's Bearded Dragon |
I've been living in Charleston for about 4 years, working in various educator capacities...I came to Charleston as an environmental educator, and spent time teaching at the Barrier Island Environmental Education Center. Too many words in that name, so we just call it BI. There, I took my classes into the "wild" on woods walks, beach tours, mudpit excursions, saltmarsh treks, and other adventures. I had an extra role as alligator caretaker for our beautiful alligator, Carolina Belle She was a feisty reptile, but so much fun to have around. Anytime my class caught extra fish in the pond or seining in the estuary they would be fed (the fish, not kids) to Carolina...Always a thrill to see that jaw in action.
After starting my grad program, my work life became a bit more subdued, and I ran after school programs and such. Keeping up full time student work and teaching made it a bit more difficult to incorporate extreme reptile experiences. ;)
Interests:
- coffee
- cooking
- scuba diving
- kayaking
- marine biology
- reading
- languages (currently working on my Danish and Russian, with a little German/Swedish/Norwegian thrown in)
- education (duh, but i'm always learning new things here)
- camping (but not the extreme backpacking kind)
- TRAVEL
- dancing (salsa, two step, ballroom)
So now we come to my current story.. WHY DENMARK?
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The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen Denmark (yes, she really is that little) |
This one is a bit hard to answer in one sentence or less. The true story is that I came to Denmark in March '09 to visit some friends who I'm linked to through a family friend who married a Dane. I really enjoyed my visit, and started my nerdy habit of researching the interesting things I found in Denmark....Aka, I bought Rosetta Stone and began learning Danish, explored the facets of their science education system and teaching in Denmark, etc. I ran across a really neat international climate education conference, and within a week of returning home that March had lined up another trip to Denmark in October. The conference was over CofC's fall break, and CDS's (work) fall break, across the street from my friend's apt in Copenhagen, and fairly reasonable in price. And oh, I should probably mention that my trip was paid for as a business expense by my teaching fellowship..So, a fairly reasonable thing to schedule a return to dk for the conference so soon.
"Ok," my friends (Danish and American) said, "you must really have liked it there...but what's the big deal?" A particular Danish friend was very confused about my interest in Danish--as he put it, "It's really not so practical to learn Danish..a difficult and SMALL language...and we all speak english, so you don't need to learn Danish." True enough, but I find Danish charming (weird, I know), and more, academically challenging/entertaining. Eventually, my story made it to the desks of the USC Fellowships and Scholars Office where I stopped to share a pre-Easter sweet treat with Jan, Novella, and Margaret. I came to share my homemade floedeboller (danish chocolate and cream confection thing) and say thanks for helping me with another project. They were interested in my Danish adventures, and ultimately suggested I apply for a Fulbright grant to study in Denmark for a year. At first I didn't think that was for me--I'm a teacher, not a Fulbright...but they were convincing. Out came the Fulbright application manual, and I found myself now researching a project and advisor in Denmark. Talk about life plan changes. :)
I won't go into that process, but I found an American professor living and working in Denmark at the Institute of Science Education at the University of Copenhagen. He, and the Institute are an excellent fit for my research interests, and that is where I am now spending my days. The Fulbright grant is funding what essentially equates to my Masters thesis, which is on the subject of the interpretation of national science content standards by teachers in the classroom. Quite a mouthful, but if you're really interested in following the academic research, go here.
That's where the story of this blog begins... Enjoy!
Knus (hugs),
Callie
Disclaimer:
This blog is not an official Fulbright Program blog and the views expressed are my own and not those of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.
