Several factors led us to carry out this job shadowing in Finland. The Finnish
education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, with outstanding results in international tests such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The Finnish education system is focused on equal opportunity and education for all.

Furthermore, when Ms. Mazeyrat's students returned from an exchange with Mistral Boreal two years ago, they were delighted with the experience and especially insisted that school in Finland was much more enjoyable and less stressful. This made us want to come to Finland to see what was so special about the Finnish school and to understand the impact of the teaching organization on the
school climate.

Finnish culture
In only one week, without staying with a host family, it is complicated to give an account of a way of life in its entirety, but thanks to our conversations with the teachers we met, we managed to get an idea of their daily life. Concerning the timetables, children finish school very early and their parents also finish their work early. The children come home from school alone, even when they are young. They spend a lot of time with their families. They do homework, cook, read, play, do sports... The focus is on the child and the child is given time to be a child, i.e., time to play, time to do something else besides school. In fact, in a discussion with Eeva, our referral teacher, she was surprised to learn
that our classes could end at 6:00 p.m. and wondered how we had time to do everything.

From an early age, parents trust their children and teach them a sense of responsibility and autonomy. Children are seen as people with duties and obligations and with the possibility of repairing their mistakes (reparations system). This leads to a relationship of trust between the teacher and his or her students and between the students themselves. From the earliest grades, students learn to cooperate, especially through classes on living together and personal development.

The pedagogy in Finland seeks to move away from theory and work on autonomy and living together. Students are encouraged to focus on their own learning. Teachers seek to create a collaborative and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background.

Schools in Finland are public and free, which means that all schools are funded by the state and there are no tuition fees for students. Schools are also autonomous, which means that they have a great deal of freedom in how they teach and organize their curriculum. The Finnish education system is divided into two main parts: basic education and secondary education. Basic education lasts for nine years, from grades one to nine. Secondary education includes general education, vocational education and higher education.

The Finnish educational system is also inclusive when it comes to food. Everything that is cooked is made with lactose-free milk so that those who are lactose intolerant can eat without worry. In addition, there is a special corner with different dishes for those with gluten-free diets, etc. Finally, the infrastructure in Finland is adapted for people with reduced mobility. In the entrance of the school and in most of the doors to be passed through, there is a door for wheelchairs to enter with a button to open it. There are also elevators to the upper floors.

The place of national education in Finnish politics

Education occupies a central place in Finnish society, and the Finnish government devotes a large part of its budget to it. Indeed, investment in education represents about 6% of the country's GDP. This funding policy is made possible by the high contribution of Finnish citizens, who pay high taxes, averaging 21% of their income. These taxes are directly invested in public services, including education and social assistance.

In Finland, the family is also supported in its educational function. Parental leave is granted to parents and subsidies are given to families. Students can benefit from financial aid and grants for their studies. The Finnish education system is also characterized by the fact that all services associated with access to education are completely free. School transportation, supplies, meals and health services are all paid for by the state.

Teachers are also highly valued and respected in Finnish society. They are considered to be among the top five most respected professions, along with police officers, firefighters and doctors. The example of the Kouvola high school illustrates this policy of enhancing education. Indeed, this school has decided to provide a computer to each student, which was previously the responsibility of the families. In addition, the school also provides books and notebooks. The
equipment and tools used by the teachers and students are purchased by the school. In Finland, school is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 18 and most schools are public. This compulsory schooling guarantees access to education for all young Finns, regardless of their social or economic situation.

In summary, the Finnish education system is known for its quality, equal opportunities and
innovative pedagogical approach.

The organization of education in the high school of Kouvola
Kouvola High School, refurbished in 2016, has modern classroom facilities, cleanliness and lockers. Students are able to leave their coats and shoes in a dedicated area. Teachers can do the same in the staff room and many wear
indoor shoes.

Classes begin at 8:20 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. every day, including Wednesdays, except for one day of the week when they end at 3:55 p.m. Although some students complain about the length of the lessons, others appreciate the fact that they have fewer different subjects in a day, which facilitates their assimilation and learning.

There are five periods in the year, consisting of seven weeks of classes and one week of intense examination (between 3 and 6 hours). Students must choose between 5 to 6 subjects, each corresponding to 3x75 minutes per week. They can usually take between 3 and 4 periods (+ in math) of the same subject per year. Various subjects such as social sciences, art, music, psychology and religion are offered, with a mandatory first course in each subject, followed by the option to continue or not. One counseling class per week is mandatory to help students work on their orientation (we
saw that they worked with pictures of their dreams and did research). In PE, students participate in winter activities such as cross-country skiing, ice-skating and field hockey. During the rest of the year, they play soccer, Finnish baseball, basketball, volleyball and badminton indoors. All students are required to do 2 hours of PE per week, but some may do 4 or 6. There is also a special section in the school where certain subjects are taught in English, such as art, math and chemistry.

Classes last 1 hour and 15 minutes without a start and end bell. Start and end times are respected by students and teachers. The cafeteria is open from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and students generally have 30 minutes to eat. The well
being of the students is taken into account, with a 10-minute break between each 1:15 class. There is a large foyer-type room with Ping-Pong tables, couches in the hallways, drink dispensers, 2 libraries with couches, where students can
work on their computers starting at 8am. Cleaning seems to be done quite often in the school.

The students emphasized the quality of teaching and the attentiveness of the teachers in the questionnaires we had them fill in. There is no ‘vie scolaire’ and no ‘CPE’ (as in France), but a pass is required to enter the school (students
and teachers).

We were also able to discover some very unifying activities. The "Old dances" are ballroom dances, which are traditionally danced by the students of the second year in front of their parents. We were also able to attend a concert prepared in music class and given in front of the rest of the school.

IV- The different courses observed.
During our observation, we attended classes in a wide variety of subjects such as mathematics, chemistry in English, art, social sciences (politics), sports (rehearsal of ballroom dances that will be danced by the 10th graders in front of their parents in 4 weeks), as well as language classes: French, English, and Spanish.

We noted that the use of digital technology was very present in most classes. Students use their computers, and most teachers use digital textbooks and websites such as Gimkit, Quizlet, Ankyapp, Socrative.com, and kampus.sanomapro. We observed only two classes (French and Spanish) where students used a paper textbook without computers.

Most of the classes were mainly reviews, as the students were going to take exams the following week. Despite this, we noted that the students were very engaged and motivated. With regard to student behavior in class and classroom management on the part of the teachers, we found that students talked, drank in class (cans), wore caps/hoods, chewed gum, and arrived late. Although no teacher disciplined them, the students got to work on their own and silence
set in. The social studies teacher even told us that he did not check work at home, but that students were required to do the work if they wanted to keep up in class, through the use of a flipped learning approach. In addition, we noted that the teacher was kind to the students, and regularly encouraged them.

We also observed a real benevolence on the part of the teaching staff towards all the students. They were attentive to the students' emotions and accompanied them in their schooling. For example, the social studies teacher also told us that he let a student use his headphones during individual work because it helped him concentrate on his work. The students appreciated this individualization of teaching (see questionnaires).

The flipped classroom seems to motivate the students, because they read the course at home and come to class with the course more or less in mind to do exercises. Group work or work in pairs is favored, whether it is for correcting homework or applying the vocabulary studied in oral expression tasks in language classes. In fact, the questionnaires distributed to Finnish students show that group work is the one they prefer to do in class.

In several classes, the teacher explained the course of the lesson before it began, and the students had access to a schedule of the current period in the form of a calendar. Finally, we noted that there were courses with small class sizes (5 students in French class) and others with class sizes between 25 and 30 students.

Conclusion:

We conducted this observation period in week 7, that is, during a review week, just before exam week. It would be interesting to go back in week 1 or 2 to be able to observe more about teaching methods and how lessons are taught at the beginning of the school year. In the questionnaires, students emphasized that they liked to finish classes early and not to have too many different subjects in the same day because it gave them more time to absorb their new
knowledge. This ability to take time and have the time needed could also contribute to reducing stress among Finnish students.

Our observations showed that consideration for the well being of students and adults seemed to be more important to student success than the teaching techniques used. Teachers trusted the students, who in turn trusted them and quickly got to work. We found that no discipline was necessary, as students behaved respectfully toward adults and other students. It would also be interesting to visit an elementary school and a middle school to see how the teaching is set up from early childhood. Indeed, it seems to us that what allows the students to blossom and invest their learning is the living together, which is part of their culture and which is instilled in them from the earliest grades. The students are not put in competition but are encouraged to collaborate and it would seem that this way of doing things is the key to their success.