Final Paper 3

Jordan Nichols

Eng 101:

Dr. Begert

Final Formal Paper    

            One of the most passionate topics in today’s political atmosphere is education. Huffington Post states that during a survey from Pearson firm that United States will rank 17^th amongst the world (par. 1).  Even worse is that according to the same study that only six percent of American students would actually be testing at an advanced level from taking an international exam (par. 12). Sir Ken Robinson examines the detrimental effect of education and how modern education is not preparing our children for our generation (Feb 2006). So how can we gain ground on a paramount issue in our country? A country that might have the answer is Finland. Finland normally ranks in the top education levels of the world. Due to its small population and small resources Education Minister, Tuula Haatainen, says, “In Finland, we believe we have to invest in education, in research and in higher education. Education can Pioneer new areas for jobs. We always need new skills for the labor force.”(par. 3- 4). Finland ranks high in every study, because it’s willing to put forth the effort and research into education. America could gain more ground in our education system if we emulate Finland in their approach for their future generation. Finland has bold ideas that they introduced in their schooling system and they are reaping the benefits of well educated generations. They believe in unified school systems, strict prerequisites for teachers, and free as possible schooling from pre-school up to universities.  If we understand more about Finland’s education process and implement into our schools we could better prepare our children.

            Finland’s education system works quite differently from other countries. The schools won’t separate children into different education groups from performance. From ages seven to sixteen you would go to the same school system as your peers. After that you would choose to go to either vocational school or higher learning school systems. In America we want to separate the over-performers from the under performing children. It’s a distinct reflection of our high capitalism market. Our economy and work force is based on showing up and working harder than the person next to you to achieve greater status, so of course this will trickle down to our children. Finland believes in inclusion of all students for nine years in comprehensive school (school ages 7-16). Across the board students get the same education base as their peers. Haatainen would state that this is the most important part of the system, because for those crucial nine years they can invest the same amount to everybody (par. 10).

            Another key note in their schools is that their students are not charged money for amenities like in America school systems. No child has to pay for lunch. No child has to pay for their universities. This develops a sense that the country is investing substantially towards its children. This will result into more students going into higher learning and being able to perform at higher levels. Bill Gates tells us that we have a plethora of highly skilled jobs in America, but the sad truth is that due to the neglect of education amongst our citizens, we will not be able to hold those positions (Waiting for Superman). Our economy has a bleak view from us is because that our own people can’t fill the shoes for the demand of new jobs. Those positions will go to other people and thus hurting our economy. One of the worse things to know is that after surviving a barrage of subpar public schooling in America the realization that in order to gain higher learning you will have to spend thousands of dollars of your own money. In 2012, the average college graduate loan debt was $27,253 which is a 58% increase from the past seven years, according to Forbes (par. 4). Imagine a place where you would not get punished for seeking higher learning. It could definitely benefit our country if our future workers were not restricted in what jobs to apply solely based on how well they can manage that school debt. More students might be more eager to go into more fields that may not yield more income, but further develop our country. Maybe students would be encouraged to go into a job that makes them happy instead of just a place to make their bills more manageable.  This could a great factor in our next generation doing something that benefits our future not just our future bank account.

            Finland also employs teachers with high skill sets to teach their students. They are entrusted with doing whatever it takes to help prepare their pupils for life and higher education. Finland has strict guidelines if you want to become an educator in their country. Their teachers are chosen from the top ten percent of graduates that would go on to highly specialized master’s program (par. 6).  They are more prepared for the classroom. In America it seems that after only four years of undergraduate study in an education field might push out teachers too soon. A lot of teachers would say that the first couple of years is hard to adjust to teaching and that could be detrimental in losing a year of a child’s education. Finland will let people more skilled in teaching go on to educate children. An education taught by a proficient teacher is only the standard for a select K-12 schools in America, but it is the normal for all schools in Finland. If you’re a child in poverty or a child blessed in a wealthy family you will receive the same education from the same highly trained professionals. Teachers are the most important part of the education process. Lacking in skilled educators can deter children from getting the best attention and development they need. America’s failing school isn’t the cause from bad teachers but it also sets up an environment where teachers can’t get the necessary comfort level when they enter their first teaching year in K-12 schools. This could definitely benefit their students in the classroom and will not set the children back years of learning.

            I believe America can learn a lot about Finland’s education system. With our country’s dwindling process to prepare our children for the future we have nowhere else but look upon the countries that are doing the most to benefit their children with education. Finland is at the top of most rankings due to the extensive research and resources devoted solely to public school systems for their country. They have unified school systems that will give every child the same opportunity to better themselves. They implement their highly skilled process for almost zero dollars. You can go through all levels of education without going into mass debt. They also make sure that their children are only learning from the best teachers by using a great standard of what skills an educator can have. America has spent a lot of time at the top of many categories in the world, but education is not one of them. We must do the logical thing and look upon which systems are working and used those methods to help our children get back on track. If we do not fix the education system in our country than it will only get worse for our future development and economy.

            

                                                  Works Cited Page

1.       Huffington Post. "Best Education In The World: Finland, South Korea Top Country Rankings,   U.S. Rated Average." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/best-education-in-the-wor_n_2199795.html>. 

2.       Robinson, Ken. "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" TED, Monterey, California. February 2006. Lecture. 

3.       Coughlin, Sean . "BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Education key to economic survival." BBC News - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/education/4031805.stm>. 

4.     Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Geoffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee, Paramount Vantage. Paramount Vantage, 2010. DVD 

5.       Touryalai, Halah . "More Evidence On The Student Debt Crisis: Average Grad's Loan Jumps To $27,000 - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2013/01/29/more-evidence-on-the-student-debt-crisis-average-grads-loan-jumps-to-27000/>. 

6.       Hancock, LynNell . "Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Why-Are-Finlands-Schools-Successful.html>.