Four generations of the Vesala familyPhoto: Arto Viikari
When 96-year-old Taitto Vesala started school in 1926 at the age of six, it was a mobile school, and in his first year he attended classes for two weeks in the fall and another two weeks in the spring. Then he had four years of primary school, and that was the end of his education.
“Before we got our school certificates, the teacher’s niece and I competed to see who had the best grades in the class. Since I had really good grades, the teacher really wanted me to go on to the next grades. But my family was poor, so I had to go to work and give the money I earned to my parents,” recalls Taitto. “That was the end of my formal education, and I acquired the rest of my knowledge in the school of life.”
In the 1920s, Finland was a poor, predominantly agricultural country that had only recently become independent. Taitto was the first in his family to receive a formal education.
When Taitto’s 10-year-old great-grandson Tatu Vesala started school in 2013, he had at least nine years of schooling ahead of him. Tatu is now in the fifth grade, loves going to school and dreams of becoming an actor.
The development of the Finnish school system coincided with the time when Taitto’s descendants were growing up. Each subsequent generation received a better education than the previous one. The Finnish education system has gained recognition worldwide. In the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment, known as the PISA study, the skills of Finnish students have often been highly rated.
It is difficult to compare schools from different countries, but due to a number of factors, Finland has good test results. In Finland, the attitude towards education is positive and education is valued.
A 100-year journey
At the beginning of the 20th century, only a third of rural children attended school. In 1921, a compulsory education law was passed, requiring all children to complete primary school. After the fourth grade, children who had sufficient funds and good grades could move on to secondary school.
Despite Taitto’s good grades, his parents could not afford to send him to secondary school. Taitto worked various jobs: he was a police officer and a real estate broker. The career path of his son, 66-year-old Jarmo Vesala, was similar: he was an entrepreneur, owned a service station, but recently retired.
Jarmo’s education began in Helsinki in 1956. The Primary School Act was passed two years after he started school and added two years of compulsory education. That is, Jarmo studied two years longer than his father.
The Finnish school system was almost completely transformed in the 1970s, when the era of primary and secondary school ended with the comprehensive school reform. The reform replaced the primary and secondary school system with a nine-year comprehensive course, which consisted of six years of lower level and three years of upper level. The comprehensive school system was gradually introduced in Finland starting in 1972. That was the year Jarmo’s son Jari Vesala, now 47, started school.
The comprehensive school reform was a hot topic at the time, but Jari went to study under the new school system. “For me, comprehensive school was the only opportunity to get an education,” says Jari.
There is such a thing as a free lunch
One of the secrets of the Finnish school system’s success is the school lunch. In 1948, a law on school meals was passed, which obliged municipalities to provide free lunches in schools on each of the six school days.
“In the 1950s, school meals were very similar to today’s. At a certain time, we all gathered together to have lunch. At home, I was taught to eat all the food on my plate,” recalls Taitto’s son Jarmo. “In my school, for example, not everyone liked meat with dill. I was the only one in the whole class who ate it all,” says Jarmo with a grin.
Many years have passed, times have changed, and with them dietary recommendations. Stewed meat with dill was removed from the school menu. Today, students receive free meals on each of the five school days.
Tatu, who started school in the 2010s, likes the food at school. “The food is quite normal. For example, I like potato casserole with ham. The food is tasty and good,” says Tatu.
Jari, who works as an earthmoving contractor, also praises school meals: “I have good memories of school lunches. The food in schools is still good – my father Jarmo and I now go to have lunch at the school near our earthmoving site. The food is inexpensive, healthy and really tasty,” says Jari.
Assessment without grades
When Taitto was studying, Finnish schools used a grading scale from 4 to 10, with 10 being the highest grade. Student performance was assessed twice a year. “I usually had a solid 7,” describes Jarmo of his school years.
Grades were based on exams and classwork. The only oral exam in the 1950s was the singing exam, where each student performed in front of the class.
In recent years, the assessment system has changed from a numerical scale to letters. Now Tatu receives grades in the form of letters. “For example, I got an A on the big German exam last spring. For behavior in class I got a B, and for initiative I got an A+,” explains the smart boy.
Grandfather Jarmo admires Tatu’s talent for learning foreign languages. He himself did not study any foreign languages at school. “And he already speaks English and German at ten years old!” exclaims Jarmo.
Tatu began studying German in the fourth grade and English in the middle of the second. The new basic curriculum allows Tatu to start studying Swedish in the sixth grade, that is, next year, which means that after six years of school he will know three languages.
Flexible learning
The stories of four generations show that although the basic principle of the school system has remained unchanged for about a hundred years, it is still constantly being updated. A major innovation that will change the Finnish school system in the coming years is the new basic curriculum. It has been in effect in primary schools since autumn 2016.
In recent years, among other things, schools have introduced in-depth study of various subjects based on phenomena. Tatu came to the interview straight from school, from a travel fair organized by his class. In lessons, students plan and organize a travel fair where they present the places and cultures of different countries to other classmates.
“This morning Tatu went to school with our old suitcase, which is bigger than he is,” says Jari and explains that the old suitcase will be used as a prop at the travel fair.
No more blackboards
New teaching methods also affect school premises. As the focus of teachers shifts from gathering information to learning specific skills, classrooms are also being transformed. Previously, the teacher's desk stood between the students and the blackboard, and students sat at desks arranged in rows. Today, school classrooms are open and transformable. The teacher no longer conducts lessons from a podium but uses computers and digital technology.
In Tatu's classrooms, there are no more blackboards or chalk. On the teacher's desk in the classroom, a digital camera is installed to display materials on an interactive whiteboard. The teacher can also show videos from their computer. Sometimes students use tablets or computers. “For example, when we are coloring or drawing something, we can use a tablet to look at models,” says Tatu.
Skills in retrieving information related to presentations are practiced; such tasks are often done in pairs or groups. Some textbooks are now entirely electronic. Tatu's older brother, 14-year-old Leevi Vesala, was given a tablet at school. Most of the learning materials are already electronic.
“Today's young people are something,” says 96-year-old Taito. “They receive so much information that I cannot help but admire their knowledge!”
Hannele TAIVI.
Magazine “This is Finland”