By Jenni Beaver– Leslie Werden, professor of writing and rhetoric, and her three sons, Walter, Owen, and Eli, recently returned from a semester abroad in Switzerland. The four of them spoke to a group of students and professors, as a part of Friday is Writing Day on January 16.
Eli (age 12) spoke predominately about his schooling experience in Lucerne, Switzerland. He began by telling the group that instead of a big, yellow, American bus, he rode an electric, public bus that was connected through two wires above the city. One bus took him from the area of his family’s apartment to a bus stop where he switched busses and continued to school.
Eli made it seem like a simple journey, but his mom interjected, “The journey was 45 minutes one way and 45 minutes back.” This was one of Eli’s biggest experiences. “That experience improved his independence and maturity,” said Leslie.
Walter (age 15), much like his younger brother, talked about the school experience. “I really miss the breaks . . . I think it gave a better quality education,” said Walter. After a certain amount of class time, the students were released for a few minutes to get a snack, use the restroom, or fill up their water bottles. Walter explained that by having breaks every hour and a half hours, he was able to come back into class and focus on the lesson at hand. It made school last longer, but the quality was better.
Owen (age 14) talked about a trip the family took to London. He was able to stand on platform nine and three-quarters. “If you’re a Harry Potter fan you’ll understand platform nine and three-quarters,” said Owen. His funny story from London revolved around a Ron Weasley wand that he tried to convince his mom to buy for him. “The attempt was incomplete,” he said.
One of the stories Leslie shared was about driving up a mountain road, taking Owen to a weeklong school trip. The road was narrow, winding, and treacherous. Based on the blog post Werden wrote, the experience was less than desirable, but it gave everyone in the room a good laugh.
“I would recommend this experience to my friends,” said Walter, “because these kinds of opportunities don’t come around every day.”
“I may recommend the trip to my friends,” said Owen, but he added that the language is hard to learn.
“I would say go for the experience,” said Eli, “because it was a great one. But don’t go during school, because the rules are a little too strict.”
Leslie Werden closed the program by saying that the experience was great, and she is very proud of her boys. Eli developed independence by riding the bus every day for school. Owen broke out of his shy, middle child shell by doing videos about the trip. Walter maintained his first-born reputation by requesting extra German lessons from a school professor.
As for her growth, it sounded like she learned a new method of teaching that required no handouts, no assignments, and no grading, but she may be ready to start reading Morningside student papers again.
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