3 MONTHS IN MUTALAN KOULU

Terve! My name is Evangelia Tsitsari and I come from Thessaloniki, the second biggest city of Greece. Last year I finished my studies as a Primary School teacher at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki but before graduating I decided to seize the opportunity the Erasmus+ Program was offering me and apply for an internship in Finland. Why Finland? I think that you all know the answer, as I am not the first one coming to see the “Pisa Miracle”.

It is a common fact that the Finnish Educational System is considered to be the best in the world. After having read a lot about that, I was convinced that I wanted to learn in practice how Finnish teachers work and which are the factors that contribute and lead to this success. Mutalan Koulu, as it is proved, was the best option in Finland as a very warm and professional environment was waiting for me. Despite the fact that all schools in Finland are equal, Mutalan cultivates an international environment by taking part in numerous Erasmus Programs giving the chance to the students to broaden their horizons, get in touch with different cultures and reach a good language level in English.

An important fact about schools in Finland is that they are independent and the principal in cooperation with the teachers make all the decisions, including the pedagogical methods they are applying, the amount of money they are investing in equipment, the school’s schedule, the books they have to buy every year -which are optional- the projects, the events, the programs they are taking part and everything that has to do with school’s issues. I was amazed by the number of staff meetings they had and the good cooperation combined with the respect they were showing to each other. Same respect that students show to their teachers and between them, too.

Every teacher has also the freedom to decide on the teaching content, the methods, and the approaches aiming to cultivate certain skills to their students. They emphasize a lot on critical thinking but one of the most crucial part of their education is teaching values and the sense of communality. In Mutalan Koulu they try to restrict the borders between the classes by having common projects with pupils of different ages. The school is also open to the community and you shouldn’t be surprised by watching the residents of the area around cooperating with the school and organizing common events. Parents are the basic part of this community and a strong relationship between the school and the families is built by various ways. For example, they choose several days during the school year to spend time together at the evening playing sports, eating and having fun. The teacher is also in continuous touch with the families discussing any issue that might come up concerning the process of the child, irrespective of whether that is positive or negative.

After three months in that school I am able to say that everything I was taught at the University is implemented. The pupils thanks to their teachers are capable of working independently. They are aware of their liabilities, they act responsibly, they know how to work in group projects and they remain quiet during the lesson. I observed different ways to use the ICT, which helps students to develop both computing skills and learn in a more interesting way. At the same time they are taught how to make good use of the New Technologies and the Internet. It is common to see the pupils use their own mobile phones in order to facilitate the learning process but there are always certain limits. In that context, the last few years the students have been trained on research practices, which provides them with skills on the information management.

Handicrafts is another important part of their Curriculum that do not exist in most European countries. They learn how to knit, to sew, to use different kinds of tools, to distinguish fabric and materials, to work with wood, metal and make constructions for daily use. For example, 6^th graders constructed baskets for storing paper stuff, ladles for sauna and they found ways to recycle old jeans. These types of lessons provide many benefits. First of all, they give equal chances, as there are many children titled to manual work than to academic, which is also very important. They learn to follow instructions, be methodic, and release their creativity.

Furthermore, being an assistant mostly on the 6^th grade gave me the chance to join in another project taking place only on the last grades of primary, secondary and high School. “Yrityskyla” is a business project in which they learn how to run companies. In that project they are taught at the same time about the professions, working places, rules, investments, economics, mathematics and they are asked to act like members of real companies while they visit with other schools a suitably configured place.

Except for all these awesome practices I observed, which can not fit just in one page, I had the chance to train myself as a teacher, create connections with the pupils and give them a brief taste of the Greek culture and history. Music, Theatre, Architecture, Sculpture and Ceramics were all Arts developed in Ancient Greece and the students learned about them and created their own piece of art. Moreover, during the International week, they came in touch with a variety of traditional dances originating throughout Greece and they successfully tried to dance some of them.

My exchange is now coming to an end and I’m feeling grateful for being given this opportunity. It fulfilled my expectations as an emerging teacher and a whole world was opened to me by experiencing the Finnish culture and adding to my  “briefcase” lifetime moments, like watching the northern lights in Lapland, swimming in a frozen lake, feeling the -15 at spring time and many more that I couldn’t even imagine before.

So, I would like to thank all the teachers for making me feel comfortable, part of their community and teaching me in an unintentional way. Special thanks to my mentor Olli for being an excellent tutor, taking great care of me even outside the school and creating some good memories together.

I hope that my future colleagues are like you.

You are always welcome in Greece!

Kiitos!