TIRED OF AMAIRKUHN EDGYKAYSHUN? CONSIDER MOVING TO FINLAND
OK... I realize I've been ranting about Amairikuhn edgykayshun above my normal allocation of one rant per month, but then Mr. M.H. sent this article, which I read, and I simply have to pass it along, because it is saying essentially everything that critics of the Amairikuhn "system" of edgykayshun - from John Taylor Gotto to my co-author, Gary Lawrence and I, in our most recent book, Rotten to the (Common) Core - have said. Indeed, in our book, Dr. Lawrence concluded with an entire chapter on "more is not better." More homework, more standardized tests, more in-class hours, more computers, more ebooks, are not better, and Finland is there not only to make the case, but to make it in spades, for the Scandinavian nation consistently scores at the top of the world for education, utilizing a system that has none of the hallmarks of its American counterpart:
This is why Finland has the best schools
In case you missed them, consider these statements:
Finland has a history of producing the highest global test scores in the Western world, as well as a trophy case full of other recent No 1 global rankings, including most literate nation.
In Finland, children don't receive formal academic training until the age of seven. Until then, many are in day care and learn through play, songs, games and conversation. Most children walk or bike to school, even the youngest. School hours are short and homework is generally light.
Unlike in the United States, where many schools are slashing recess, schoolchildren in Finland have a mandatory 15-minute outdoor free-play break every hour of every day. Fresh air, nature and regular physical activity breaks are considered engines of learning. According to one Finnish maxim: "There is no bad weather. Only inadequate clothing."
And my personal favorite:
Finland doesn't waste time or money on low-quality mass standardised testing. Instead, children are assessed every day, through direct observation, check-ins and quizzes by the highest-quality "personalised learning device" ever created – flesh-and-blood teachers. (Emphasis added)
So, what do we have?
1) consistently high achievement educationally in all areas when compared to other nations spending(wasting) billions on stupid fads like standardized tests and Common Core (think the USSA here);
2) light homework
3) less time spent in class
4) teaching by real human beings and not computers
5) no to few standardized tests
But you can add yet another bit of information for the reason for Finland's success:
"Our mission as adults is to protect our children from politicians," one Finnish childhood education professor told me. "We also have an ethical and moral responsibility to tell businesspeople to stay out of our building."
(Emphasis added0In fact, any Finnish citizen is free to visit any school whenever they like, but her message was clear: Educators are the ultimate authorities on education, not bureaucrats, and not technology vendors.
In other words, Finland has told Mr. Gates, Mr. Zuckerberg and billionaire busybodies and politicians, to take a hike, and has opened its schools and classrooms to the parents.
One is tempted, when reading this, to conclude that Finland took one look at America, and the "Amairikuhn edgykayshun sistum" and concluded "we don't want any of that here." The result is a system that respects children, parents, and the all-important role of the human teacher, a system that relies on little standardized testing, a stress-free classroom environment, and a culture that realizes that big corporate capitalist "solutions" are seldom beneficial to the people it falsely claims to serve.
And the other result is a consistently high standard of performance and a system that works.
It's time for the USSA to learn this lesson: the progressivist educators, with their batteries of teachers colleges, certification requirements, standardized tests, and a system run by and for the bureaucrats and businessmen, are turning the USSA into a third world cesspool of stupidity and mediocrity.
The system needs to be scrapped, and the billionaire busybodies removed from the process.
See you on the flip side...
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if my long-ago read sources are correct Finnland has the best educational (not indoctrination) system in the western world; in my profession I’ve worked with many Finns and they have been incredibly knowledgable-
Larry in Germany
this is so opposite of what i’ve heard out of sweden for the last 5 years. how did this happen? is finland under putin’s influence and sweden under soros’?
hey goshawks, is my list of worthwhile expat destinations growing? iceland? finland? where else?
Hmmm. Finland’s educators must have read Joseph Chilton Pearce’s “Magical Child” (just kidding). In that book, Pearce stresses how each child must be individually-monitored for ‘tells’ that they are ready to move-on to the next stage of their unfoldment.
Each human goes-down a nature-inspired sequence of stages. However, they move-on only once they have mastered – through play and experience – their current stage. Done right, it is an effortless progression. And successful. Contrariwise, Pearce points out how forcing a child into a stage ‘before their time’ is damaging, and can short-circuit nature’s plan.
In addition, Pearce stresses that the early stages (their natural unfoldment) are the crucial ones. This occurs in the first 4-5 years.
Finland’s program seems tailor-made to acknowledge nature’s plan. One would expect those students to excel in later learning, having a firm foundation in their successfully-completed early stages.
In the US (and similar-education countries), however, virtually everything is done counter to nature’s ‘rules’. The list is long. One would expect those students to have trouble in later learning, having no ‘foundation’ for their later stages of unfoldment. Sigh…
I love Finland and have spent extended periods of time there. In my ongoing assessment of where to move, Finland is one of the European countries I could live in quite happily. If nothing else, I would enjoy the challenge of learning Finnish, and listening to the broadcasts in Latin. http://areena.yle.fi/1-1931339
Its a nice place. For me government regulations, killer taxes and high prices started to be a bit too much, so when I had opportunity to move in Russia, I did. Its not a paradise, I think there is no such place/country in this earth, but in many ways individual has a much more freedom here in Russia than in Finland. Less regulations, less taxes and cheap prices. For example cars(new) are 50% cheaper than in Finland, gasoline is 60-70% cheaper, gas&electricity are ridiculously cheap etc. I live in St. Petersburg, so if I need something from Finland, I just take a train and after 2 hours 45 minutes Im in my old home town in Finland. What I don’t like in St. Petersburg is that here are too many people, so its a very noisy city.
so my choices are growing:
iceland, finland and russia
these seem like not the easiest places for a formerly middle aged amurikn to expat to.
To paraphrase a late mayor of Chicago schools in the CSA are not there to educate but to preserve ignorance. Our elites want stupid slaves who believe in popish plots, the yellow peril, the Russians are coming, hordes of fill in the blank are coming to rape white women and children. It’s all mind games control to have us proles running around like a chicken without a head in constant terror.
I´m Finnish so I can confirm this article 🙂 + children get a free high quality meal every day in school.
Here is some more info about school meals in Finland.
http://www.oph.fi/download/47657_school_meals_in_finland.pdf
Yes, hunting is very popular in Finland. Fishing too.
If they have a hunting and fishing culture I might just head there.
They do.
But given how hard the driving license examine is, I’d bet the gun safety course is difficult, and you’ll have to pass that if you want to hunt with guns.
You can get gun license easily for long guns if you want to hunt, but first you need a hunting license, its about 33€/year. Hand gun license is much more difficult to get. There is no mandatory safety curse for long guns.
“In Finland, children don’t receive formal academic training until the age of seven. Until then, many are in day care and learn through play, songs, games and conversation.”
Classic progressive education.
More classic progressive education:
“Finland doesn’t waste time or money on low-quality mass standardised testing. Instead, children are assessed every day, through direct observation, check-ins and quizzes by the highest-quality “personalised learning device” ever created – flesh-and-blood teachers.”