Primary and secondary school education

In my childhood, I loved reading. My mother told me that she used to read to me at bedtime, right before I fell asleep. Sometimes, though, she would drift off first. When my father came into the room, he would find her asleep beside me while I continued reading the book on my own. That early love for reading has stayed with me throughout my life and remains one of my favorite ways to learn. Among the books I enjoyed as a child were stories about Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Looking back, I realize that what drew me to those comics was the ease of learning through images. Colorful ones, especially, inspired me quite a lot. I also loved the cheerful expressions of the characters and the creativity of the storytelling. Those stories made me smile and laugh, filling me with joy and energy while sparking my imagination. 

My mother also reminded me that I often did my homework in the kitchen when I was a child. For example, I remember sitting in the kitchen practicing math - learning to count, add, subtract, multiply, and divide - and sometimes asking my mother to check my solutions. As I grew older, I began studying mostly in my room, where I could focus better and think more independently.

In the early years of primary school, I spent much of my free time playing with my best friend Morten. I recall that we played together after school, on weekends, and during holidays. We loved playing football and badminton together, and we often played table tennis at his family’s house in Elleparken in Lystrup, where he lived with his older sister, his older brother and his parents. Morten and I also enjoyed riding our bicycles around the neighborhood and racing remote-controlled cars, always finding new ways to have fun. I also remember the friendly atmosphere in our neighborhood. After school or on weekends, I often had pleasant conversations with neighbors, which made the community feel warm and connected.

About 3 years into primary school at Elsted school near Aarhus in Denmark, a relatively large change happened. In our age group there were four classes. We received the message that there were too few students in each class. In other words, the average number of students per class needed to increase. To balance the numbers, one of the classes—the one my best friend Morten and I belonged to—was dissolved. So one of the four classes, the one Morten and I attended,  got split in three groups which were distributed to each of the other 3 classes. The result of this change was, for example, that my best friend Morten was transferred to a different class than the class I was transferred to. Suddenly, Morten and I were no longer sitting side by side, sharing jokes or helping each other with schoolwork. I remember the first day after the change feeling strange - the familiar faces and routines that had defined my school days were gone. It wasn’t just about new classmates; everything shifted. We had new teachers, different classrooms, and fresh dynamics to adjust to. Looking back, it was one of the first times I experienced how organizational decisions—made far above the students—could deeply affect everyday life. It taught me about change, adaptation, and the quiet strength that comes from starting over.

In some of my primary school math classes, I remember how each of us worked quietly on exercises that matched our own level. The room often felt calm and focused, filled with the sound of pencils moving across paper. Whenever someone got stuck, we could walk over to Kirsten, our math teacher, who sat at a small table near the window. She welcomed each question with a patient smile and always took the time to guide us toward understanding. Those moments stand out to me. Kirsten never rushed anyone; she believed that every student could find their own way to the right answer with a little encouragement. Her kindness and attentiveness helped me not only to improve in math and to love the subject even more. Kirsten's teaching style also helped me tremendously to feel more confident as a learner. Looking back, I realize how much her way of teaching shaped me. It sparked my interest in helping others learn. That same spirit of personalized guidance has stayed with me ever since, influencing how I coach and support people today.