Say Anything Blog

Read that Obama voters

Oh Gene!

Excuse me, you were saying?

"Finland spends more per elementary, middle- and high- school student than any other nation on Earth, and comes in second on spending for higher education. School lunches, health care, most class materials and university tuition are all free.”

How Bout That

Oh yes, the Japanese-Finnish connection.

No doubt proven by researchers pointing out that Japanese enjoy Shark-Finn soup.

Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.

Yes, I agree that the US education system has been led astray since it became essentially Federalized in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education SCOTUS case, with the heavily-Leftist NEA/AFT holding the leash.

Not only must the Finns be unhindered by the Lapp equivalent of the NEA-AFT Politburo, Finnland saves tons of money by not having to sent its taxpayer dollars overseas in the form of billions in foreign aid and carrier battle groups.

...for great justice

Finland spends more per elementary, middle- and high- school student than any other nation on Earth…

Really???  Sez who?

The WSJ article cited in Gene’s post lists Finland’s per pupil expenditure at $7500, a full $1000 less than the listed US average of $8500 per student.

Of course, per pupil expenditure is hardly the answer to increased learning by students, despite what the education bureaucrats of the teachers’ unions might say.
Washington, DC spent over twice Finland’s amount, more than $16,300 per pupil in 2006, yet only 12% of that district’s 8th graders could read proficiently.  Never mind math, science or writing abilities.

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Finland spends more per elementary, middle- and high- school student than any other nation on Earth

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

My friend Bill, the Finlander sent me this in response to this post:

Did you happen to see 60 minutes a couple of weeks ago when they were investigating the report that the happiest people on earth were the Danes? Turns out, the secret to their happiness is low expectations --- they’re so certain that nothing is ever going to work out well that an ordinary day where no great tragedy occurs is a blessing.

Also .. one other more troubling thing about Finland ... I seem to remember a report that Finland had the highest suicide rate in Europe. A friend of mine who was raised in Ireland and then lived in the Netherlands for 10 years laughed when he found out I was Finnish. I think he said something like “Really, so you’re one of those mopey frumps”. 

Reminds me of a joke:
Centuries ago: A Finn, a German, and a Frenchman are in Africa for the first time. Deep in the jungle, they come into a clearing and for the first time ever, they see an elephant. They all stare for a moment. Then, the German says, “What an amazing beast. I wonder how much money I could make if I could put him on display back in Berlin.”. The Frenchman says, “What an amazing beast. I wonder what kind of delicious meals could be made out of it.” The Finn says, “What an amazing beast. I wonder what it thinks about me.”

[b]Old Tigers are more dangerous when they believe this could be their last hunt.

From , “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”
Old tigers, sensing the end,
they’re at their most fierce. 
And they go down fighting.

Hey Gene, a few questions and problemson your plan:

No Pre School or Kindergarten.  Kids shouldn’t start school till 7 (for girls) and 10 for boys.

Matter of person preference on kindergarden I suppose. But why so late for boys? Why should girls be in school 3 more years? Boys are being outperformed by girls. Shouldn’t boys go in first? Or...you know, at the same time?

Libraries are in shopping malls.
Movies are not dubbed but have subtitles.  Learn to read watching 90210.

???

All teachers to even start teaching must have a Masters Degree. 

Why? The private schools who don’t even neccessarily demand bachelors degrees consistantly outperform their public counterparts that demand degrees.

No standardized testing.  No School Sports.  No Proms.

Couldn’t disagree more. Standardized testing is fine. School sports are a plus and help round the child. And proms are a social event for the kids. I think you’re dead wrong on all three.

Little homework.  Informal teaching environment ie: kids fall asleep in class and address each other by first names (teacher included).

Absolutely not. Schools are to acclaimate kids for life. Jobs don’t allow you to fall asleep, many have homework, and most don’t let you call your boss by their first name.

Little technology other than computers (the Internet is unfiltered). No power point, Chalkboards not whiteboards.

Technology is good. Whiteboards are superior to chalkboards. What’s wrong with powerpoint?

Most tests are essay not multiple choice (means the teacher has to do actual work)

My best teachers used tests that were a combo. They had multiple choice, true false, simple answer, and essay answers. Why do you wish that everything be essay?

For the first time in my adult life, I am ashamed of my country.

As someone married to a Finish-American, I’d have to say that Finns have some genetic predisposition to hard work.

My wife never does anything just to get it done. She always does it the best she can do the first time so she never has to do it again.

She’s also a bonafied genius.

10+ hour days seem to be pretty standard for her family.

My 90 something year old grandfather (who is a dynamo himself) told me recently that during the great depression he worked with some Finns, and he had never seen anybody work so hard in his life. This from a man who continued working on cars into his 80s.

I think a lot of it has to do with living in an environment where the cold will kill you if you’re lazy or do something bone-headed.