Part of being a Fulbrighter is that you get to join a network of scholars, teachers, professionals,
students, and artists. Fortunately for me, I met two dynamic Finnish teachers
in Washington DC, the summer before my trip. This allowed me the possibility to
visit their schools, much in the same way they did when they were in the United
States.
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| The world traveler, Emilia |
My visit to Ahveniston Koulu in Hameenlinna, was truly a
treat. Emilia is an English teacher and travel blogger, and has
maintained her own blog about her Fulbright experience at
Emilia-ontheroad.com. In many school
visits, I do a general presentation about California, and then have a Q and A
period afterwards. Many Finnish students are shy, and at first, I thought I was
bombing my presentations. Teachers assured me that if the students were quiet
it meant they were engaged.
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| Presentation |
Nonetheless, I gave students many ways they could ask
questions:
- ·
Verbally-this was the least popular option
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In writing
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Through text
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Through social media
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Through email
The students of Nummen Yhtenäiskoulu were frank, direct, and humorous.
They wanted to know my favorite Finnish food, had I tried Salmiakkikossu (a licorice
liqueur), why America has so many shootings, and if I owned a gun. Emilia
looked mortified, but they really reminded me of my own middle school students
in South Central L.A. For this reason, I complied when they asked me to dab.
Truly enjoyable.
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With my buddies, the honest kids of Nummen Ytenäiskoulu.
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Emilia shared with me that the school was moving locations
because the current location was had air quality problems. This situation and other issues such as mold are a problem, I heard on frequently in Finland, and not just in school buildings. The
combination of construction design, insulation, and lack of ventilation in the
winter are all contributing factors. Unfortunately for students and teachers,
this often means a forced relocation to a new facility. All instructional
materials and resources must be left in the old building.
This gets costly.
Students at this school were somewhat reluctant to go outside for break time. This can be attributed to a change in policy, where previously going outdoors during break was optional. With the mold problem, the school made outdoor breaks mandatory.
For school visits, sometimes the hosting teacher is able to pick you up from the train station. This was the case in Hameenlina. However, before my departure, I just had to visit the medieval castle in town. As a history teacher, it is important for me to make connections with my curriculum, and Finnish castles are a rarity. Luckily I was able to sightsee, visit a school, and even join teachers socially after a local conference.
My takeaway was this: middle schoolers are curious and hilarious in both the U.S. and Finland. Teachers deal with struggles no matter where they work. And instituting a new schedule with outdoor time is something that will need to be done in stages in order for it to be successful.
Link to mold article: https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/slow_torture_finlands_mould-ridden_schools_causing_breathing_difficulties_for_kids/6959621
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