About the Finnish School System

Education in Finland resembles the school systems of the most industrialized countries of the European Union. The Finnish school system is divided into primary and secondary education. Basically this means that comprehensive school includes both primary and secondary educations. After these follows upper secondary school or vocational school. Achievement of higher education requires university or polytechnic studies.



Primary education starts in the same year when the child turns seven. Performance of primary school normally takes nine years. All Finnish children from 7 to 16 years of age are obliged to participate in education or the parents must be able to get other training managed in some other way.


Upper Secondary School education is general education and it is preparing for the matriculation examinations.


Vocational school is to train professional skills in the labor market skilled employees. The vocational education can also be performed by high school graduates, the degree is called dual qualification.
After the upper secondary school or vocational school some people go to university or to polytechnics.


In some countries, outside of the European Union, the school systems can be a lot different from the Finnish school system. For instants the school system in South Korea has a few major differences compared to ours. The Koreans use mental and physical punishment, if the students are not obeying the rules. The discipline is very strict. The punishments in our schools are mild compared to the Korean school's. In our comprehensive school you can get detention. In upper secondary school you can get expelled for a few days, or for a week, or two. 


In Finland teachers are highly educated and they all have masters degree on the subject they want to teach in the future. The teachers are motivated to learn and to teach the students, what they already know. The biggest reason why there is so much teachers here, is the  desire to give a student something important for the future. And because of this desire the teachers are quit proud of them selves. Appropriate to this topic would be an video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTg29LGp9fE&list=PLEE385BC5A0125995&index=1&feature=plpp_video

  by army.arch

My Job

Last Saturday was my first day as a post deliveryman. My area is about 15 square kilometers and it includes 286 households. It was challenging at first, but when you start to get the hang of it, it becomes quit easy. It is a interesting job. I think that this is not a full time job for me, but because you get to meet new people at the same time it is not so bad after all.

Weekend

On this weekend I went to a Scouts camp. It was about leading younger people in the Scouts, and it was important for me because I am a leader. I learned a lot during that time, especially how to control the kids better.

My most recent English lesson

I had a english lesson today and it was quit similar to the lessons before it. We talked about Korean school. Especially about the school system, which was no wear near to our school system, here in Finland. For example the school food for one day costs about four euros in Korea and here it is around forty cents. The students have to wear their personal school uniforms, at all times in school. The customs concerning school systems around the world are indeed very different from each other.

You Are What You Know

I think that the title is absolutely the truth. The things that I have learned in my life, have made me the way I am today. People get their education, because they want to learn new things, so that they could be the best that they can and to be able to pass on their knowing to their future generations. The more you know the better job you can have and the better job you get, you can have a huge salary. This way you can secure your family's financial future.

My hobby

I have had several different hobbies in my time. (Football, swimming, karate to mention but a few).

Now I play Finnish baseball, which is quite different from the original baseball. It is a lot harder to play it. It’s a little bit hard for me as a sixth-former to combine my school work and my hobby, because both of them require a lot of my time.

My education is of course more important to me, than my hobbies. I have made a schedule, for all the things I must do. I have practices three to four times a week, gym two times a week, I go jogging a couple times a week and with all that I must also attend my classes in school and do my homework, which I have a lot.

So, my hobby requires a lot of me, my average practice involves accuracy, muscle work out, stamina and “mental game play” for the future games. My gym work out is based on maintaining upper- and lover body muscle stamina. It is going to be rewarding at the end, because my future career will require a lot of muscle power.  My career will probably be in the Finnish Army or the –Navy.

I can’t neglect healthy eating, because it has a huge role also in my hobby, because I must get all the available nutrition I can get, so that I can maintain my work out and my muscle stamina. I must build a strong foundation for myself.

New York, New York

The first time when I was in New York, with my parents, we were there, because my mother wanted to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. 

When we arrived at the JFK (John F. Kennedy) international airport, we got into a taxi cab and we drove to our hotel. After checking in, we got up to the twentieth floor and left our belongings in our room. After that we went outside looking for a place where we could eat something small.

On the next day we walked to Times Square and from there to the memorial place of the twin towers.

That evening we got lost, when we were looking for a place to eat. Eventually we found our way back, to the hotel and we decided to go for the pizzeria across the street. 

On the fourth day we got on a ferry and it took us around Ellis Island. We got a few nice pictures of the Statue of Liberty and some of our selves.

On our way back we had to stop in Amsterdam, as on the way to New York. Our holiday lasted totally for five days, it was an experience of a lifetime.

By cacostello