Chapter 6 and Finnish Articles

I was especially interested in the supplemental articles we had to read. I couldn’t believe some of the things that Finnish schools had implemented…no shoes, no gifted programs, students entering school at age 7, all lunch costs covered, extended periods of play/recess throughout the day, and many others. Finnish schools seemed to be much more laid back and helped students get in touch with their creativity and things that they are interested in. In the United States it sometimes seems like we tell them what they need to be interested in. There are so many rules that they have to follow. I think it would be great to let the kiddos be who they want to be, and support them in this way.
The other part of the readings that I found interesting was the different paths to careers. Singapore, Korea, and Finland all have much different ideas of “college.” I found it VERY interesting that there were test scores that determined what “path” students would take for continuing education, whether that be vocational school or something different. At first this was a little sad to hear, I thought… “what about those students who don’t quite get a 53% or whatever the cutoff is, but they are hard workers and have a strong desire to pursue a career that is only an option for those who got more than a 53% on the test?” Then, I think about students in my class who have learning disabilities and they have a high chance of NOT getting a 53% on that test (even though I feel terrible saying that) but it’s actually a decent idea to give them an option to be successful and help train them in a field that they can create a career from!
What does all this mean for me? Although I cannot consistently give extra recess, let the children take their shoes off when they enter the room, require more training of my colleagues, extend our school year, or provide funded preschool and then have kiddos start school when they are 7, what I can do is work on problem solving and creating critical thinkers. I can present opportunities for students to work together to get answers and learn how to come up with answers through exploration. I can lead my colleagues by example, and further my education, take the road less traveled, and hold myself to higher standards.