Sture H. Vareide

– You die a little inside every minute you scroll on your phone. It kills creativity. One in a million creates a trend – the rest copy.

Sture Vareide is a line teacher at FotoVideo and his goal is for his students to be the ones who create trends.

Freedom in the media profession

For Sture, freedom is precisely what makes the folk high school an ideal arena for the media profession.
– The Folk High School promotes creativity, ingenuity and inventiveness. We have the freedom to choose what we want to learn about, and the flexibility to jump on the opportunities that arise.

Last year's cohort were, among other things, press photographers during the World Cup in cross-country skiing during the city sprint in Drammen, and took portraits of the graduating medical students.

For Sture, freedom is also about making demands. Those who show they can handle the challenges are given the opportunity to shape their own school year.

– If you have the right drive, you can largely realize your own ideas and projects. We can also connect them with people in the industry and provide internships. Help them one step further on the path.

– It's about trying to trigger something in the students, so that they get motivated to learn more on their own. If you can do that, a lot has been accomplished.

From student to teacher

Sture himself got the spark for the media profession lit at folk high school, during his year in TV, film and video at Møre. After the year at folk high school, he chose to train as a teacher, while also working freelance as a photographer and journalist. After a few years as a teacher of photo and video production at upper secondary school, the opportunity came at Oslo folk high school, where the freedom to shape the teaching himself became crucial.

– I was tired of curricula that dictated what we had to do.

A lot has happened since Sture met his first cohort at Oslo Folk High School Rønningen in 2008. He believes that development has been particularly rapid in recent years. He points out that the public's attention span has become shorter, and that vertical formats have taken over as the standard.

– I like it. I like change. I like something happening.

– We have the freedom to choose what we want to learn about, and the flexibility to jump on the opportunities that arise.

Rønningen Snowboard Club

Another aspect Sture appreciates about his life as a folk high school teacher is the opportunity to pursue his own interests.
– When we can make our own electives, I make snowboarding. I think that's really cool.

This interest has led Sture, together with dance teacher Julie Ski, to found the highly unofficial Rønningen Snowboard Club, where both students and teachers are welcome as members. Most are recruited during the annual trip to Skarslia.
– Every year, everyone who tries snowboarding joins the club, and I work hard to get as many people as possible to try it.

Last winter, the skateboarding enthusiast received confirmation that the initiative was making an impact. One evening in Tryvannsbakken outside Oslo, he met a former student – standing on a skateboard.
– She started snowboarding here at school, and now has an annual pass in Tryvann and great joy from snowboarding.

Sture believes that if he had been younger, he would have started a combined PhotoVideo and snowboarding line.
– That would have been awesome. Those are both things I'm passionate about and think are shitty. Then it's easy to inspire and engage others.

– When we can create our own electives, I create snowboarding. I think that's really cool.