Let's Go To Finland!

I have recently read the article "How Finland broke every rule - and created a top school system" and it has changed my views on American education. This article talks about how the Finnish school system is basically the complete opposite of that in America. The only problem with this is that educators in Finland are doing everything the right way. 

"Instead of control, competition, stress, standardized testing, screen-based schools and loosened teacher qualifications, try warmth, collaboration, and highly professionalized, teacher-led encouragement and assessment." 

This quote from the article portrays how America is doing education versus how they should be doing it. In America education focuses too much on drilling and discipline than encouraging and collaboration. This is why students in America often do not want to attend school even at early ages. In Finland, school is something children see as fun. Teachers tend to start off as energetic and creative, but somewhere down the line they burnout. This burnout is something that should not be happening to teachers. 

"Children at Finnish public schools are given not only basic subject instruction in math, language and science, but learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens, training in second languages, arts, crafts, music, physical education, ethics, and, amazingly, as many as four outdoor free-play breaks per day, each lasting 15 minutes between classes, no matter how cold or wet the weather is."

This quote shows how students become diverse in Finland and are able to learn at their own pace with time in between. Children typically can attend to one activity that is interesting to them for around 10-15 minutes. How can we expect American students to be any different? Children need change to keep them interested, something that Finland is doing that we are not. 

Morgan Spurlock has recently done a video of himself experiencing school in Finland, which verifies this article in so many way. The video can be seen here. It is the last video on the page. 

In America children and adults do not take education seriously. In Finland teaching is the most admired job next to medical doctors. I'm sure many of you have hear the famous line "Those who can't do, teach" and this is the American view of teaching. We put so much time into lashing teachers than we do respecting them. Teaching is not an easy profession and maybe if more Americans realized that, the education system wouldn't be the way it is.