American School vs. Danish School - Maya and Villads talk differences between the two

Maya invited Villads over to discuss some differences between American and Danish schools. They talk about classrooms, class size, lunches, school spirit, and graduation. Maya brings first hand experience being in elementary school and middle school in the us. While Villads has a Danish perspective from growing up in Denmark.
Let us know if there is anything you'd like to know more about!
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[@jaytee8925]

Danes are completely logical: Moving teachers between classes rather than students (can be in the hundreds) is far more convenient and efficient.

[@1stCainite]

It also gives the students a sense of community with their peers, in stead of feeling like they are constantly getting tossed around and mixed up. It also teaches them that sometimes you just have no choice but to get along with the peoople you work/study with.

[@peterbohren3637]

In Switzerland where I grew up we actually had both: For most classes you were in your “classroom” and for some subjects (mostly natural sciences) we went to the “subject room”. That probably had to do with the fact that natural science teachers had a lot of stuff like microscopes which could not easily be carried around.

[@ahlpym]

@@peterbohren3637 That's the case in Denmark, too. Physics/Chemistry, Biology, Music and other subjects that need very specific tools or setups, all get their own dedicated rooms. You're hardly going to be doing science experiments in your normal class room.

[@jonathansl109]

In France it's why choose when you can move both.

[@annfrancoole34]

Same in Ireland - Teachers move to different classes; pupils stay in the same room

[@johnlona1]

My son went to an IB school and graduated, for 2 years in DK. He then went back and completed his education in the US. It changed him for the better. He said the biggest social differences were, in the US you have cliques, ie stoners, jocks, surfers, etc. In the US you found your level of interest or comfort and that was your group you hung with. In DK, your friendship was all-inclusive with your classmates. Image getting viewpoints from people you wouldn't hang with? My son's conclusion was wow, he developed values and respect from nerds, jocks, the whole gamut. I know its basic truth, but he realized that all people had value and interest and he broadened his circle of friends. He still has close Danish contacts even today. Very unique to the US. Hurra!

[@FullCanoe]

From a danish perspective, having a daughter who finished IB last year, it's almost the same. Having the kids learn in a multicultural environment - and for most in a non native language - really changes them. Sure there are stoners, jocks, horse girls, nerds and gamers, but they all come together across "faction" Even the class homosexual guy, got help from both the girl and boy squad to find a boyfriend. Especially on the IB programme the teachers sort the kids into working groups, with the purpose of making them see others points of view.

[@TheJerida]

Nicely put Villads "you learn to like them, because there is no option not to." That sums up a core value in Denmark: Learn to accept the differences and embrace them. That goes towards our concensus democracy. (We have been struggling with the embracement part for some time now, but IMO that is a transitional phase)

[@michellepehrsondupont3756]

I am a grade school teacher in Denmark, and in regards to the difference in who stays in the classroom (Teacher or students): The benefit of the students staying in one classroom is to promote ownership. The teachers can't decorate the classroom specifically for their subject, but in general, the classroom should be decorated to reflect the hard work and personality of the students in that particular class. If they make a neat collage or other artistic assignments, those become decorations, and in some schools the christmas decorating of the classrooms is turned into a competition, making their classroom's decorations a shared responsibility to improve student relations. Staying in one class (like 8A 8B) does sometimes lead to petty rivalries within the grade as a whole, but that's part of being teenagers, I suppose... A really great video! Keep up the good work.

[@TravelinYoung]

That is very interesting, thanks for sharing! That definitely happens in the US when you are in elementary school, as you stay in a single class. It all changes when you hit middle school. If I were to speculate why students move, it might be to promote some responsibility (needing to get yourself from class to class on time) and diversity (since you interact with a lot of different people). I am not an educator of course, so those are at least the benefits I felt as I was growing up. Dad speaking here :). Thanks again for the comment, and we appreciate you watching!

[@theicebeardk]

@@TravelinYoung That makes sense that the American way does promote some individual time keeping and responsibility in the students in America. I've always felt like the class system used in Denmark did something similar in that it promoted a shared responsibility in keeping your class room somewhat livable and taking care of each other a bit more as a group. As an example teenagers can be pretty hard on each other, but at least in my class that was only barely tolerated (this is some time ago today I hope the social issues is handled a bit better) within the same class because if another class messed with one from our class we would protect that person.

[@TravelinYoung]

@@theicebeardk This is a very interesting way to put it. American society is more about you as an individual rather than supporting society as a whole. So perhaps this begins to get engrained early on based on schooling. It might not be the intent, but could be a consequence.

[@markus3420]

@@TravelinYoung Yeah I think the danish way of schooling teaches unity and a sense of community, whereas the american way emphasises individual responsibility.

[@theposhdinosaur7276]

@@TravelinYoung I don't know if you experienced this for yourself while here, or if there is an american parralel, but we also have the concept of a "duks" in most schools. It is a student that is put in charge of sweeping the class before going home, a duty which they keep for a week, going on rotation. We do have janitors, but this system is why most classrooms have their own broom. BTW, this system persists even into highschool.

[@arlgade]

Hahaha, the Danish graduation "hats"... When our twins graduated a couple of years ago, one of our son's (goodlooking) friends had a phone number written on his "graduation hat". When you called that number, it would say "Thank you for donating 150 kr to xxx-charity" (and it WAS actually a real charity). So funny - and well thought off. Win-win!

[@caisaelisabethbrandtmelgaa7140]

I live in Denmark and i'm in 7th grade and i will say really quick that for classes like biology and physics & chemistry (thats probably called science idk) and music and such, we actually do have seperate classrooms And also, i remember the last day of school some year, there was a large number of students in my class that had older siblings or knew people from the grade that was graduating, and we got SO MANY caramels thrown into our class it was crazy! A boy from my class actually got a bruise because of a frozen caramel his brother had thrown at him

[@maxfriis]

In Denmark we used to have a system centered on teachers where students moved around between the teacher's classrooms. We decided that the student's learning environment was central to the school and the teacher's comfort was secondary.

[@dragsob]

Please please please react to The speciel rule set that follow the danish graduation hat. It is wild.

[@bazzakrak]

100% Lets say it is a really good introduction to your adulthood if you try and do most of the stuff. She needs to be prepared for people taking a scissor to her hat, so perhaps she needs a second one just for show ;)

[@srenjensen2836]

@@bazzakrak if you think that's an introduction to adulthood, get ready for a big surprise XD

[@bazzakrak]

I know all about adulthood @@srenjensen2836 dont you worry about that, 25+ years since I graduated from Gymnasium. I am just writing, that many of the things you do with that hat on are some very fun things, and some of them you really should take with you into adulthood, and some you should learn from and perhaps not do when it comes to those special "rules" that will get people to take a scissor and/or a pen to your hat.

[@ryankloss5000]

I love to visit Denmark every summer for roskilde festival coming from the us it’s quite crazy how young the drinking culture starts in dk. It be cool if maya can make a video about drinking culture. on my first visit to Copenhagen in 17’ I walked by a large park and saw how kids around 14 and above were just drinking alcohol in the open then I saw a dad drop off his kids and hand them a bag of beer was quite crazy from the American perspective. Much love to the danish people and Europe hopefully I can return someday after covid dies off.

[@xandercalasahan1799]

ugh...we do start drinking way too early lol

[@TorchwoodPandP]

But we almost none of us have access to guns. And drunk driving is really frowned upon...

[@ryankloss5000]

@@TorchwoodPandP I know if my family moved to dk when I was 14 I would have worse control on alcohol consumption then I do now. It’s not just low age to for consumption it seems like it’s encouraged as a right of passage from parents. I think part of the reason is alcohol to Danes isn’t considered a drug when it is. As far as drunk driving in a lot of cases it’s done out of poor to none public transportation in most of America. Also the amount of cars on road over here is Insane. Most gun violence in the us is economically driven imo. But yeah the us has a lot more problems than dk I was just pointing out something I found interesting as other Western European countries don’t have this country Boy drinking culture like Denmark has

[@jakeforrest]

I have been in America so many times, and I love Chicago, where I have been quite often. I have never experienced any gun violence and hardly ever seen any visible firearms in public areas, except being carried by police officers. But I guess that it depends on where you go. The Whole Foods shops are amazing, and the only comparable shops in Denmark would be Meny and maybe Irma, with high quality food products. I look forward to the end of this corona crisis, so I can travel in the USA again. Me and my travel companion miss it a lot.

[@sabinahertzum9728]

Drinking is more a social thing in Denmark - and we can legally drink from 15... that being said - a lot of kids learn to drink with their parents knowledge and they learn to manage their drinking earlier... While a Dane would feel it was wildly weird to learn to drive at 16, and owning a car - most of us start to drink and engage in sex at that age instead... But it’s all about culture - like mentioned somewhere - we have public transportation out the wazu - so there is no need to drink and drive... and by getting the benders out of the way before getting a drivers license it’s easier to keep from mixing the two - and even easier for friends to stop it from happening ;)

[@Isomorph70]

In Denmark a lot of extracurricular activity is going on in something we call 'foreninger' this is not directly connected to the school. Growing up I did gymnastics, swimming, karate, hapkido, badminton, diving, now I do a weekly(before corona) cooking workshop, and I also sometimes frequent a maker space. Since it is not directly connected to a school, you don't have to stop when you finish school. I find that many expats, that complaints about that it is hard to meet Danes, is not aware of the Danish "foreninger".

[@bluebthebluebifullest1688]

Aahhh yes, Danish High school graduation. Now THAT is something you’ll never forget (or maybe never remember depending on how much you drink) absolutely amazing day, with great spirit and emotions. Just driving through the streets or roads of Denmark, while drinking and yelling to your hearts content, with the people who you have studied and partied with for 3 or 2 years (depending on the course). Writing cute messages of goodbye in the hats, people who failed or scored lowest on the final exam running behind the truck on the beer run. My god is it a glorious day. Best school tradition ever, in my opinion.

[@emillundqvist8126]

"People who failed, running behind the truck" - you what? Where I graduated it was the people who got the highest grade who had to do it! I think of it as a final hit of "jantelov" (Don't think you're better than others just because you get a good grade).

[@bluebthebluebifullest1688]

@@emillundqvist8126 ja du har ret, jeg huskede bare forkert hahaha

[@cormeum5371]

@@emillundqvist8126 Yes

[@leneiversen2638]

At my school we also threw water balloons and shaving cream. Made a total mess every year. The water was turned off that day, but we brought them from home. Such fun.

[@storm4972]

I'm danish and I never thought of how violent it sound when you say it out loud. (All about the graduation)

[@alssoldat7185]

And they did not even mention the part where the whole school just has a massive shaving cream fight. :)

[@InfiNiTeJiff]

I think it's important to mention, as one other person noted, that what you would do as extracurricular at at school in the US, we in Denmark do in clubs that are instead open to the general public (Maybe with certain age restrictions especially for sports etc.) usually supported by local government either financially or with facilities. So you can find a club for basically any kind of special interest. I think this might be especially important to tell foreigners as it's probably not something you'd know if not growing up with this sort of culture and it's a really good way to meet and get to know people outside of work/school (during times without a pandemic). Also thank you for some entertaining videos and interesting perspective.

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

Yes I forgot to mention this! I was in a few clubs outside of school when I went to folkeskole. Definitely a great place to meet more people with similar interests

[@theicebeardk]

A note about the class / grade level system in Denmark is that as Villads says you get to like the people of your class. To the point that seen from a little distance for many Danes their life long friend group is often formed from people they have gone to school with because of this structure. Typically the friend circles in Denmark are initially formed by your parents relationships. Then it is extended by your relationships in Pre-school if you go to one, then it is extended by school and extracurricular activities but the choice of these activities are usually is often made based on going where your friends are going. So by the time you enter High School you have usually a circle of some friends mostly from your class and your activities, but high school is a big divider because not everyone goes and then not everyone goes to the same one. This is often a great time of change for kids when they learn to expand their social circle, can shake off an old one or have an entirely new one. Again your extracurriculars may stay the same but again this a step away from the familiar and is considered preparation socially and mentally for the next step after that which is usually moving away from home while you study and finally to work. I think the way all of this is structured is also why a lot of people moving to Denmark find it hard beyond the language because aside from workmates they are not part of these established circles of friendship I mentioned which are often very long lasting often even life long. This makes it hard to find social traction aside from workmates (and Danish companies have become aware of this) hence the general advice to create or explore anything hobby related beyond work the moment the energy for that is available (Covid is not helping). More than anything those people I know who have moved to Denmark and enjoyed it have done something like this.

[@gittechristensen4277]

I agree about this. Have just spent 3 days in a summer house, with an old classmate. We met when we were 6 years old - 50 years ago, this year! 🙂 I see 4-5 of my other classmates as well.

[@mremboblog]

So my question is, do Danes make new friends as adults and what happens if friends, die, or move away... then what? I have lived in Denmark for 16 years, find that Danes are truly truly closed off and yet at the same time, people complain about lonileness. I tend to make friends with other non- danes. So just wondering how it works out for Danes, when life changes happen to social circles?

[@damieng7500]

Shout out to this dude who speaks flawless english

[@TravelinYoung]

Agreed! His English is great and was confident enough to do it on camera. I’m impressed!

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

He’s very smart! It’s great that we have each other to help with our languages

[@thedanishcatgirl3205]

It’s actually a standard for Danes to be very good at English(especially young people). Usually our biggest problem is being embarrassed of our accent but at least in my experience that is only in our head and most people don’t actually care about our accent

[@ishbelmccann6145]

A big difference I’ve noticed is the emphasis on grades. In America there’s a huge pressure to get good grades to get into good colleges but in Denmark there’s not that constant pressure since there’s not really any concept of “good” colleges and “bad” colleges

[@TravelinYoung]

Good point!

[@Road2NENDO]

There is still pressure on getting good grades. If you want to study a specific subject in University, you have to have the grade average (from highschool) to get into the class. Some university subjects, you have to have A+ as a grade average for All your highschool exams Sorry for bad englando

[@vera_ah]

@@Road2NENDO yup but only for smaller more popular subjects as there aren’t enough spots most uni’s just require getting 5 in average

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

I honestly kind of miss the pressure of grades. I always enjoyed working as hard as I can to keep my straight A’s and trying to get the best grades possible

[@TheEmeraldLady]

I don't think that's quite correct. There's a huge pressure on getting good and excellent grades in Denmark, especially if you're trying to aim for an education that only accepts very few people per year. You'll find crazy grade point averages required for these. Also, studying at university in Denmark and Europe in general is very different from the US. The US will tell the students exactly what they need to do to get an A, whereas you won't get that information in Europe. You won't be given a list of things that you need to know to get an A. You have to study independently. In regards to the whole good Vs bad university thing, all universities in Denmark and Europe are "good", because you would never be allowed to call yourself a university if you were anything less than that. There are no bad or easy universities.

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Really delightful and informative! I'm betting there are enough similarities/differences to make a part 2, especially about the high schools and the transition to work or university. The graduation traditions sound crazy and fun. It would be cool to see a video about what it's like in the school group and town during this time.

[@MrMartinSchou]

With regards to "school spirit", I suspect one of the reasons it's not something we really do in Denmark (and most of Europe from what I've heard) is that we've had a bit of a negative experience with what happens when that kind of forced spirit gets out of hand.

[@markus3420]

The movie Die Welle comes to mind lol

[@davidnguyen6823]

@@markus3420 Agreed, it's an interesting movie that really pushes the idea

[@TravelinYoung]

Miranda here. I actually hadn't thought about that being an issue but I can see why. In the US, especially in the South, school spirit is a huge deal. Especially when it comes to college and high school football. Where I am from, it's almost a religion. I'm from East TN so the University of Tennessee Volunteers is the big team. Every Saturday, they would pack Neyland Stadium in Knoxville with 110,000 fans and if you weren't at the game you were watching the game. Everyone has UT clothes, stuff on their cars, toys for the kids. People even had UT themed weddings. It was 20% because you liked football, 20% because you were an alumni, and 60% because the school represented your region and it was a regional pride thing.

[@maj-britt5756]

I think school pride isn’t a big thing because sports are not school based. And so many of the school pride activities wouldn’t make any sense. Also Danes are known to frown upon bragging and being too proud of anything. It’s the law of Jante - don’t think that you are better than anyone else.

[@TKDDLJ09]

@@maj-britt5756 Its certainly because sports isn't a part of school. Like you don't even have to play sports at the same school you go too if you don't want too. Sports is such a big part of school in the US, its ridiculous. But here is not. So why should we have school spirit? I think we more have class spirit if the grades compete in something, like Indoor Football tournament or something, then you root for your class.

[@Joliie]

The best thing about your graduation hat is the messages written by your peers to remember.

[@powermetalbard]

Really love these videos! Always nice to see people enjoying our little country

[@TravelinYoung]

Thanks!

[@flemmingrostock5340]

So courageous. Those 2 young people together is so cute.

[@jasooon86]

Another great upload. It was interesting to hear it from the children/young themselves, that's quite unique actually. Usually adults describe it via their "lens".

[@TravelinYoung]

Thanks! We think it is important for Maya to own her story, so we make sure to step aside if the content is about her experiences. :)

[@n9nnascreativeandrandomstu858]

The hat used to be worn for a year showing the world (the town you lived in) that you'd finished a higher education and therefor you'd be sought after by employers. The hat used to also only be for higher education (not 9th or 10th grade graduation). Oh! And the ribbon colour shows which kind of education you've just finished. Back when the hat started they only came in two colours: black and red. Black was 'hands on/skills' education and red was 'business/only books' education.

[@ArtAndBeautyFreak]

This channel is so cool. I just found it today and subbed of course! I've gone to school in Denmark, Sweden and The Philippines and all countries had different types of schools. Very interesting to hear about. //Maria

[@sild8052]

i going on a Danish school and my class see you videos like in all the English lessons fest i just think it will be something boring shit but I actually found it funny to see and especially "Try it on Tuesday" sometimes I see it if I dont no what to do so i am really happy to our English teacher show us the channel

[@bojanik7488]

At my highschool (gymnasium), the rule was that we wore the hat,, until 'sankt hans' -a midsummer event which coincedes with the longest day in the year. That would be late June.

[@MrGeneration83]

I think that in Denmark a lot of what would be done in school as extracurricular is done outside school in specific clubs and foreninger.

[@liii3622]

Yeah everything is separate from school, but most kids do go to clubs

[@RealHIFIHelp]

Nice hearing about the 2 opposite traditions.

[@christianandersen2997]

One aspect about classrooms in Denmark that has not yet been mentioned is that some of the more specialized subjects like science, music, art, shop, computers, home economice and PE do have specialized classrooms, whilst subjects that does not require special equipment (e.g. languages, math, religion, political science, etc.) is usually done in the same classroom. Another graduation tradition is that the graduating class make a 'revy', i.e. a show in front of the whole school where they parodize the teachers or headmaster. When I graduated 9th grade, we had an English teacher who had struggled to make the VCR work throughout the year. On the last day we gave her an old VCR machine, a pair of saftey goggles and a big hammer and she got to smash the VCR up. As for try-it-out-Tuesday, I concur with others that Gammel Dansk should be on your list. If you are up for a REAL challenge you should try out Swedish surströmning, but you should probably do it outdoors and wear old clothes that can be burnt afterwards!

[@n9nnascreativeandrandomstu858]

Where I come from we never did the end of school revy. I think it's very different between the different schools.

[@Luka1180]

@@n9nnascreativeandrandomstu858 I never even heard of that, and I'm Danish LOL.

[@n9nnascreativeandrandomstu858]

@@Luka1180 I've heard of it, but not in my town. I think it was mostly in 'gymnasiet' they did that, and again, not in my town 🤷🏼‍♀️ I'm also born and raised in Denmark

[@zymelin21]

about "surströmming", a couple of my friends had a tin of that. they opened it outside, wanting to give it to their cat. the cat left in a hurry, never touching the stuff!

[@n9nnascreativeandrandomstu858]

@@zymelin21😂😂😂

[@alberthermit6168]

You guys should realt to Jacob Jørgsholms latest video on him and his friend making cheap vs stupidly expensive smørrebrød. It’s a fun way to see what makes up a good smørrebrød and maybe test/show us your progress on danish. Plus they are both really talented chefs so you might learn a few tips and tricks along the way. Much love from me and keep up the uploads :)

[@argantyr5154]

It is also common practice that you get your classmates to write inside "Studenter huen" some just write their names, other a short message.

[@TKDDLJ09]

Or they bite in it. writes dirty messages ect. ect.

[@fgzy123]

I was in middle school and high school in the 1990s so it's funny to hear about all the social media you kids have had while in those grades. I can't imagine being back in 8th grade or something and uploading a schedule to social media or texting somebody. Such a different experience. My son is only 18 months but we will most likely stay in Denmark and he will have the Danish experience at school AND probably social media. I won't be able to relate to any of that since I have had an American education and without smart phones.

[@katemmart]

My kiddos school has 1 class per grade here in Denmark. They are huge on community. The older kids are expected to watch out for and help the little ones, it's pretty nice. They have a school song too. As far as grades, they don't even start getting grades until 7th grade. "Parent teacher meetings" are more about talking to the kid and parent sits and listens. Graduation involves karamels as well, and usually a huge water fight with the kids and teachers. As an American myself I'm entirely impressed by how much they do and how different it actually is.

[@henrikjensen366]

Thx for another great upload. You are Danish now, not a blink drinking snaps. Stay safe.

[@TravelinYoung]

Yes! It is funny, I did feel almost instantly drunk, I wish I kept the camera on a tad longer :).

[@henrikjensen366]

@@TravelinYoung lol

[@Jullas96]

I'm Danish and I don't know how people drink that stuff. It's just awful what we put ourselves through every single year 😂

[@Punjaabi92]

You mentioned that you're not sure how long you wear the studenterhue (i.e., the graduation cap) for -- traditionally, you wear it 24/7 and only take it off after the last studenterfest/graduation party, so it differs a bit how long you wear it for, but usually it's in the range of 3 weeks to a month

[@l.w.petersen7359]

Really nice and brave of you to try out my suggestion of Rød Aalborg👍. it kicks a bit for those who have not tried it before. In my opinion that is snaps and only one is better (again in my opinion) and that is Julesnapsen (Christmas akvavit)

[@TravelinYoung]

We aim to please :). It was a fun thing to try. Now I have an entire bottle, so the question is how long will it take me to drink it all.

[@l.w.petersen7359]

@@TravelinYoung that depends as just about anything else in life 😉. As you probably know by now, living in Denmark for some time, mostly it´s used in connection with lunch and smørrebrød, but can be used for so many other occasions also to include dinner. My grandfather on my mothers side used to take one each morning as he just got out of bed (that is when he was home in the morning and should not be going to work. He was a locomotive "driver" so worked all sorts of hours and also spend some nights sleeping somewhere else than at home or simply working. Never the less one thing is for sure that any dish involving fish needs snaps😊 and that is the one you drink before you start eating - the fish is ment to swim right? and that is in snaps 😉.

[@allenculpepper9553]

Interesting video. And I see why Maya and and Villads are together; your personalities seem to be a good fit.

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

Aw thank you!

[@allenculpepper9553]

@@mayaanastasiayoung6739 BTW, out of random curiosity, I looked up the meaning of the name Villads and saw it means "desiring battle." Explains a lot about his perspective on the candy-throwing. -

[@gittechristensen4277]

🤣😂🤣

[@kellyasims]

I loved the "that's really american" when she talks about having chocolate milk everyday for lunch. I have to say, I appreciate you guys doing videos about the comparisons.. just in case I'm questioning leaving everything I know to start over in Denmark. I know it's better to raise our future family in cozy Denmark.

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

I have to check myself sometimes. Every know and then I’ll say something and after just say “did that sound really American?” hahah

[@kellyasims]

@@mayaanastasiayoung6739 it's all about perspective, right? I know I won't be able to relate to my kids experience of school in Denmark, in many ways. But in your case, you bring a lot to the table, and it makes your classroom diverse. I always chose strawberry milk.

[@jimmywayne983]

The whole thing with rød aalborg is that its the perfect base to make your "own" snaps, and litterally anything can be used. Get a clean bottle with a mechanism to close it, put something in it.. maybe thyme.. or red chili or whatever, pour snaps on it and let it soak for a few weeks and you have created your very own snaps. Its rather popular and people try to combine all sorts of plants, fruits, flowers or vegetables to experiment with making their own snaps.

[@zymelin21]

rød ålborg is the danish answer to white lightning. If you want to make your own snaps, Brøndum is better since it does not have caraway seed infusion.

[@wardope]

let us have a drink every time they say the word "like" if you can get through the video without getting hammered you win!

[@CasperBang]

Even a lot of Danes tend to go for the less strong Snaps than the original but strong "Rød Aalborg". For a more refined flavor, try a Dill snaps next time you have fish or seafood. ;)

[@farmse]

It would be fun if you made a video where you talk about danish Music and danish musicians you like or react to it😁 The same thing with danish movies og TV shows/Series 😘

[@0210rokvist]

So charming

[@pm71241]

I like Rød Aalborg ... a lot of people don't like the vague caraway taste. But I would really recommend a home made "pors snaps" ... not for school lunch though :)

[@StrawberrygirlAnna]

It’s interesting to watch for me because I went to school in Denmark, but an international Cambridge middle school and then IB. It’s like neither Danish nor British/American (more American stuff in IB) 😂 it’s like influenced by both but is neither 😂 in the Cambridge school, we had our own classroom (it was a small private school) but a different, specified classroom for physics and chemistry in another building. In IB, we moved around ALL THE TIME, except for PreIB that was more like 1g in STX. as for me personally, who doesn’t eat bread/pastry in general, otherwise never combines other foods with bread, and drinks milk substitutes like soya milk, neither pancakes and chocolate nor smørrebrød and milk are healthy 😂 but that’s just me. Apart from that, all we could get in high school (public) - IB & STX as two separate schools within one huge building- was oatmeal with raisins, cornflakes and some low fat milk (minimælk or skummet mælk, can’t remember). In the Cambridge school (private), we had to bring our own lunch, always - we never got a shit for free 😰 our graduations, both in the Cambridge school (10th grade) and IB, were 100% Danish. IBs usually get hats with the international band 👍🏻 so I completed my schooling in Denmark, but it’s not fully Danish 😂

[@alexanderchristensen7369]

The coolest thing about graduation in Denmark is that for those 2 weeks you wear the cap you should go to the city and party every day, and theres a lot of "challenges" that you gotta try to go through. Like drink 24 canned beers on a night, throw up in your cap or have sex with more than 2 people in a night. Then you mess up the cap according to what you did. Say you drink the 24 beers, then you cut a zigzag in your cap and so on for the different challenges.You also let all your friends write their names with a little text inside the cap.

[@TainDK]

So - art, music, sports etc. those are "fritidsaktiviteter" in Denmark - they exist but have nothing to do with what school you are in, which means that you would join students from more schools maybe to do that specific thing that you like - i am sure you can imagine that for scouts, and it is so for any "fritidsaktiviter" - there are many many types, and because they are not school dependent the variety might be bigger

[@gunillavesterberg4174]

We have 'Ungdoms skole' in many areas - sort of like extra curricular but depending on the class you are paying a small fee or it's funded by the Kommune. When I went to Folkeskole you could either take normal subjects - to get better at those, do summer schools, play in bands or learn to play single instruments. It's not the same as Band in US - but it's a good equivalent.

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

I attended something like this last year. I went to a girls club and we did art and went to art museums!

[@Pillen89]

If you miss playing in band/orchestra I would recommend you signing up at a music school! Most towns have music schools with bands, orchestras etc. So that might be an idea for you. When it comes to sport those are out side schools as well here! But there are looots of stuff to do!

[@annahusums]

You guys should really watch the danish movie "another round" (or in danish "druk"). It's about the danish drinking culture and all the amazing and terrible aspects of it. And It has a really cool danish high school graduation scene in the end. It is really worth a watch 😊 And it's nominated for multiple oscars this year!

[@uwumaster6930]

the one with the caramel it is also common to cover the school in shaveing cream

[@M_Rose]

You forgot SU in Denmark. When you are 18+ years, you can get paid to study 😊

[@spotzy7237]

@@ceciliebjergmeierolsen950 Nej ens SU-sats begynder når man er 18 år, udeboende eller ej. Du kan ikke få SU under 18 år.

[@HForceClan]

Think of an army truck for troop transport, without the tarp over the top, that is basically the truck you rent and ride around in with huge speakers blasting music in the back. People on the street waves at you and people driving will honk in celebration and/or because you usually have banners all around the truck with one saying something like: "2 honks and we'll drink!" some common rules are: The person with the largest head (i.e. the largest hat size), has to bring a case of beers. The person with the highest grades has to run after the truck at the start of the trip. Pro tip: there is a black strap on the hat, USE IT by having it under your chin when you're on the truck, it is pretty common that someone lose their hat because it blew off on the ride.

[@mariannejensen349]

Rules are written *in* the hats. There are rules for everything, related to that hat. 9th graders doesn't only have the caramel tradition, but also a barber-foam battle tradition, and the 9th grade performance. Shorter day, up to the weekend, and there will be a competition on the paper for the other grades, on which grade have got the most caramels.

[@clauspetersen840]

Its obvious for all, but i'm danish, so maybe its just me :) The big advantage of keeping kids in a group in a specific classroom in the school is.. The kids feel more secure, as in they know where the "second home" is allways. At 8,9 and 10 grade, classrooms get flowing, but for they young ones, its important that they have a room that doesn't move, a class teacher that is allways the same etc. It makes the kids feel secure.

[@Trickie65]

Maya you talked about missing the possibility to play in a band or do sports in the school. Here in Denmark we have all that outside the school, it´s called foreningsliv/association life. Every town from small to big has it´s own Name for a club, where there is access to many kind of sports. Then we have something called aftenskole/evening school, where you can go to all kind of things too. It can be crafts, it can be music you name it. The difference is that we have to pay for it.

[@adrianpallis4568]

Technically the highschool graduation hat here in denmark is the remainder of the univerity uniform. So when u graduated Gymnasium nobody stopped there u went to university so you got the university wear because you started there 2 month later.

[@RoarMohammedJohansen]

I love your videos, its good entertaining from you guys, and you seeme to be so nice people - keep the videos and your experiences comming :) Here are some ideas to what you could compare in videos: - Supermarkets/Stores US vs. DK - Cars - what kind of cars a driven in the US compared to Denmark. - Tax and welfare system (Properbly stuff for severeal videos). - The weather - I have talked to a lot of people from abroad who really finds the danish weather strange and random, compared to what they are used to from home. - Sports, what sports are popular in the USA compared to Denmark. - Foreninger - is thought to be a very danish ting. Vi har foreninger for almost every subject one can imagine, were people get together and organize events in relation to the subject. - You could also make videos were you try traditional danish food, and traditional american food from were you are from. By danish food I think of classic danish recipies like "Boller i karry", Frikadeller med brun sov og kartofler", "Flæskesteg", "Tartelleter med høns i aparges", "Stegt flæsk med persillesovs". See you soon in the videos :D

[@diazinth]

About the weather: My father's immediate family ended up in Sunnmøre on the northern part of the west coast of Norway (as opposed to the west coast of northern Norway), and they have this saying: If you don't like the weather, wait an hour, and it'll be something different. :)=

[@muhest]

Kudos for drinking the snaps at room temperature. I don’t know if you noticed, but the frageances and the aroma is more prominent when you drink it at that temperature. Snaps should never be drunk at freezing temperature. It kills all flavors. And you then only drink for the alcohol effect. 😉

[@FullCanoe]

Yeah... you should have stopped at "Snaps should never be drunk" !

[@muhest]

@@FullCanoe Nope. It’s a man’s drink. 😉

[@FullCanoe]

@@muhest Well if you need a disgusting flavour to define your manliness, then by all means "man" away. There are so many different snaps that actually taste good, why "men" insist on the worst tasting one i just don't get. I mean if it got something to do with the worse it tastes, the bigger my junk - Then may i suggest Turpentine or Diesel next time?

[@muhest]

@@FullCanoe Maybe you should follow your own advise then. By your statement it is clear that you have absolutely no appreciation for the fragrances and flavors of the many different variations of snaps. You just go ahead and stick with your Bacardi Breeser. 😉

[@FullCanoe]

​@@muhest So that my taste - which is subjective - differs from yours - which is also subjective ... somehow sums up to that i am in the wrong?` How about you have a look at market shares (Objective) of "rød Aalborg" Compared to other brands, and then get back to me? Yes "self flavoured" are higher market share than the pale evening piss you promote.....so there's that. Rød Aalborg is the generic version - just because it's been around for a loooooooong ass time - doesn't mean it's any good. As evident by the beetle and the new beetle (Car) Please by all means, keep drinking rød Aalborg, and leave the tasty stuff to people with actual < 80% working tastebuds.

[@GreenLarsen]

They did not really mention it, but all off the extra curriculum activities in denmark are done in associations. So a town might have music, swimming, etc associations that you join if you want to try out or like said activity. It just dont have anything to do with the schools. About Rød Aalborg. It taste awfull :D but I like the story behind the recipe. It used to be taken for medicinal reasons and every thing added was done so to cure something else. So a snaps with "only" 1 thing added like beech (bøgesnaps) was only going to cure 1 thing. But if you added 100 different things, it was able to cure anything. Thats why "old" snaps recipes all have so many things in them. Not for the taste. ^^ Edit for typo

[@thekaper]

Snaps is also called Akvavit, from Aqua Vitae or water of life. Because it's good for so many things :) Related, but quite out of a tangent: The root of the word Whisky is uisge beatha - which is gaellic for water of life.

[@andreaschristensen8239]

when you get to gymnasiet which is a mix between high school and college you move around as well but the teacher does too. The difference is that they try to put spanish teachers in the spanish classes and math in the math classes.

[@jespermayland571]

Rød Ålborg is our great hard core snaps! My mum hated it! She was more for Jubilæum Snaps.

[@peternielsen8723]

many local citys have a "garde" a marching band. The most well known is of course Tivoligarden, but there's lors of them all over the country. Sports in Denmark is more or less only organised by associations. - Foreninger - Anything you want to do with other people you can probably find a "forening" or club to join. So if you want to do athetics in Denmark you would join your local "atletic forening". If you want to play chess, there might be a local chess club, if you want to shoot bow and arrows, find your local "bueskytte forening" and so on. Schools have very little to do with sports other than maybe soccer, but also soccer is mainly driven by clubs and associations. (realy not sure association is the correct term for "forening" but that's what google translate told me)

[@Joliie]

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, when he tried to introduce better food in an elementary school class in Huntington, West Virginia. I recall he held up a tomato and the kids aged 6 did not know what it was.

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

That was horrible series to watch. Not because of the show itself, but because the children actually wanted to learn about food and have healthier options for lunch, but the adults couldn't be convinced of changing because it required a different work ethic, and that was just really sad to see. Jamie put in so much hard work, and they just threw it all on the floor.

[@simonjrgensen6761]

@@ThisIsMyFullName Yeah that's terrible. Some of the food the kids eat in American schools... it's shocking really.

[@hellefur6631]

If you pronounce Ø like UH, and Å like OH, I think you will come closer to how the danes pronounce it. Pronounce it, like you didn't catch the question Uh..what? Or that you got the question Oh..I see

[@jenschristianbachmann6346]

Super advice! :)

[@TorchwoodPandP]

Ø is like the first vowel sound of Colonel...

[@TheJerida]

Sorry to say, but that's too simplified. Wowels are pronounced differently depending on surrounding letters, etymology etc. You can do the hard work and study the grammatics, that will help. But otherwise it's just practise and being observant about how the natives pronounce it in each instance. Sorry 😔

[@Luka1180]

@@TorchwoodPandP Definitely.

[@sararosenstjerne5785]

Don't know if its been said, but it's an uknown rule(where I went), that you only wear the graduation hat for around a week, from you get it on, and maximum 2 weeks. And thereafter it's only worn for graduation partys. There's also a lot of diffrent 'rules' about what to do with it. Like cutting a wave in it, if you bath naked(with only the hat on) in a lake, or at a beach, and biting peoples shade(??) on the hat and so on

[@renosaurusrex5952]

With the gymnasium graduation cap, you normally wear it untill you are done going to the last graduation party

[@robloxaercool579]

I am in 7th grede on a danhis shool thad this is my frv part of the hole year

[@siloPIRATE]

OK, from the UK. Remembering back to 10 years so stuff may have changed - Lunches were made by the schools (still are) - They used to have things like pizza, but then Jamie Oliver and the whole healthy kick happened. So the food changed to more variety I guess, brought in things like cupcakes, panini and other stuff. The vending machine that we had with various drinks like Oasis disappeared. There was water and probably other stuff, can't remember How do you have 100 people in a class? That's a year group. We had four form groups to a year group, making 120 people to the year group. The students move, the teachers don't and because of setting there your class of 30 will change depending on subject. There was no graduation, but there was prom

[@TheLizzerazu]

In Denmark we do have special classrooms. Lilke chemesrty, art and workshop. We dont have a certain amount of time you need to wear your graduation hat. But there are challenges involved. Also its custum to write inside the hat. Getting teachers and class mates to write wellwishes. And usually the middlespot is reserved for your SO. Also there are alot of other custums. Often to do with the sweatband inside the hat, or the brim. www.studenterhueregler.dk (on danish thou)

[@emillundqvist8126]

In regards to ground school graduation: Don't forget the water guns! And having a huge pool that you get to drag the kids to and throw them in (so they'll be soaked for a couple of hours, muhahahaha). And that teachers are also dressed up and made to do some really fun stuff. For example making your social studies and math teachers duel on a wooden board across the pool while wearing sumo suits and wielding staffs of fluff! Just to explain gymnasium graduation: The hat you shouldn't write "on". But inside the middle of it (only on the inside) you write the last grade you got from the last exam you had and then you let everyone who wants to write something inside your hat - write in it. Usually you'll write like a personal congratulations using nicknames and what-not. There are also "rules" for making "cut-outs" in the hat. So on the inside and on the "beak" you make cut-outs corresponding to actions you take while wearing it. For example, drinking a full case of beer you get to make 1 cut. If you skinny dip in the harbor (or a local large pond) you make a specific symbol and so on. Oh and you also go on a bus ride around to everyones houses (of the class) where the parents usually have a bunch of alcohol and some light food (like just having a grill outside and you get 1 medister - or there's a bunch of fruit cut-outs or something)

[@24Shigeru24]

As Americans now living in Denmark, I think it would be fun too see your reaction and possible difficulties facing the far superior measurement system, the Metric system. Especially Maya since she's in school and have to use it all the time :)

[@TravelinYoung]

Miranda here - As someone who loves miniatures, I've come to really like using metric for measuring. I dont even convert anymore. I just straight up use metric. Baking has been a bit more challenging because SOOOOOOO many of my favorite recipes are written for imperical. I still use my cup measurements for those. For Danish recipes, I use my digital scale. When in Rome!

[@mayaanastasiayoung6739]

I despise the metric system, I know it makes way more sense than imperial but I’m just so used to it now. Converting metrics is my least favorite part of math tests hahaha

[@24Shigeru24]

@@mayaanastasiayoung6739But it's so much easier to just use the metric! :)

[@kogtrecords5838]

I'm a bit ate, but you can join bands at your municipality!

[@blueeyedpunk]

Btw Joshua and Miranda. You can see what naughty stuff she did on her hat 😂

[@masselfur]

Put the Snaps in the freezer, makes it go down smooth. Please don't plan anything for the day after....snaps hangovers are an "experience" best savored... at my graduation we would kidnap the teachers and throw them in a nearby lake. It was tradition so the teachers had extra clothes ready. We also TP'ed the entire school and put shaving cream everywhere....it was complete chaos, but alot of fun.

[@hmbp100]

i hope you are still together. love you.

[@SilasSerner]

Hey, Maya. Soooo cool you play the Tuba. Even though schools don't have bands like in America there are some good options outside of school. In Denmark we have "Garder" all around the country, they are marching bands. I know that any "Garde" would loooove to get a Tuba player, so if you still have interest in joining a band you should find a "Garde" near you. I don't know where you live, but if you live on Sjælland these are som good ones: Holbæk Garden (www.holbaekgarden.dk/), Slagelse Garden (www.slagelsegarden.dk/). If they are too far away you could probably also find a smaller one near you.

[@wollaminfaetter]

I would love to hear you guys take on some danish stand-up comedy, starting with Anders "Anden" Matthesen.

[@wollaminfaetter]

Sorry. Forgot about language.

[@kimdrikkjaerlaursen6879]

You should try old Danish, a shot, like red Ålborg

[@arquloc0893]

Haha, Villads seem like a cool dude. :)

[@justjules2029]

There’s a lot of variation in American schools. There’s public, private, charter, magnet, hybrid, virtual, homeschool, etc. Also, the lunches vary too. Some schools you bring in your own lunch, some cater, some have cooks on staff and some get frozen prepared. Some have fast food or vending machine options. Some offer campus check out so you can go home or eat off campus. There’s healthy, unhealthy and options in between. What about prom or school dances? And what about all the various types of activities and class variations on schedule, size, and subjects. So many non-Americans have negative or uniformed views on America so it’d be nice to see more details on American life. Good and bad, balanced of course. So they can see we’re more than American movies and negative news and we’re actually human just like them.

[@HollaenderDK]

A Rød Aalborg snaps is always better VERY cold - like almost straight out of the freezer with frost on the bottle :-) .... and preferably with lunch (smørrebrød)...

[@AreHan1991]

Very cute youngsters, so natural and unspoiled 😄

[@sophiethemasochisticninja7655]

Just in case it has not been mentioned you also get extra features depending on if you completed harder classes. So lets say you completed either Math A, Physics A or Chemistry A. Math A is basically advanced calculus. You get a Black Hat to indicate that you completed it.

[@jakdk]

Josh: That Snaps is supposed to be served ICECOLD... You need to put it in the freezer for at least 24 hours before you drink it. You are better off with "Høker Snaps" served at room temperature if you want to try something that has a better taste to it. The best is Jubilæum Snaps (also served at room temperature)... ;-)

[@kinuuni]

That is the way you serve snaps if you don't like it XD

[@n-doghansenmand5655]

When I went to School when we had f.ex biologi we went to a speciel room with stuffed animals and glasses with formaldehyd. So i think its very different scholls between

[@PiaChanx]

For my 9th grade graduation, we would all meet in the soccer field after the candy thing and spray shaving cream and thrown water balloons at each other. Then everyone went home to wash and we meet for a final dinner and party.

[@isabellalovegood6233]

at my school (Danish one) the 9th graders, at the start of their last day, gets shaving cream which they spray at other students. i'm scared because my sister is going to be a 9th grader soon, and i do not want shaving cream all over myself. she'll probably drag me over the line.

[@lainightwalker5495]

in my school. there were rules for what u couldent do when trowing candy. it wasent as violent.

[@Styggejoe]

Maya you should join a musikskole it's not that expensive and you get to meet other people playing music.

[@Zepulchure]

In one of my earlier schools, the older students graduating would also throw caramels, be dressed up, but also have water guns filled with vinegar, and have some caramels frozen, others soaked in vinegar days before, so trying to eat one could be a bad thing 😅

[@hxnxnxx]

wooow thats so cruel tho ahhahaha

[@Zepulchure]

@@hxnxnxx well, the one rule that they tried to keep every year, is that cafeteria and the 2youngest classes were so called "safe zones" and. Plce where the oldest would not throw stuff

[@hxnxnxx]

@@Zepulchure I kinda feel like thats the least they could do for that matter anyway ahaha I mean you're already at it with the soaked vinegar caramels, might at least have a couple of safe spaces right? poor kids

[@Zepulchure]

@@hxnxnxx it was always something fun for the smaller classes tho, the elder students being dressed like clowns or other things, having supersoakers and water balloons with vinegar, it was nasty, but fun for everyone ^~^

[@frankcarlsen4921]

I don't know if this goes for all schools in the US but one big difference is that Danish students never have to recite the pledge of allegiance. In Boise Idaho they had to do that each Friday between second and third session. Also the national anthem isn't played except at national games. Not when the 8 year old school kids play a soccer game.

[@TravelinYoung]

It does depend on where you live. It's been years since I was a kid (dad here), but we did do the pledge each morning. We wouldn't sing the national anthem that often for local sports, but we did for school sport games and of course professional teams always do before games. But when I played soccer in a local community league we wouldn't sing before games. I feel like we'd sometimes sing God Bless American, but I am old enough I can't remember the specifics, seems plausible though. Granted, it is all a lot more than what happens in Denmark :).

[@frankcarlsen4921]

@@TravelinYoung I have never pledged allegiance to Denmark (57 years old). I have signed legally binding documents that stated that I wouldn't work against Danish interest for work but nothing else, and never in a public setting. I have probably sung the American national anthem more times than the Danish even though I always sing along on the Danish when I have the opportunity. Yes I am a sucker for a good rodeo and went at every chance I got (included national anthem). By the way I lived in Idaho 10 years.

[@sabinahertzum9728]

I would have loved a comparison on what grade was what in Denmark ve America - Ive never been able to find out what the grades compare too ;) Oh. And about the sailor hat thing - there is a lot of traditions about what has to happen to the hat during the graduation parties - things like bitemarks to the brim - writing the grade from your final exam inside with small quotes from friends - nicks on the brim for stuff and so on... I think there is something that has to happen to the hat if you throw up during the graduation parties... Oh - and your name is embroidered on the back of it... My son graduated from ‘gymnasiet’ a few years ago - he gave me his hat and I gave it tucked away in a glass cubbord... because he didn’t want to wear it all the time I crocheted a hat for him to wear - to make sure some of his more wild friends didn’t destroy the hat ;) It’s actually a pretty new thing that a lot of educations have hats - in the beginning it was primarily either a 3 year business or humanitarian education that had the hats... they are either red or blue ;) Now most every education have their own hat - hairstylists are have a pink edge on it ;)

[@TravelinYoung]

Thanks for the info on the hats! Maya is obsessed with the whole concept :). That is a good idea about grade levels. It is quite confusing and took us some time to understand when we moved here. This was more about social stuff, but we could maybe do another that is more about logistics - grade year vs. age, elementary school/middle school/high school, applying for college, etc.

[@janolsen9856]

Yes real Danish snaps taste like fluids for an engine. But you need the food to drink it.. Sild og snaps (:

[@Hemeddigkanalen]

100 people on one classroom!?!?! When i changed school in 8th grade a couple of years ago there were 3 people in total in my grade (including me)

[@TravelinYoung]

In the US, we say class to mean both individual classrooms AND the entire grade as a collective so when she said class at that point she was talking about all the kids in her grade. :)

[@Hemeddigkanalen]

@@TravelinYoung Ohh i see! Thank you for responding btw, i really enjoy the videos!

[@Aalborg42]

There is a bottle of Rød Aalborg in The Man Who shot Liberty Valance (1952)... I just wanted you to know :)

[@TravelinYoung]

Interesting! Classic American film.

[@n-doghansenmand5655]

Is there a bigger gab between the students and the teachers in US or is IT more of a friendly tone between Them like in Denmark

[@palmshoot]

For one, first-name basis is a non-starter.

[@lassepallisgaard9374]

Snaps needs to be cooled, and do it in a freezer so it hits like -15 degrees celcius. It physically hurts me when you drink it warm. haha. :)

[@stphinkle]

What subjects are taught in danish schools?