Day 7: A lot of sightseeing!

Since we were unable to meet with any other schools and/or professors (we tried lots!!!), the rest of our trip is sightseeing and learning more about the Finnish history and culture.

We started the day with an hour and 45 minute guided bus tour of Helsinki.  Several languages were offered so it was nice to understand what the recording was saying!!  We circled around the new part and old part of the city (even though none of it looks "new", with the except of a few modern-designed museum buildings).  We started by one of the harbors.  This harbor is a port of call for several cruise lines.  Next, we got views of and information about the House of Estates, Finnish Bank, several statues from centuries ago, cathedrals, and historic buildings.  We took a short stop at Temppeliaukio Church, which is a church designed and built into rock.  This is a very popular tourist destination.  Also on the tour, we were able to see Suomenlinna, the island with the former Russian-controlled fortress, from the mainland.  The harbor on that side of town is very famous for its shipbuilding. Many of the ships that cruise the Caribbean were actually built Finland.  We also stopped at a park to view Sibelius Monument, which was built to honor the very famous Finnish composer Sibelius.  He is the composer of "Findlandia" which is very popular around the world.  We're not sure that we can explain all of the amazing sights that we saw today!  There is so much history and culture that sometimes it's hard to take it all in!

After the tour, we grabbed lunch at Stockman's little café.  This is a HUGE department store in the middle of Helsinki.  The saying goes that if you can't find it here, you don't need it!

We walked back along the guided tour route to the National Museum of Finland.  This museum presents Finnish life from prehistoric times to now.  The exhibits tell about life over a period of around 10,000 years!!!!!!!  Now that's history!

We did a lot of just walking around, taking in the sights and sounds of Helsinki today.  The weather was perfect for exploring the city.  Tomorrow, we will take the ferry and spend the day at Suomenlinna, exploring the fortress and series of islands.  That should take the majority of the day.  When we get back, we plan on seeing more historic sites and visiting more of the museums.

Hope everyone back home enjoys their weekend!!!

Lynn on the guided city tour

Statue outside historic building (now a bank) -- notice the damage at the bottom of the statue (from fighting during the war)

"Rock Church" organ

"Rock Church"

1952 Helsinki Olympic Stadium

National Museum of Finland

Lynn with....well, we're not quite sure!

Day 6: Helsinki

"...the most important part of any successful education system -- the teacher..."  (quote from Finnish educational system literature)

What started out as a cloudy, dreary morning in Espoo ended up being a beautifully bright afternoon in Helsinki!  We arrived at our hotel around noon and luckily, were able to get into our room right away to leave our luggage.  We walked back over to the train station for a quick sandwich before heading over to the teacher education building of the University of Helsinki.  Being able to see the classroom/teacher dimension of their educational system was just half of why we decided to come to Finland.  The other half deals with how teachers are trained before going out into the workforce.

Jari Lavonen (Ph.D, professor, head of the teacher education department at the University of Helsinki) made some time in his schedule to meet with us this afternoon.  He leaves tomorrow for a trip to Japan so we did not take too much of his time.  The time that we did spend with him was very enlightening.  To keep with the tradition of our other posts :) , here's what we learned today:

1.  About 10% of the people that apply to the teacher education programs are accepted.
2.  Each university has complete autonomy when it comes to the selection of the open slots.  At the University of Helsinki, applicants take a comprehensive reading test that measures how well they apply and analyze.  Then, the applicants are given an educational topic and discuss this in teams of 4 while the faculty members observe how well the students are listening, participating, articulating, etc.  Finally, the applicants are interviewed.
3.  Even though Sweden is very close in proximity to and hold similar values in their society, their universities have a difficult time recruiting students to join the education field.
4.  Teachers go to school for five years (except pre-school teachers which is 3 years unless they choose to keep going the full 5 years) and leave with a Master's degree.
5.  There are no teacher tests (Praxis) or portfolios at the end of the program.  They feel that their rigorous application process yields the most motivated and eager students.
6.  When monies/salaries are comparable, Finnish teachers make comparable to the US national average (around $40,000).
7.  Teachers are required to take 3 days of professional development a year.  Most of that time is used for school planning and improvement.  They feel as though the teacher prep programs have prepared these teachers to go out and learn on their own.
8.  A PhD and a EdD are of equal importance and value in Finland.
9.  Society holds the teaching profession in high regard.  It is a sought after profession that not just anyone can do.
10.  Finland does not have "police" (as Dr. Levonan called it) for checking in on schools and teachers.
11.  There is no discussion of accountability or emphasis on testing.

It was very evident that Finland holds a high standard for their teachers and their teacher education programs.  But with that high standard, comes trust and a certain degree of freedom or autonomy.  Dr. Lavonen commented that in Finland, it is understood that classroom teachers can and do make the biggest impact on a child's education.  He (as many other educators that we spoke with) does not understand why and how the US tests young children as much as we do.  It is not a part of their educational system, as it is here.

Dr. Lavonen was very kind to meet with us and we really learned so much from him.  It was very interesting to hear how such a high-ranking system trains their teachers.

After our visit, we walked around Helsinki.  We were able to go into the Helsinki Cathedral today, as well as  view the ships in the harbor.  And of course, we couldn't visit Helsinki without at least one meal at Hard Rock Cafe!!!

Tomorrow, we are taking a guided bus tour of the city and plan to visit some of the museums.  :)  If the weather is nice, we will take a ferry ride to an island that has a sea fortress that used to be controlled by Russian forces.

Lynn in city square

Train Station

Architecture  :)

Kristi inside the Helsinki Cathedral

Inside Helsinki Cathedral

University of Helsinki building (teacher education)

Theater and statue in square

More architecture

Day 5 - A little sightseeing...

Today was a little bit of a down day for us.  We did not have a school to visit here in Espoo.  We would have planned to go into Helsinki today but we thought that we might be able to plan a visit with another school.  Many schools we contacted said that they were unable to meet with us because of the end of school being so near.

We decided to go into Helsinki for just a few hours today since Espoo doesn't have as many attractions to see.  We've seen all we can see here!!!  Yesterday, we were able to go inside the cathedral.  It was just amazing.  The drawings on the walls are originals from the 15th Century, as well as the crucifix (what is remaining of it).  Takes your breath away to walk inside.  We also saw the oldest schoolhouse in Espoo.  It was a cute little red building that they've done a terrific job keeping up for people to visit.

We hopped the train to Helsinki around lunch (we are expert train riders now!).  It's a short ride in so we grabbed lunch at an open air market by the harbor in Helsinki.  The architecture is striking in the city.  Some of the streets are cobble and you can definitely tell that it's an old city.  We walked around the harbor area and the square before finding where our next hotel will be and the University of Helsinki.  Tomorrow, we will go there to meet with the head of the teacher education department. 

We have a lot planned for the next few days in Helsinki.  Lots of museums and landmarks to see, as well as a few boat rides.

We noticed how polite the Finnish people are and how clean they keep their country.  They are very big on keeping the environment healthy.  It's nice to see.  We also noticed that they LOVE pizza and ice cream!!!!  There's both on almost every corner! 

Oldest schoolhouse in Espoo

View of the area of Espoo where we are staying

Our hotel, Hotel Glo (very nice!!)

Lynn in one of the squares in Helsinki

A cathedral in Helsinki

Statue in the city square

Day 4 - School Visit

Today was another successful day for us!  We visited Mannkkaanpuron Koulu today which is another Espoo school.  This school has close to 400 students (ages 5 or 6 to grade 6).  We met with Johanna, the school headmaster/principal.  They were super busy with closing down the school year so we are very grateful to be able to visit.  Everyone that we met made us feel comfortable and welcome.  We talked with three prep teachers (teach the multicultural students in a small, separate class before entering the larger, regular Finnish class).  We visited the 5th and 6th grade class.  The students were very excited that we were from America and were very eager to speak to us in English!  They taught us a little Finnish that they had been learning!  The teacher said that is has been a little bit of a problem this year with the English because the students prefer to speak that than Finnish.  During lessons, they are required to speak Finnish so that they can become accustomed to the language.  We were able to stay almost two hours and learned SO much in that time.  Here is our list from visit #2:

1.  The National Board of Education sets very broad guidelines (what would be similar to our standards but MUCH broader).  Townships can add their own spin for the population.  Then, schools are able to add according to their culture and values.
2.  Teacher work in teams when working on their school improvement.  There are no outside "forces" that come in to evaluate the school.  The teachers within the school work together to make their school better.  "Leading is working together."
3.  At this particular school, every day and every class can be quite different.  The starting and ending times differ from day to day and class to class.  The latest is 3:00pm for 6th graders and that is only once a week.  This facilitates smaller, more individualized learning.
4.  In prep classes, the students new to Finland integrate with their Finnish peers as much as possible. For example, some students are able to join their regular math or music class.  Students stay in the prep class for one year, unless a special circumstance occurs and the teacher feels that the student should stay longer or shorter.
5.  Some students learn Finnish in as little as 2 or 3 months!!!
6.  There are very few assistants.  They choose to hire more teachers for co-teaching opportunities.  They explained that they do not want the younger students to become too dependent on help.
7.  PRINCIPALS IN FINLAND MUST TEACH!!  A principal or headmaster does not have a specialized degree other than in teaching.  All teachers in Finland have their master's degree.  This particular principal co-teaches with several classes and even pulls students for extra language support.
8.  There are two report cards a year.  There are no grades but explanations of how the student is doing in each area or with each guideline.  Only 5th and 6th graders get number grades.
9.  Self evaluation and responsibility are huge student focuses.
10.  Johanna explained that in her opinion, she believes that the Finnish education has excelled so much because of 2 factors 1) student-teacher relationships (looping helps with this!)  and 2) the teacher prep programs in their colleges
11.  A teacher's role is the "boss" but with warmth and support
12.  Teachers are trusted leaders and professionals in their school.
13.  There are issues with students not turning in homework, sometimes.  The teacher has afterschool or "club" time for the students to get it accomplished.
14.  Working closely with the parents is a guideline in their national curriculum.  Teachers are not intimidating for the parents or vice versa.  Parents come in for "adult conversations" about school and the child's progress.  Students are often involved in these conferences.
15.  This school holds two 45-minute lessons and then the students get a 30 min. recess.  During this time, teachers rotate monitoring the students outside.  If it is their day to monitor, teachers will still get a 15 minute break.  The teachers' lounge was large, comfortable with coffee and snacks.  We were in there during their morning break and the teachers seemed very happy to come in and relax with each other for a few minutes.
16.  The prep classes have 2 goals: 1) teach the Finnish language and  2) to teach the new to Finland students Finnish school culture.
17.  In Finland, teachers concentrate a lot on teaching kids how to learn and giving them the tools to learn with.  It is impossible for a teacher to teach a student everything so they want to be sure that students are able to learn in general.
18.  They were astonished that teachers in the US are evaluated based on test scores!

The list could go on and on and on!!  We took the bus and then the train back to the hotel.  It was very different for us to see small children (probably 6 or 7) hopping on and off buses and trains by themselves to get home.  The children here become quite independent at a very young age!!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Espoo before we head to Helsinki.  We are very excited about visiting the university and talking with their education department!  Finland has some world-class teachers...and we're sure that's because of their teacher education programs!

Johanna and Kristi after presenting her with the "Tar Heel" ABC book

Teachers' lounge - full of coffee, talking, and laughter!

 

Very bright, open 1st grade classroom!

Newer part of their building

Older part of their building

Day 3 - School Visit

Wow, what a day we had!!!  We are so grateful to the teachers and students at Eestinkallion Koulu for allowing us to visit with them today.  It was a wonderful morning, full of learning and enjoyment.  We took a taxi this morning out to the school and met with Anu, the headmaster or principal.  She was very kind and laid back.  As soon as we entered the school, you could hear music playing and children talking and laughing.  The atmosphere was instantly happy.  Teachers were all very welcoming.  Most wore jeans and tshirts....very laid back but professional at the same time!  Rita (equivalent to an ELL teacher here) showed us around the school and spoke with us.  She was kind enough to run off a packet of information about the Espoo system and how their schooling progresses.  We visited a 1st grade teacher during the students' first recess and later, got to sit in on an activity they were doing in their computer lab.  Before we left (since the kids' day is over at 12:15), we ate lunch with Rita and the 1st grade teacher in the cafeteria with the children.  They eat with the children to model good eating habits and manners.  Also, their school is involved in a "green" project that highlights the importance of recycling, nature, and the environment.  I'm not sure that I can accurately portray everything that we learned today but I will highlight what struck us the most about this school and Finland's system:

 

1. The school day begins at 8:15 and ends at 12:15.  After that, about 90% of students participate in a "club" such as sports or music.

2.  Preschool children start at age 5 or 6 years.  The first mandatory primary year is when a child turns 7 years old.  This school has a morning and afternoon preschool session.

3.  Students do not learn to read until age 7.

4.  All children in Finland are educated.  They were the first European country to mandate this in the early 1900's.

5.  This school has many multicultural students - Russian, African, American, Swedish, etc.  This students are placed in a prep class (1st to 3rd and 4th to 6th) before they are placed with all other Finnish-speaking students so that they can learn the language well enough to succeed in the regular classrooms.  Teachers determine when they are ready to be immersed with the other students.

6.  Primary students have homework.

7.  Students are given 2 recesses during their school day.  They are allowed to play freely with all other students, walk on the nature trail, and/or play on the playground equipment.  They take these breaks during rain, snow, or sunshine!

8.  Students have a 10 week summer holiday.

9.  Religion is taught, according to the child's religion.

10. Special education students are in an inclusive environment unless their disability is very severe.

11. Discipline is not a huge issue - if a problem occurs, the teacher handles and they move on.

12.  Looping is very important - parents expect for their child to have the same teacher for at least 2 or 3 years in a row!

13.  All the classrooms have SmartBoards and the teachers have iPads.  Technology/internet is very open for these students.

14.  Students do not wear shoes in the classroom.

15.  I'm sure there is more!!!!!!  :)

 

Tomorrow, we visit another school in Espoo.  We are very thankful to be visiting these schools especially since they are wrapping up their school year this week.  We know how crazy that can be!



Lynn presenting Anu (headmaster or principal) with a "Tar Heel" ABC book



Handmade by the Preschool children (ages 5 and 6)

Shoes come off as soon as kids come in the door!

Part of their play area

Part of the playground

Primary students in sewing class

No shoes in the classroom  :)

Many students walk and/or ride their bikes to school

School in Espoo



Day 2: Espoo

A cool, rainy day here in Finland but we don't mind!  We left our hotel near Helsinki airport this morning and took a cab to Espoo.  Espoo is considered a suburb of Helsinki but boy, is it big and spread out!  We are staying at Hotel Glo, which is very nice with free internet!  woohoo!  We explored the area a bit this afternoon and then braved the train system (ALL IN FINNISH!!) to visit the outskirts of Espoo. We walked around a pretty part of town and then visited a medieval cathedral ( Espoon tuomiokirkko).  This church dates back to late 15th century.  There was some sort of service going on while we were there so we did not go inside.  We explored the grounds and the very large graveyard. There is an education museum in this part of Espoo that is only open on Tuesdays so we plan on going back to visit that and also to see if we can visit inside the cathedral.

Tomorrow's a big day!  We get to visit our first school.  A taxi will pick us up at 8:30.  We hope to spend a few hours talking with them and getting to tour their school.

Looking forward to tomorrow!  :)

The grounds

 Espoon tuomiokirkko

Day 1: Travel Day!

Good afternoon!  Or should I say good evening?!  We made it to Helsinki after a long day of travel.  Our day started yesterday in Charlotte, NC.  We flew out at about 8:00 pm, heading to Frankfurt, Germany.  The flight was quite nice and smooth.  Kristi worked on her dissertation, as Lynn read!  We even got a little bit of sleep.  From Frankfurt, we flew to Helsinki.  Again, this was a nice flight at just over two hours long.  We are getting some rest at a airport hotel before heading to Espoo tomorrow.  We plan on visiting a park and a few museums tomorrow.  The weather is gorgeous....mid 60's and sunny so hopefully that will keep up for our visit.  Everyone that we have met and spoken with have been friendly and truly helpful.  Our first impression of this beautiful country is flawless.  :)  Looking forward to tomorrow!

Our view as we approached the airport.

View of Estonia as we made our way to Helsinki.

Introductions...

Welcome!!  This blog was set-up to follow our travels to Finland to examine their educational system.  Lynn Barber is a K-5 teacher at a rural school in Northwest North Carolina.  Kristi Barber Day is a K-5 teacher at a different rural school in North Carolina.  We are a mother-daughter team, given an amazing opportunity to take this exciting adventure.

We were awarded a Rural Teacher Global Fellowship sponsored by the Rural School and Community Trust. The goal of fellowship is to create unique personal and professional development experiences for rural teachers. Fellows design their own international fellowship experience, learning goals for themselves and their students, and anticipated benefits for their school and community.

 

The Rural School and Community Trust is a national nonprofit organization addressing the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. Our mission is to help rural schools and communities grow better together.   Working in some of the poorest, most challenging places, the Rural Trust involves young people in learning linked to their communities, improves the quality of teaching and school leadership, and advocates in a variety of ways for appropriate state educational policies, including the key issue of equitable and adequate funding for rural schools.

 

Check back often!  Pictures, updates, and stories are coming soon...

 

Kristi & Lynn

 

Lynn -- second to left     Kristi-- far right