2_1_ScanMag_71_Dec_2014_Text_MADS_Scan Magazine 1 29/11/2014 12:13 Page 51
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Education in Denmark
and development through individual interviews throughout the school year.” Helping others At Rudehøj Efterskole making room for everyone is not just a motto. The school employs a special team of pedagogically trained staff to coach and help challenged students. In many subjects students are divided into groups depending on their level and skills, and resources are dedicated so that weaker students are taught in smaller groups – some consisting merely of five students. Challenged students are, however, integrated normally in all other aspects of school life. “We have made it a priority to make room for students with special needs, and our highly skilled team has had an immense success
in this area. It is about helping those students handle the ever-changing setting of a boarding school so that they too can have that unique experience that a year at an efterskole is,” says Hørning. Helping others is also at the centre of the school’s special 10th grade programme, Front, which focuses on what it means to be a disciple and engage in discipleship. In this programme, which is aimed at students who wish to explore their Christian beliefs, students work to discover the meaning of the Christian duty to help others. They do this through both local and international projects. Among the highlights of the programme is a two-week trip to Africa, where the students work and live with people in need.
Rudehøj Efterskole is located in central Jutland just outside Odder, a ten-minute walk from Rude Havvej train station and approximately 25 minutes drive from Aarhus. Dansk Oase, a network of priests seeking to revitalise the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, founded the school in 2001. Yearly events at Rudehøj include a skiing trip, a two-week trip to Africa (for students in the school’s 10th grade Front programme) and musical performances. Students live in family groups and share three-bed rooms. This year Rudehøj Efterskole’s new sports hall is opening.
For more information, please visit: www.rudehoj.dk
“What I experience in my work with teenagers is that they very much reflect and define themselves through others and what others think of them. And that is one of the reasons it is so important for us to be there for them throughout their journey,” says principal Jacob Hørning.
Issue 71 | December 2014 | 51