Knocked my Socks Off

This week, I visited my first Finnish school!  While it did not knock my socks off, it certainly did knock my shoes off!  Let me explain...

The first lecture of Introduction to Finnish School Life is scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes. Passing by large stuffed animals and the masterpieces of second graders, I wander through the primary school looking for classroom 6C.  The hallway turns into what looks like a library—bright red bookshelves interspersed with islands of short tables surrounded by chairs suitable for smaller people.  My favorite childhood books look foreign with their Finnish titles.

It is after school hours; the hallways are empty and the classrooms are still.  I continue on.  Classroom 6A.  Getting closer.  The library evolves into a living room complete with a sofa, coffee table and fireplace.  Classroom 6B.  My destination must be nearing.  The living room transforms back into the hallway.  Small shoes in little cubbies line the wall.  Classroom 6C.  I have arrived.

I go to step into the classroom, and a small voice behind the desk asks me, would you please take off your shoes and leave them in the hallway?  Prior to coming to Finland, I had read this was customary in schools, but nonetheless, it still takes me by surprise when it comes time to partake in the culture. 

The rest of the evening was filled with one surprise after another.  As the professor began lecturing, she seamlessly transitioned from one medium to another.  A chalkboard to write her name.  A Smartboard* to view the syllabus.  A document camera to inspect the worksheet.  A white board to post important dates.  And all of this in a typical sixth grade classroom.

After a lengthy introduction of class expectations and requirements, we get a tour of the school.  Again, one surprise after another.  The ceiling of the science lab has a replica of the night sky from December 2003 formed with twinkling lights.  The textiles room is equipped with a row of Bernina sewing machines.  The cafeteria has small vases of flowers at each table.  And my favorite part—the fact that the entire tour is given in our socks. 

I left the school completely in awe.  While I thought perhaps this was just a special school in Finland, later that evening my Finnish flatmate informed me otherwise.  Apparently, all schools in Finland have a similar warmth and are outfitted with comparable resources.  Wow.  Knocked my socks right off.


*A Smartboard is like a large touch screen whiteboard.  An LCD projects the computer screen onto the Smartboard, and then the user can interact with the board similar to how you use a mouse on a computer.  A document camera is similar to an overhead projector; however, instead of using transparencies, you just place the paper documents under the camera and the the image is projected onto the wall.