High school students in Finland, rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honour societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don’t start school until age 7.
Finland’s students are the brightest in the world, according to an international test. Teachers say extra playtime is one reason for the students’ success.
The academic prowess of the Finland’s students has lured educators from more than 50 countries in recent years to learn the country’s secret, including an official from the U.S. Department of Education. What they find is simple but not easy: well-trained teachers and responsible children. Early on, kids do a lot without adults hovering. And teachers create lessons to fit their students. Teachers and students address each other by first names. About the only classroom rules are no cell phones, no ipods and no hats.
The Norssi School in Jyvaskyla is run like a teaching hospital, with about 800 teachers each year. Graduate students work with kids while instructors evaluate from the sidelines. Teachers must hold master’s degrees, and the profession is highly competitive. More than 40 people may apply for a single job. Their salaries are similar to those of U.S. teachers, but they generally have more freedom.
Finnish teachers pick books and customize lessons as they shape students to national standards. One exception for the Finns’ success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls, and ‘book bus’ travels to more remote neighbour hoods.
Taking away the competition of getting into the “right schools” allows Finnish children to enjoy a less-pressured childhood. While many U.S. parents worry about enrolling their toddlers in academically oriented pre-schools, the Finns don’t begin school until age 7.
Once school starts, the Finns are more self-reliant. While some U.S. parents fuss over accompanying their children to and from school, and arrange every play date and outing, young Finns do much more on their own. At the Ymmersta School in a nearby Helsinki suburb, some first-grade students trudge to school through a stand of evergreens in near darkness. At lunch, they pick out their own meals, which all schools give free, and carry the trays to lunch tables. There is no internet filter in the school library. They can walk in their socks during class, but at home even the very young are expected to lace up their own skates or put on their own skis.
During a recent afternoon in one of his school’s advanced math courses, a high school boy fell asleep at his desk. The teacher didn’t disturb him, instead calling on others. While napping in class isn’t condoned, authorities say, “We just have to accept the fact that they’re kids and they’re learning how to live.”
Finland’s students are the brightest in the world, according to an international test. Teachers say extra playtime is one reason for the students’ success.
The academic prowess of the Finland’s students has lured educators from more than 50 countries in recent years to learn the country’s secret, including an official from the U.S. Department of Education. What they find is simple but not easy: well-trained teachers and responsible children. Early on, kids do a lot without adults hovering. And teachers create lessons to fit their students. Teachers and students address each other by first names. About the only classroom rules are no cell phones, no ipods and no hats.
The Norssi School in Jyvaskyla is run like a teaching hospital, with about 800 teachers each year. Graduate students work with kids while instructors evaluate from the sidelines. Teachers must hold master’s degrees, and the profession is highly competitive. More than 40 people may apply for a single job. Their salaries are similar to those of U.S. teachers, but they generally have more freedom.
Finnish teachers pick books and customize lessons as they shape students to national standards. One exception for the Finns’ success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls, and ‘book bus’ travels to more remote neighbour hoods.
Taking away the competition of getting into the “right schools” allows Finnish children to enjoy a less-pressured childhood. While many U.S. parents worry about enrolling their toddlers in academically oriented pre-schools, the Finns don’t begin school until age 7.
Once school starts, the Finns are more self-reliant. While some U.S. parents fuss over accompanying their children to and from school, and arrange every play date and outing, young Finns do much more on their own. At the Ymmersta School in a nearby Helsinki suburb, some first-grade students trudge to school through a stand of evergreens in near darkness. At lunch, they pick out their own meals, which all schools give free, and carry the trays to lunch tables. There is no internet filter in the school library. They can walk in their socks during class, but at home even the very young are expected to lace up their own skates or put on their own skis.
During a recent afternoon in one of his school’s advanced math courses, a high school boy fell asleep at his desk. The teacher didn’t disturb him, instead calling on others. While napping in class isn’t condoned, authorities say, “We just have to accept the fact that they’re kids and they’re learning how to live.”
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