Elisabeth Dahlstrøm

Learning support

Life has lead me to several different destinations, and I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten to know so many interesting people and their unique cultures throughout the years. After living in Brazil off and on for a long time, I finally fulfilled my dream of returning to Norway last year.

I am a Norwegian-American who has made education the center of my professional life since the early age of eighteen. Throughout my university years I taught swimming as I acquired my Bachelor of Arts degree. I went on to get my Master’s degree in education with focus on international teaching, followed by a post-graduate degree in educational psychology which has enabled me to assess and support students’ educational, behavioral, emotional, and psychological development.

I first went to Brazil to teach English to Brazilians, and since then my career trajectory has provided me with the opportunity to work in different places, as an early childhood homeroom teacher, PYP arts and music teacher, Brazilian Portuguese for foreigners instructor, university professor, learning specialist, and translator. This academic year my position at GIS is as a learning support specialist, and I am also the PYP visual arts teacher in Grade 2.

During my job as a PYP teacher of arts and music at an international school in Brazil, I began to truly identify with the holistic educational experience that the PYP has to offer. I noticed our students acquiring independent learning skills and taking responsibility for their own learning. It’s beautiful and inspiring to see children become self-motivated and confident, building their knowledge in concrete ways, and enjoying every minute of it!

What I enjoy most are children and animals, nature and the outdoors, arts and music, and the peacefulness of a long walk in beautiful sceneries.