Comments on: Smart Fins http://authenticthreads.org/blog/2008/03/03/smart-fins/ Every heart, every heart to love will come, but like a refugee. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:53:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Tina http://authenticthreads.org/blog/2008/03/03/smart-fins/#comment-913 Tina Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:36:11 +0000 http://authenticthreads.org/blog/2008/03/03/smart-fins/#comment-913 Thanks for posting this. My mom is from Finland, and she goes nuts for these articles. She will die of pride when I point this out to her. (Metaphorically. Otherwise I wouldn't point it out.) I'm feeling a little proud myself and I'm only half-Finnish! It's a fascinating country, and the Finns have an ususual take on things. I love it. Their president is not only a woman, but she's a pantheist! Man. They got it going on up there. Thanks for posting this. My mom is from Finland, and she goes nuts for these articles. She will die of pride when I point this out to her. (Metaphorically. Otherwise I wouldn’t point it out.) I’m feeling a little proud myself and I’m only half-Finnish!

It’s a fascinating country, and the Finns have an ususual take on things. I love it. Their president is not only a woman, but she’s a pantheist! Man. They got it going on up there.

]]> By: h sofia http://authenticthreads.org/blog/2008/03/03/smart-fins/#comment-912 h sofia Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:08:58 +0000 http://authenticthreads.org/blog/2008/03/03/smart-fins/#comment-912 My husband and I talk about education a lot. I was unschooled from age 12 to 16. I never graduated high school (attended one year of it at age 17). My husband dropped out in 9th grade. And yet we are both very intelligent and do well financially (I worked providing education to consumers about energy efficiency for a utility company; he is a programmer/software engineer). But we both come from families that encouraged us to be independent, resourceful, and love learning. I've been to Finland, and don't think I'd want to live there, but the more personalized approach to education appeals to me. Basically - what happens in here in the US? Parents who have the money spend it to send their children to schools where they get personalized education. Or, they spend it to live in school districts where kids are treated with more autonomy, engage in more experiential learning, and have teachers who vied for one another for those jobs. Maybe it's our gigantic size, or our belief that parents need to "earn" a better education for their kids, but we've got some real problems. Also, the system is so large that it moves like a behemoth. Which is to say, not much. It's not responsive, and - worst of all - I don't think it was really designed for children. Something as simple as school starting times demonstrates that. (Teens start school earlier in the day altho studies have repeatedly shown that they do better to sleep later in the mornings). Also, I don't know that US Americans truly value learning. They value credentials and pedigree, but actual learning? Until adults do, why would their children? My husband and I talk about education a lot. I was unschooled from age 12 to 16. I never graduated high school (attended one year of it at age 17). My husband dropped out in 9th grade. And yet we are both very intelligent and do well financially (I worked providing education to consumers about energy efficiency for a utility company; he is a programmer/software engineer). But we both come from families that encouraged us to be independent, resourceful, and love learning.

I’ve been to Finland, and don’t think I’d want to live there, but the more personalized approach to education appeals to me. Basically - what happens in here in the US? Parents who have the money spend it to send their children to schools where they get personalized education. Or, they spend it to live in school districts where kids are treated with more autonomy, engage in more experiential learning, and have teachers who vied for one another for those jobs.

Maybe it’s our gigantic size, or our belief that parents need to “earn” a better education for their kids, but we’ve got some real problems. Also, the system is so large that it moves like a behemoth. Which is to say, not much. It’s not responsive, and - worst of all - I don’t think it was really designed for children. Something as simple as school starting times demonstrates that. (Teens start school earlier in the day altho studies have repeatedly shown that they do better to sleep later in the mornings).

Also, I don’t know that US Americans truly value learning. They value credentials and pedigree, but actual learning? Until adults do, why would their children?

]]>