Don't Forget South Central

The joyous children of Haapalan school What happens in a school system that treats its teachers so well that there is a competition to enter teacher education programs? A competition that in some places is more challenging than being accepted into medical school? What happens is a stable and healthy school system. In the month I have been in Finland I have spoken to teachers, students, education officials, professors, and non-profit organization leaders. I am only scratching the surface. But it seems to me that the foundation of this very successful school system is to trust the human capital to do what they have been trained to do. Preparation You have to earn a master’s degree to be a teacher in Finland. Teacher training involves conducting research and you are required to produce a Bachelor’s thesis as well as a Master’s one. So not only do you enter the university system as a well-prepared tri-lingual student (Finns speak three languages: Finnish, Swedish, and Eng...

http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AFP_Getty-476646709.jpg It was the late ‘70’s and there was a televised show based on the Hardy Boys mysteries (who else has that collection?) that captured my attention. This particular episode was based in the city of New Orleans during Mardi Gras time. The visual images captured my imagination: people wearing masks, losing their identities and adopting new ones, dancing and parading on the streets, the music…well, I was hooked. I knew at age eight or nine that I would be visiting New Orleans and as many other places in the world where I could discover a different kind of mystery and magic than what I saw in my own neighborhood. Almost 40 years later, some might say I took this to the extreme by moving to one of the colder climates in the world, the country of Finland, for 5 months to study the school system. If you’ve been reading this blog, you will know there is a special urgency that underlies the reason for...

What I Want to Learn How to Live in The COLD https://i.pinimg.com/736x/75/1c/cc/751cccb5ae26ead4d4caacc9770c935b.jpg How do people deal with no sunlight? There were zero days of sunlight in December in Jyvaskyla, where I will be living for 5 months.  Yet people take dips in the the icy lakes? And what is this sauna thing all about? How do students deal with the cold? Do they stay inside? Are there snow days? What I Will Miss Mexican Food http://www.seriouseats.com/images/2013/04/20130427-tacos-al-pastor-new-39.jpg No explanation needed.

What I Want to See Student Break Time https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/ For every hour of instruction, Finnish students receive 15 minutes of unstructured break time. What do they do during this time? How much is spent outdoors? Do teachers influence student choice? Are there gender differences in break activities? I want to know. Here  is a great article by ex-pat Timothy Walker on this topic. He also writes a great blog called Taught by Finland.  where the intrigue with Finland first began. I hope to meet him there! What I Will Miss Friends and Family http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/014/159/bitmoji-tshirt.png On the one hand, I have the best friends one could ever hope for. On the other hand, many of them will have a chance to come visit me in Finland! I will miss my family, and my husband's family, especially our children.

What I Want to See The Finnish Educational System http://www.oamk.fi/extra/degree/artikkelit/14/educationsystem.jpg How do schools in urban centers incorporate nature into the curriculum, as opposed to schools in the far north, Arctic Lapland? What I Will Miss My School For all of its challenges, the value of the work we do with the students and parents of South Central L.A.  is what keeps so many of us still working there.

What I Want to Experience Finland's Natural beauty From the raw beauty of Lapland to the National Parks, I want to see how much time students get to spend in nature, and study the effects on their schooling. What I Will Miss Woodland Hills Just as I'm getting to know this neighborhood, and liking it, it is time to go. I never thought I'd be a Valley Girl.