Please watch this video hailing the Finnish public school system.
And then, watch a segment from LIKE A SCAPEGOAT ON A PENDULUM which gives a few more facts on this topic.
http://youtu.be/0__9s3A2pcA (Press this link to watch ) YOUTUBE video on the Finland's exemplary school system.
Let's see.
We know how much poverty affects student achievement.
Finland is a Socialist country. They take care of their poor.
Is America ready to adopt this system? I am not.
There are three teachers per class? THREE!!!!And one teacher is there to specifically work with struggling students in EVERY class?
What a dream!
There is ONE teacher per class in my school, and if you get an aide, it's usually a behavior aide, not a fully credentialed teacher to help students who are having difficulty achieving academically.
Relaxed atmosphere in each class?
How can American public school classrooms be relaxed in the current public school culture which prizes high test scores over...anything else (---this is because of the threat of funds being cut and sanctions being imposed on schools which do not continually show "growth".)
Teachers staying with students for for several years? In most American schools, after a year, a teacher is finished with a student. This is unfortunate, since knowing how a student learns best and the personal issues they are dealing with can help an educator more fully reach a child.
Involved parents? Parents are THE KEY to a child's success. There are few children who can excel with only their teacher as a support.
Sadly, in schools where a majority of students struggle the most, there are many parents who see school as a high-end babysitting service. Often children come to school, day after day, with unfinished or sloppy homework, unrested, under nourished, and basically NOT ready to learn.
In many households, education is NOT the highest priority, economic and even emotional survival is. These are issues bigger than any teacher or government can solve.
Until a family makes up its mind that they are going to put forth the effort, resources, and energy for their child(ren) to succeed in school, there is less which can be done within the classroom or the school community to help those children.
And, if, there is no "mass cultural consciousness", as a nation, to make an engaging rich educational experience for each child the number one priority, teachers will continue to fight an uphill battle.
Finish culture VALUES education and NOT a superficial-standardized-test-based type of education, and therefore, they get results as a nation.
http://youtu.be/PtxRHM_rWVI Press the link to get some facts about American v. Finnish public schools.
American teachers come from the bottom third of college students? I had a 4.0 in my credential courses (a year and a half of college level work beyond my bachelor's degree) and a 3.9 in my Masters coursework. The men and women I work with are more than competent, and in many cases brilliant, individuals.
I can guarantee there are many people who enter the teaching profession with possibly less than stellar college GPAs, but if they do not put forth the effort necessary to ensure students' academic well-beings, they will not last in a district with high expectations for staff and students.
