A roller coaster of joys and frustrations. That’s how I would describe my first year of teaching at a Finnish public school.
The Joy of More Free Time
I nearly did a somersault the moment I first set eyes on my fulltime teaching schedule in Finland. I discovered that I would teach just 18 hours each week, which is slightly less than four hours in the classroom per day. The thought of a lighter teaching burden was blissful.
At my previous elementary school in the States, I had 5 ½ hours of instructional time every day, which added up to a weekly total of 27 ½ hours in the classroom - nearly 10 hours more than I would spend teaching in Finland!
A lighter teaching burden would mean more time to spend with my family. More time to collaborate with colleagues. More time to reflect on my practice, and plan more effective lessons.
But I quickly learned that there was another side to this coin. Less teaching time in Finland meant that I would have less time to work with my fifth graders.
The Frustration of Less Teaching Time
How was I going to squeeze everything in? I was used to having ten hours more with my students each week.
As I stressed about the lack of time, I grew resentful about certain aspects of my Finnish teaching schedule. Why in the world are my fifth graders in Finland getting as many music lessons (three) as math lessons each week? Do they really need to do woodwork (or textiles) for two hours every week? Do my fifth graders really need to take a 15-minute break for every 45 minutes of classroom instruction? These frequent breaks sounded excessive to me!
In Finland, I learned to shift my pedagogical mindset. I had to embrace the time that I had with my students, or I would never move away from this place of frustration.
The Joy of Adapting
Over time, I came to accept my lighter teaching schedule. I was starting to understand that what ultimately counts is not the quantity of lessons, but the quality.
With less hours of teaching, I have been pushed to make sure that every lesson is an important one for my fifth graders. I have to think carefully about what my students absolutely need to learn because there just isn’t time in the schedule for fluff.
I have found myself relying a lot on the other fifth grade teacher for planning help. Frankly, a heavier teaching load in the States discouraged me from reaching out to my colleagues. I was often too tired, and too busy. And I knew my American colleagues felt the same way.
When I’m concerned about one of my students in Finland, I have more time in my schedule to look for extra support. I’m The Roller Coaster of Teaching in Finland - Taught by Finland:
The Joy of More Free Time
I nearly did a somersault the moment I first set eyes on my fulltime teaching schedule in Finland. I discovered that I would teach just 18 hours each week, which is slightly less than four hours in the classroom per day. The thought of a lighter teaching burden was blissful.
At my previous elementary school in the States, I had 5 ½ hours of instructional time every day, which added up to a weekly total of 27 ½ hours in the classroom - nearly 10 hours more than I would spend teaching in Finland!
A lighter teaching burden would mean more time to spend with my family. More time to collaborate with colleagues. More time to reflect on my practice, and plan more effective lessons.
But I quickly learned that there was another side to this coin. Less teaching time in Finland meant that I would have less time to work with my fifth graders.
The Frustration of Less Teaching Time
How was I going to squeeze everything in? I was used to having ten hours more with my students each week.
As I stressed about the lack of time, I grew resentful about certain aspects of my Finnish teaching schedule. Why in the world are my fifth graders in Finland getting as many music lessons (three) as math lessons each week? Do they really need to do woodwork (or textiles) for two hours every week? Do my fifth graders really need to take a 15-minute break for every 45 minutes of classroom instruction? These frequent breaks sounded excessive to me!
In Finland, I learned to shift my pedagogical mindset. I had to embrace the time that I had with my students, or I would never move away from this place of frustration.
The Joy of Adapting
Over time, I came to accept my lighter teaching schedule. I was starting to understand that what ultimately counts is not the quantity of lessons, but the quality.
With less hours of teaching, I have been pushed to make sure that every lesson is an important one for my fifth graders. I have to think carefully about what my students absolutely need to learn because there just isn’t time in the schedule for fluff.
I have found myself relying a lot on the other fifth grade teacher for planning help. Frankly, a heavier teaching load in the States discouraged me from reaching out to my colleagues. I was often too tired, and too busy. And I knew my American colleagues felt the same way.
When I’m concerned about one of my students in Finland, I have more time in my schedule to look for extra support. I’m The Roller Coaster of Teaching in Finland - Taught by Finland: