Thoughts and musings on education in Finland.
I have been sitting on this news for a while, trying to figure out how to best describe the changes that are about to take place in my life. This is not just a post, but a story, a reflection about the paths and journeys life sometimes takes us on. Read more…
Finnish teachers are eager to help kids learn outside the classroom. I have encountered this on several occasions during my short time here in Finland. Students go cross-country skiing for several kilometers in the woods. One teacher takes her class out to the forest near her school for 2 hours Read more…
Some days, you just need a little bit of nature. Talk to any Finn, and they’d agree with me. And sometimes, you meet someone, and you know you can have meaningful conversation, brainstorm, and create. Well, today, I met three of those people, and spent the day playing (and learning, Read more…
INDEX Design to Improve Life Battle 2017 It is interesting how life can circle back around sometimes. Two years ago, I met Lotte, the Education Director at INDEX Design to Improve Life. A company based in Copenhagen, Denmark, INDEX had developed a detailed structure to use design thinking and problem-based Read more…
I began my Thursday as any other day- I brewed a pot of coffee, showered, and got myself ready for the day. I would be visiting a rural school in Nittylahti, an area about 15km outside of Joensuu. I was looking forward to not only visiting this school but also Read more…
Last week marked one month since my arrival here in Finland. It has felt a little strange to not be with my students during this past month while the rest of my teacher friends are busy working away in their classrooms. It is not often teachers have the opportunity to step Read more…
When I returned from Tallinn, I was met at the ferry terminal with the second name sign I’ve ever had (the first one was made by my advisors when they met us at the Joensuu airport to welcome us to Finland). I was met by Kaija and Jukka, friends of Read more…
As I removed my boots, jacket, gloves, and hat, put on my headphones and some tunes, I collapsed into the train seat, determined not to move for the next 4.5 hours. I was exhausted, but in the best way possible. I remember talking to a friend and saying that Read more…
After a week of being here in Joensuu, it was finally time to do what I have traveled 5,500 miles to do: see what life is like in a Finnish school. Koulu is the Finnish word for school, so you will see it in the names of schools around Finland. Read more…
