#8 - My “Helicopter Parents” are better than your “Curling Parents”: Viikki Teacher Training School
2/24/15
With so many months in the year dedicated to cold weather it should be no surprise that Finns have a knack for adapting to the cold weather; bake in a sauna for 15 minutes and then jump in a frozen lake….why not? When you’re in unfamiliar surroundings you spend a certain amount of time adapting to your surroundings. It took me several days to realize the park in front of my apartment complex had an ice rink. With so much snow and ice covering the landscape, who notices a large area of flat ice in front of them? Once I was comfortable with making my way around the city I started to see ice rinks every mile or so, and kids walking to school with ice hockey sticks and equipment bags thrown over their shoulders. The site reminded me of kids back home carrying lacrosse equipment around in the springtime. Ice fishing was also a common site particularly given the number of harbors found within Helsinki; certainly something I would not see in Baltimore!
I did not see any curling action going on while I was in Finland. If you don’t know curling is the winter Olympic sport that leaves many Americans (me included) wondering if sweeping the ice in front of a large, moving, round and polished stone really makes a difference. Curling was, however, brought up in a conversation that I had with two art educators from the Viikki Teacher Training School. I was asked if parents get too involved or over-step boundaries in American schools with regards to their child's education. My reply was simply, “Yes, we tend to call them “helicopter parents”. Without missing a beat one teacher responded with, “In Finland, we call them curling parents…always trying to clear the way for their children.” This made me laugh out-loud, I think I like the term curling parents best.
With so many months in the year dedicated to cold weather it should be no surprise that Finns have a knack for adapting to the cold weather; bake in a sauna for 15 minutes and then jump in a frozen lake….why not? When you’re in unfamiliar surroundings you spend a certain amount of time adapting to your surroundings. It took me several days to realize the park in front of my apartment complex had an ice rink. With so much snow and ice covering the landscape, who notices a large area of flat ice in front of them? Once I was comfortable with making my way around the city I started to see ice rinks every mile or so, and kids walking to school with ice hockey sticks and equipment bags thrown over their shoulders. The site reminded me of kids back home carrying lacrosse equipment around in the springtime. Ice fishing was also a common site particularly given the number of harbors found within Helsinki; certainly something I would not see in Baltimore!
I did not see any curling action going on while I was in Finland. If you don’t know curling is the winter Olympic sport that leaves many Americans (me included) wondering if sweeping the ice in front of a large, moving, round and polished stone really makes a difference. Curling was, however, brought up in a conversation that I had with two art educators from the Viikki Teacher Training School. I was asked if parents get too involved or over-step boundaries in American schools with regards to their child's education. My reply was simply, “Yes, we tend to call them “helicopter parents”. Without missing a beat one teacher responded with, “In Finland, we call them curling parents…always trying to clear the way for their children.” This made me laugh out-loud, I think I like the term curling parents best.
As I stated in a previous post, all Finnish teachers need a Master’s degree to teach, and they go through an extensive on-site training program in the process. The Viikki Teacher Training School is one of twelve, teacher-training schools in Finland where prospective teachers gain on-site knowledge and experience working with veteran teachers and students for periods of time that exceeds the amount required for prospective American teachers.*
My contacts at this school were two art teachers varying in age and experience. One was just starting her professional experience, having completed her Master’s thesis the day before my arrival. The other was a veteran teacher who has had an influential impact on Finnish art teachers for her service and contributions to the national art curriculum. After observing a 9th grade art class I had the absolute pleasure to speak to these two teachers for several hours, discussing the differences between our two educational systems and finding similarities along the way.
Of particular interest was hearing the younger teacher discuss how the prominent cell phone use in schools by students was not as much of an issue for her as it was for me and her veteran co-worker. As she suggested, “We as adults do it all the time. And, it’s actually a helpful tool when they need to look something up on the internet.” A changing of the tides…I think she might have a point.
My contacts at this school were two art teachers varying in age and experience. One was just starting her professional experience, having completed her Master’s thesis the day before my arrival. The other was a veteran teacher who has had an influential impact on Finnish art teachers for her service and contributions to the national art curriculum. After observing a 9th grade art class I had the absolute pleasure to speak to these two teachers for several hours, discussing the differences between our two educational systems and finding similarities along the way.
Of particular interest was hearing the younger teacher discuss how the prominent cell phone use in schools by students was not as much of an issue for her as it was for me and her veteran co-worker. As she suggested, “We as adults do it all the time. And, it’s actually a helpful tool when they need to look something up on the internet.” A changing of the tides…I think she might have a point.
A portion of our conversation involved a tour of the school. Architecturally the school has impressive features, both aesthetically and practical. The directive for how newer Finnish schools are constructed is to recognize and appreciate how the design of educational spaces impacts the learning environment. It is a fascinating concept that I simply did not have enough time to investigate further. Instead, I was handed several pieces of literature that discussed these factors, and during my tour it was apparent that a great deal of consideration went into how the building’s design would impact the lives of students and teachers. For example, the single-room restrooms were described to me as a way to curb bullying. An interesting concept, however, it did not seem to me that there were enough of them to accommodate a population of 900 students.
During my tour, I could not help but draw similarities to the Centre Pompidou in Paris where the interior workings of the building are exposed. My understanding was that this design element was an attempt to provide educational learning opportunities between teacher and student. Both my hosts nodded in agreement at my observation and with an element of surprise that I made that connection. Honestly, I was too. Several student teachers were visible out and about observing classes and taking notes. At one stop we came to a room that was filled with tables and again, student teachers busy at work preparing lessons and conversing. I was told that the room was the "student-teacher lounge". My eyes widened with surprise; this room rivaled any teacher faculty lounge I had ever seen AND it came equipped with a "practice classroom" where students could give mock lessons in preparation for the real deal.
Focal points of the school seemed to involve the library and cafeteria, both of which were located on the bottom floors but were exposed to the upper levels by the hallways that ran the perimeter of the school. The effect was an airy, open space for these important communal areas. The cafeteria was accented with a large sculpture that hung from the high ceiling. As I was told, the Finnish government dictates that .5-2 cents of the cost of a construction project needs to be designated for artistic enhancement of the building or its surroundings. As I recall from a graduate paper I wrote many moons ago, this is not unlike FDR’s WPA initiative for which money was allocated to various sectors of the arts….if memory serves. I believe JFK also had a similar program that determined a certain percentage of new building construction needed to be dedicated to the arts.
During my tour, I could not help but draw similarities to the Centre Pompidou in Paris where the interior workings of the building are exposed. My understanding was that this design element was an attempt to provide educational learning opportunities between teacher and student. Both my hosts nodded in agreement at my observation and with an element of surprise that I made that connection. Honestly, I was too. Several student teachers were visible out and about observing classes and taking notes. At one stop we came to a room that was filled with tables and again, student teachers busy at work preparing lessons and conversing. I was told that the room was the "student-teacher lounge". My eyes widened with surprise; this room rivaled any teacher faculty lounge I had ever seen AND it came equipped with a "practice classroom" where students could give mock lessons in preparation for the real deal.
Focal points of the school seemed to involve the library and cafeteria, both of which were located on the bottom floors but were exposed to the upper levels by the hallways that ran the perimeter of the school. The effect was an airy, open space for these important communal areas. The cafeteria was accented with a large sculpture that hung from the high ceiling. As I was told, the Finnish government dictates that .5-2 cents of the cost of a construction project needs to be designated for artistic enhancement of the building or its surroundings. As I recall from a graduate paper I wrote many moons ago, this is not unlike FDR’s WPA initiative for which money was allocated to various sectors of the arts….if memory serves. I believe JFK also had a similar program that determined a certain percentage of new building construction needed to be dedicated to the arts.
The Viikki Teacher Training School serves grades 1-12, and while there were certainly opportunities for the students of different ages to cross paths, the three-story building had areas designated for specific grade levels. As noted earlier, all Finnish children aged 7-12 are placed in a school within walking distance of their home. Beyond the 9th grade, students can apply to upper secondary level (grades 10-12) schools based on their grades. As one can imagine, this is a point of stress for many students and parents. Not all students, however, take on this academic track.
For example, during the 9th grade art class that I observed, a student was pointed out to me by the art teacher as having strong artistic skills. I ceased the opportunity to ask the student what she was considering for her upcoming decision as she moved on the upper secondary level. I wrongfully assumed she was considering staying at the Viikki Teacher Training School - a place where she had been in since first grade - to further interests in Art. Instead, she explained that her plans are to go to a vocational institution, specifically “Hair-dressing school”. The girl sitting next to her had the same response. I later learned that roughly 40% of Finnish students opt out of a traditionally academic tracking to pursue specific trades in this manner.
There is a deeper discussion to be had here concerning American education and how our schools best serve our students. Do we needlessly push students along a systematic path that is not in the best interest of the individual, and society for that matter? Food for thought.
Intrigued by my conversation with this 9th grade student, I pursued a dilemma I was struggling with that involved accountability on behalf of the school; how does the school justify educating students from grades 1-9 and not have the student continue at that school for grades 10-12 due to inadequate grade scores? I posed this question to my hosts who understood my question but did not share the same concerns as me. As I remarked in a previous post, I was reminded by my hosts that the accountability generally lies with the student. The teachers are highly trained and the schools are well equipped; if a student doesn’t make the grades then perhaps his/her future lies down a different path. There was some validation to my points from the younger teacher who remarked that what I had observed was particularly relevant if one considers that many of the students have the same teacher for a number of years. This made me wonder; “What do the curling parents hope to accomplish?”
For example, during the 9th grade art class that I observed, a student was pointed out to me by the art teacher as having strong artistic skills. I ceased the opportunity to ask the student what she was considering for her upcoming decision as she moved on the upper secondary level. I wrongfully assumed she was considering staying at the Viikki Teacher Training School - a place where she had been in since first grade - to further interests in Art. Instead, she explained that her plans are to go to a vocational institution, specifically “Hair-dressing school”. The girl sitting next to her had the same response. I later learned that roughly 40% of Finnish students opt out of a traditionally academic tracking to pursue specific trades in this manner.
There is a deeper discussion to be had here concerning American education and how our schools best serve our students. Do we needlessly push students along a systematic path that is not in the best interest of the individual, and society for that matter? Food for thought.
Intrigued by my conversation with this 9th grade student, I pursued a dilemma I was struggling with that involved accountability on behalf of the school; how does the school justify educating students from grades 1-9 and not have the student continue at that school for grades 10-12 due to inadequate grade scores? I posed this question to my hosts who understood my question but did not share the same concerns as me. As I remarked in a previous post, I was reminded by my hosts that the accountability generally lies with the student. The teachers are highly trained and the schools are well equipped; if a student doesn’t make the grades then perhaps his/her future lies down a different path. There was some validation to my points from the younger teacher who remarked that what I had observed was particularly relevant if one considers that many of the students have the same teacher for a number of years. This made me wonder; “What do the curling parents hope to accomplish?”