Teachers and Trust: Finnish Education System

Finland has an extraordinary education system that ranks at the top internationally. Students start school when they are 7, not 5, when they are developmentally ready to focus and engage. Students start school between 9:00 and 9:45 because research has shown the importance of quality sleep in the morning.

In Finland bad teachers never make it into the classroom. Finland only accepts 10% of teaching applicants. Additionally, students only attend 3 to 4 classes and have 15 to 20 minute breaks between each class. 66% of all students in Finland go to university and 93% of them graduate.

Teachers are respected and the importance of education is instilled in students by parents.

Education should be adapting to student needs not forcing students to adapt to an antiquated system. In our current system every student is expected to learn the same things at the same time at the same pace. Students learn differently. Some students learn better by following along with a teacher while others enjoy being free to discover solutions for themselves.

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Additionally our education forces students to learn the “right way” to solve a problem even if the problem can be solved in a variety of ways with a variety of approaches.

Students are people and not all people are the same. Some students may understand a subject better with more time to learn it. The opposite can also be true. Some of the brightest students receive low marks because they stop engaging when work becomes too easy. The education system needs to engage and challenge all students but also provide them with the time necessary to learn at a pace that works for them.

Then we run into a major problem with how students are assessed. In the current system students try to beat each other out for the highest GPA. GPA is entirely dependent on the courses a student chooses to take and in the end it tells you little about a students knowledge and skills. A student’s GPA is based on the average of several required courses all of which leave some students craving the freedom to explore. However when it comes down to GPA students focus more on cramming for an exam than actually learning the material. GPA has made the education system less about learning and more about winning the game.

Since when we were young we have been taught that success in school will help ensure a great future. As a society we have become fixated on grades as a means of measuring a student’s worth. In the end success goes beyond grades. Character determines success. Grit, curiosity, teamwork, and communication are all crucial skills that are not found on a high school transcript or assessed on a standardized test.

In a classroom we are given a specific problem with a clear right and wrong answer. We are then shown how we should solve that problem. In real life problems are never clear cut and there are multiple solutions to a single problem. Success requires that students are able to develop solutions to complex problems and communicate their ideas with others. People with good grades go to college to work for others. Successful people seek out new solutions that go beyond humanity’s current knowledge.

Standardized testing also puts teachers and schools in a difficult position. Schools that underperform in standardized tests risk losing funding. Teachers are also evaluated based on student’s performance on standardized tests. This pushes teachers into a corner of teaching to the test in order to make sure their students get high marks on the standardized tests.

GPA also makes teachers' jobs more difficult. Good teachers who challenge their students with meaningful assignments may be disliked by students while a bad teacher who gives out easy As may be showered with student’s praise.

In the end your GPA is just an average of your grades in math, english, science, and social studies. If your skill sets and interests fall outside those subjects then they simply are not recognized. Imagine the number of children growing up believing they are useless because of their low GPA or class rank. Even those who succeed in the system are just playing the game.

The education system is outdated. It was designed around a society that no longer exists. Originally the education system was designed to train students to work in a very controlled environment. Students were trained to follow directions and complete repetitive tasks as factory workers. However we have seen a dramatic growth in automation and new technology over the last several decades. More than ever the workforce is looking for employees who can think outside the box and interact with people in an honest and genuine way.