Raising A Child in Finland

English Drama Course with 1st and 2nd Graders at Kortepohjan Koulu

With your permission, I will share my observations about child education in Finland without mixing pedagogy or psychology into it, in case it may be of use to our children...

Free child aid box given to new parents by the government and its contents

Yes, the Finnish child starts the world one zero ahead, because a month before he was born, the state gives the family a huge box – which can later be turned into a cradle – and all kinds of baby supplies (diapers, clothes, food, etc.) for the families that are not suitable for raising a child so that families should not be in a difficult situation. The baby's birth costs and doctor's check-ups are free. Afterwards, the state does not take its hand off from the families. They provide a certain amount of financial support every month. In other words, the state says, "As long as you reproduce, our lineage will continue".

With this awareness, the average age of parents who fall in love with having children is between 20-25. It is quite common for Finland to see young, dynamic, sporty parents with child seats on the back of their bikes or strollers going for a morning jog. The cold doesn't work well for them, even the fact that they put them out on the balcony when they were babies so that they could get used to the cold and put them to sleep there is circulating.

The tradition of kindergarten is not very common in Finland, because the child already has the right to study for free until the one-year pre-school program and then till university. Since all schools have more or less the same education quality, most parents do not send their children to private schools. In any case, the number of private schools does not exceed the fingers of one hand. All of the children start their formal education at the age of 7, after one year of pre-school education, that is, after experiencing the age of play to the fullest.

So what makes Finnish children special?

1. Their education begins in the family. Since the family is educated, they can understand child psychology. When a child wants something unreasonable, they see him as an adult and explain why what he wants is not possible at that moment. I'm not even talking about basic training such as sleep, food, toilet etc.

2. They see value as individuals. Whether s/he is a baby or a child, s/he is respected and loved in society as an individual. When s/he asks a question with a sense of curiosity, it is not said "water is small, word is big", explanations are made tirelessly. It is not said "I am an engineer and my son will be an engineer", individual differences are respected.

3. They don't know much about gender discrimination. Every child born without distinction as "my lion son" or "my princess daughter" grows up with equal respect and love.

4. They are left alone. I saw a lot of 7-year-old children walking to school with their backpacks on their backs, joking with their friends, just as many returning home from school with their helmets on. At first I thought these children were "mature" from birth, then I realized that we were too "children" or "cowards". We had to worry about security, and with the trepidation of "don't hurt the child", we packed the children and deprived them of social life. I don't think many people who play in the park in one meter of snow at -15 degrees are sleeping at home because of pharyngitis the next day. Dressing up and having fun is quite ordinary for them, but it is also a fun activity. Courses are not uploaded so that the child must have a hobby. It is with his/her family when s/he should spend time with his/her family, s/he plays games when s/he should play, if the child is interested in a field of his/her own will, the family falls on it and reinforces the child's desire to learn.

5. Their parents trust their teachers. Thanks to my education program, I have visited so many schools, I swear to you, I have not seen a single parent wandering around the school for a day. I've known parents who couldn't wait to hold teachers accountable and to hear from their children what they learned at school. In some special cases, teachers, not parents, want to communicate with parents, and this happens if a child requires special education.

It's a generalization I mentioned above, and of course I'm not saying that every Finnish child is like this, this upbringing style is perfect.

I just want to point out that my observations are based on; "Finnish children grow up happily and peacefully."

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The Secret of Unique Finnish Teachers

In my opinion, there are two important issues behind the curtain of success of the Finnish education system; The first is the importance they attach to special education, and the second is their teacher training system.

As a teacher of the Republic of Turkey, I have to admit that I was envious of the education they received and said "I wish it was mine". What makes them so special? I will summarize in three points. With your permission;

1. Selection of quality teacher candidates

It was my master's thesis topic and I have researched the subject deep into its internal organs, so my words are based on numerous researches. Before the teacher programs, Finnish middle school children also take a national exam with multiple-choice questions in order to determine their average success, just like in our country. As a result of this exam, those who are successful academically are eliminated. However, as in our country, the institutions that train teachers that are placed on the same level with other professions are not immediately entered in Finland.

Since the concept of teaching is so crucial, you must prove your personality, communication skills, and field proficiency in addition to academic success in order to enter teacher programs that provide valuable education. For this reason, there is the second phase called VAKAVA, which was started in 2016 and which was prepared as a result of the joint work of 7 big universities in Finland. In this exam, each candidate is presented with one or two books by the state related to his field and the candidate is asked to study them. Then the candidate is subjected to a written exam based on this information in the book.

Is it over? No, it's not over! Let's say the candidate licked, swallowed, memorized, passed the exams, then? Then, each university determines a separate exam under its own roof. Some do oral interviews, some do demo lessons, some do group interviews. But they all have a common question; "Why do you want to be a teacher?". The candidate who cannot answer this question honestly is said to "go make some observations, get the spirit of a teacher and come that way". That student goes with his passion for improvement, trains himself for a year, and takes the exam again.

According to researches, only 1 out of 10 applicants is eligible to enter teacher programs.

I had a Finnish friend who studied music teaching. The joy and motivation of the boy surpassed even me. I just asked out of curiosity; "How many times have you gone through these stages?". “Five times,” the boy said without embarrassment and added, “but I'm finally here.”

2. A program that trains quality teachers

It's not a myth that every teacher in Finland has a master's degree, but it comes from the system itself. Teaching there is based on the 3+2 system. If you chose to be a teacher, you have to do whatever you do and study those five years. 3 years as undergraduate, 2 years as graduate. In the program consisting of 300 ECTS, an excellent solution that can cure occupational dementia has been brought. Each teacher can choose a minor while choosing a major. So let's say you will be a classroom teacher, but you can also take physical education teaching classes as a minor. Thus, you can change the field according to the need at the school. The principal of the school where I did my internship had worked as a physical education teacher for 30 years. However, he was bored that year, saw himself reluctant in physical education and wanted to switch to history teaching, which is his minor branch.

So what do these courses contain? Theoretical knowledge of skills that should exist in 21st century teachers such as communication, sociology, pedagogy, creative thinking, and socrative approach are instilled. In practice, there are mini-schools called "Normalikoulu" established within the body of each university. Each pre-service teacher goes here for 50-hour teacher practice lessons and implements the lesson plans that they previously created in collaboration with their colleagues. Think like a lab. Unfortunately, since the language of the teacher programs is Finnish, I was not able to attend the group lessons and see the lessons one-on-one. But for some reasons I have no doubts about its authenticity.

3.Quality teacher performance and performance sustainability

Don't worry, I'll cut this short. You ask why? Because I think that a teacher who has been selected and trained in these standards no longer needs to be questioned, tested, supervised or evaluated, and the absence of an "inspector" system should be proof of what I have said. A teacher with an ideal of lifelong development and learning in an environment of perpetual trust and cooperation, where well-being is high, will already find a way to improve itself. However, besides this, the state is always on the side of the teacher, who takes years of experience into consideration, not daily performance.

If what I'm talking about sounds like a utopia to you, then for me, squeezing the concept of teaching into a 7-week program(in Turkey) sounds like a dystopia in itself. You have to start somewhere, for example, from the saying "Teachers, the next generation will be your work"(Atatürk).

The book recommended by the great Turkish leader Atatürk

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...Finland/Suomi...

While Finland was a piece of land between Russia and Sweden for a long time, Soviet Russia finally reached its goal and added Finland to its territory. However, when the courageous, free and devoted structure of the Finnish people came to the level that would threaten Soviet Russia, the Finnish people could not come to the restrictions of Russia and declared their independence in 1917, and they have been governed by a republic they created with their socialist genes from Russia.

Finnish are the people with a population of only five million, with white skin and blue eyes, settled on the pieces of all sizes of land between the lakes, and their only concern is to establish a family and live in peace. As a Turk, I can join the part where they say that people in a cold climate are also cold. However, when we look at it, can we say that the Turkish people are not overly sincere? For example, if you turn a Finn on the road and ask for the address, if he knows, he will tell you as much as he knows, if he does not know, he will say "I don't know", wish you a good day and continue on his way, contrary to the curiosity of Turkish people to prove that they know, even if they don't know. Oh, just like us, there is a difference between rural and urban dwellers in them, and the accent of the Finnish language can vary from city to city.

Speaking of Finnish... Finland's Finnish name is Suomi. It is surprising that our language origins are the same, and that both Turkish and Finnish are descended from Ural-altai. Except for the agglutinative and the sameness of our letter "ö", the two languages ​​are not even remotely related to each other and are very difficult to learn. Of course, the learning speed may vary according to your motivation and perception. The fact that Finnish is a language that reads as it is written can also make it easier for you to learn. Just be careful, "y" is pronounced as "ü" and "j" is pronounced as "y" :) Also, Finnish is not the only language in Finland, Swedish is also the second official language.

Finland is a member of the European Union and you will appreciate that its currency is the euro. That euro run over mw, it broke my heart the whole time I studied in Finland. Still, for those who will go for touristic purposes, there is no such difference between them and other European countries. Oh, but if you're going to study, then my advice is to either save money or look for a job wherever you go.

What is Finland famous for? Let's see...

Northern Lights. Head straight to the north point, find the city of Lapland, stop by Santa's village, mingle with the Huskies, feed the deer, stay in the glass igloos if you can, and eat lots of salmon.

Sauna. It's something you can experience anywhere, because every settlement in Finland has at least one. The only difference from saunas in Turkey is that the temperature reaches 90 degrees. If you want to have a different experience, you will see holes drilled into frozen lakes in winter. After getting out of the 90 degree sauna, jump into that hole, I'm sure it will be a memory you will never forget.

Coffee in the morning, vodka in the evening. One of the perks of being Finnish is getting used to this routine. For those who don't like vodka, the "Glögi" drink, which has a sour flavor with the taste of our famous cinnamon rock sugar, is one of the indispensable winter drinks of the Finns. It is a hot drink with alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.

Moomin. Finland's mascot is a white hippo-like animal that I don't look like much. It is a brand that was famous as a cartoon before and then became a mascot. It can be bought as a gift for children.

Salmiaki. It is a black aroma that should be tried by those who love the taste of anise, and should not be missed by those who do not. You can find all kinds of food in almost every shop. It is also famous for its liquor. In general, I recommend you to try the "Fazer" branded chocolate, which is the most famous chocolate brand in Finland.

Due to its location and climate, these suffering people are the best example of cooperation, solidarity and being a society in my opinion. I think the secret of the success of this country, which created an agricultural country from those unproductive lands and then became an industrial country, that is, created out of nothing, is hidden in two beautiful words; respect and tolerance.

When you say that Finland became Finland, everyone will definitely show the 2000s, of course, after the golden age of the once world giant "Nokia". You ask why? While it is a country, that keeps its head down and stands on its own two feet, dominated by silence, calmness and serenity, in the 2000s, students who grew up with the Finnish education system are scrutinized for their success in PISA (International Student Assessment Program) among other OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. However, Finland had no problems with advertising or bragging about its achievements. I went, I lived, I saw. I think they are the most humble, selfless, most generous people in the world. I don't know either that's what happened to me or I'm very optimistic, but you can get a share from here;

Whether you're a professor, CEO, or president, people call each other by their first names. They don't have to worry about dressing up and showing off. Of course, those who want to wear a suit and dress, they can, but no one judges each other by their clothes and looks at each other from head to toe. Regardless of the institution, home, cafe, restaurant, workplace, school you go to, comfort is the first rule, so interior designs are designed accordingly.

I will search for utopias throughout the world during my life, but if you ask me what country has been suitable for their ideals so far, I would say "Finland" without hesitation. It is a perfect country to feel like a human being and to stay and live for a long time, not from a touristic point of view, but as a settler. Hoping you can see the white lilies emerging from the mud...

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