New students at Mulernes Legatskole in Odense are writing by hand and keeping their laptops in their bags during lessons.
DR reported on August 18 that students at the Odense gymnasium walk to class with a small board and a marker in hand. According to DR, the laptop stays in the bag most of the time. One of the new students, Andy Nielsen, said he actually likes the arrangement.
Nielsen told DR he had not written on paper since second grade, so the practice was entirely new to him. He said he relearned pen and paper quickly and feels he learns more from it. He also said the computer makes it easy to watch YouTube when boredom sets in.
His classmate Naomi Jørgensen, who has also just started at the school, described a similar experience. She said phones are locked away when students arrive, and computers mostly stay in bags. As reported by DR, she said the board makes her brain more focused during lessons.
Jørgensen called the method somewhat old-fashioned, but said she learns more when she sees the material in front of her. DR reported that new students are given both a draft notebook and a small board at the start of their studies.
What the school’s rules say
The practice matches written policy at the school. Per the rules and policies page published by Mulernes Legatskole, phones must be switched off or set to airplane mode. They must then be placed in a mobile locker at the start of each module.
The same rules state that laptops may only be used for teaching-related work. Teachers can order laptops closed or switched off for shorter or longer periods. The rules therefore leave classroom screen use to the teacher’s discretion.
The school is not short of digital equipment. Its history page states that electronic boards replaced the old chalkboards in 2012. The same page says the boards were renewed in 2020.
The story appears so far only in DR’s reporting. No other Danish outlet has published coverage of Nielsen, Jørgensen, or the reduced computer use at Mulernes Legatskole.
Why now
The timing follows the start of the new school year. The school calendar lists August 10, 2026 as the first school day. DR’s report was published eight days later, as the new students were settling into their classes.
Both students described the change in terms of concentration rather than results. Nielsen linked handwriting to staying focused, and Jørgensen linked the board to a calmer lesson. Neither student reported any difficulty returning to pen and paper.
