What does animals climbing trees have to do with Finland’s schools?

Dear Reader,

I listened to what I thought was going to be “yet another” treatise on the success of Finland’s schools. This talk on NPR’s Speakers Forum was far from it. With anecdotes that make you pause and humor that warms your heart, Professor Pasi Salberg made me wonder how Finland’s educational reform is connected with its cultural values. 

This is a not-to-be-missed talk. Pop it on your SmartPhone and listen to it while you drive/shower/cook or plain ole sit down and just listen. I can’t capture it all. That would be unjust. Here are the pieces that made me really pause …

… Imagine you line up a variety of animals — a giraffe, a lion, a lizard, a monkey, a deer, an elephant. Now, you tell them all that their goal is to get to the top of a tree. You spend endless energy training them. You even punish and embarrass them when they cannot get to the top of the tree. Does this seem laughable and unrealistic? Well, children are like these animals. Each unique. Each full of different capabilities and challenges. Yet, we standardize educational goals. We strive and educate each towards one definition of success.  Finland’s teachers personalize education for each student. They are trained rigorously to do this. 

… You have a toothache. You walk into the dentist’s office to find an enthusiastic, newly trained dentist who went through a 5-week course on dentistry. Would you let her work on your teeth? Then, why do programs like Teach for America that offer 5 weeks of training declare a person competent enough to educate the hearts, minds and souls of children? Only 10% teachers get accepted to teacher training programs in Finland. Teaching is a coveted, highly paid, prized profession. It demands 5-6 years of traning and continued professional development. What less can you ask of those who will nurture the very core of a child’s being?

… Finland’s schools are considered the “best in the world”. But this was never Finland’s goal. Finland has never (even after being so “successful”) had the goal of being #1. The goal is to create schools that are rich, right, good for all children in Finland, to serve them well. Rooted in this value, Finnish students don’t compete either. They don’t take tests till they are college-bound. The teachers don’t compete. Collaboration not competition is the name of the game.

This one statement from Salberg will stay with me forever — “accountability is what is left when you take responsibility away.” Its a moving, deep idea. Please listen to the talk to know why. Then, we can together create a cultural revolution that will inevitably reform our schools.

With much warmth,
Anoo