Let's Meet the Big Kids

Today I spent the day with students at an Ylöjärvi Upper Secondary School. 

Students move to the upper secondary school (high school) following ninth grade. They call the levels first grade through third grade in upper secondary. In ninth grade, students decide if they want to attend a general studies high school with an emphasis on academic courses to prepare them to attend a university or a vocational high school with an emphasis on job training skills for employment or further education at a polytechnical school (though they can still apply for the university). Some students also enroll in the vocational school, but also complete general studies requirements. The school that I visited today houses both a general studies high school and a vocational high school. The students and staff move between both sections of the attached buildings and share common areas, such as the cafeteria and teachers' lounge.

Another big, comfortable teachers' lounge

High school students select their own schedules in the way that our college students typically do. They go online and select the courses that they want to take, choosing the time of day and the teacher. Most of the courses that they take are required, but they do have options for electives and advanced studies and can choose areas that they want to focus on for these courses.

First Day of Art Class

First Day of Music Class

The only mandatory standardized testing in Finland is the matriculation exams required for graduation. Students must take a minimum of four exams, but they can choose to take additional exams. This can be beneficial because the exams provide points that are used when applying to universities. The tests are scheduled throughout the country on the same day and time. Each test lasts up to six hours. They recently moved to online testing. Students do take an entire course in school that is directly focused on preparing for the exam.

The school that I visited is one of two in Finland with a special focus on entrepreneurship. Students can apply for this extra program and work with the same students throughout high school. They are participating in a Young Entrepreneur program where they develop and operate a business for a year. They also participate in community business opportunities to develop their project management and business skills. 

We were able to attend a third year English class where we interviewed small groups of students. I really enjoyed talking with my group of girls. They shared their feelings on school, asked me questions about American schools, and talked to me about life as a teenager in Finland. They also recommended that I try ice swimming, sauna, and Finnish chocolate while I'm here. 

We took a look at some of the rooms in the vocational school as well. Nearly every job in Finland has some type of educational training that students can participate in. Vocational schools are arranged in 8 fields of study and include more than 50 types of qualifications ranging from machinery and automotive to beauty and nursing assistants.

Machine shop

Auto shop

Nursing Assistant Training

Home Care Training

Tomorrow is the last day of my study tour. We will visit a university of applied sciences. 

Weather Check
Warmer today 35℉ with Feels Like Temp of 24℉

Sunrise 9:08 AM            Sunset 3:17 PM