Honey ,Can We Move To Finland?

Honey, Can We Move to Finland?

            I have looked at Asian school models before and decided that there is really not much we can or even should try to replicate in the United States. There are some societal things that I wish we could import, like the respect for teachers, and the reverence for teaching and learning that is part of their cultural identity.  For me there is too much drill in the Taiwan or Korean models and not enough creation. American students, by and large, are just not geared that way, although I think there are some in power that would like us to work in the sweatshop model, 45 butts in seats reciting facts, dictatorial administrative style where teachers have no voice and no choice. Wait a minute that sounds vaguely familiar.

            The Finland model, now there is an idea I could get behind.  Many of the things we saw in the video and read in the book are exactly what I and some others in my school and district have been advocating for years. Things like: Struggling students need more time with their regular teacher, not pull-out to go do drill and kill. Intensive early intervention for struggling students with the flexibility to move between educational environments depending on need rather than eligibility category or track is something I would love to see in our schools. Finland spends time recruiting the best teachers they can find. After they find the best, they train them, support them, and provide massive amounts of quality professional development. In the U.S. we do exactly the opposite.

 In the past my suggestions have been dismissed with the question, “Show me where these things have ever made a difference?” now I can. I am not saying that we can import the entire Finland model, but we could, on a small scale, like within a grade level team, try the support model for struggling students that Finland has shown to be effective.   

Many of the reforms we looked at in other countries were sparked by the destruction of war or the collapse of old political regimes forcing these nations to rebuild their school systems from the ground up. The bureaucracy that is our school system is so entrenched and polarized that baring global catastrophe that’s not going to happen in the United States. I think I’m going to pick one thing, toss it into the educational pool, and see how far the ripples travel.