Hello. Instead of talking about Passion like Professor Langholz suggested, I chose to talk about something different. Recently, I came across a video explaining why Finland schools rock compared to the ones in America; I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about it as well. In conclusion, do not be alarmed that this blog has nothing to do with passion.
sincerely,
Matthew Dalthorp
I saw this video the other day; it was really interesting. Pretty much, the video talks about the Finish school system as it follows this one family's kids for a day. Here it is:
In conclusion, Finland schools are all about two things: Relaxation and trust.
Students are encouraged to relax; they take off their shoes, call their teacher by his/her first name, and usually have the same teacher their entire career. Furthermore, there are more than one teacher in a classroom, allowing children to get more help. As they said in the video, "learning is more of a team game; the best and worst pupils in any subject are taught together."
Trust. The teachers trust the students; they show this trust by allowing students to go on cross-country ski trips...without adult supervision. Furthermore, politicians stay out of the way. They trust the principal and know that he/she will get results their own way. They don't need to be told how to do their job. Autonomy.
Finish students spend the least amount of time in a classroom. Yet they yield the best results. Why? Probably because they enjoy being there. Because going to school isn't something that they dread - its something that they enjoy. Autonomy. Intrinsic learning. All that jazz.
I just don't get why the United States of America can't be more like this. Clearly what Finland is doing is working. At the end of the video, a person mentions that Finland - unlike America - is homogeneous, allowing them to do things differently because they don't have to deal with poverty and ESL students. Although I agree that Finland does not have these problems to worry about, I still don't see any reason as to why American schools cannot learn something from them. Schools work better when students relax and have fun; they perform better when government doesn't create requirements; they educate better when they're not cooped up in a classroom all day.
I heard something that I think fits here nicely. If you take a doctor from 100 years ago and put him in today's ER room, he would be completely lost and wouldn't know what to do. If you take a teacher from 100 years ago, however, and put them in today's classroom, they don't skip a beat. American schools haven't changed much in the last century. It isn't any wonder that we're getting passed in education scores by other countries - they've changed their education system to go with the times. Why can't America do the same...?
Finland: 1
America: 0
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