tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43614799242142283552024-03-14T01:32:20.761-07:00Finland from a Teacher's PerspectiveJanet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-81844396310188220662017-09-23T00:38:00.001-07:002017-09-23T00:38:11.589-07:00 A New Blog: A Design to EducateCome see my new blog! https://adesigntoeducate.blogspot.comJanet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-83399087762053195152013-10-23T07:27:00.000-07:002014-09-13T23:40:45.276-07:00Returning to the Writer's Den<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My free e-book, "The 'Finnish Way' to Optimize Learning" is now online!<br />
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<a href="http://www.globaleducationproject.org/">www.globaleducationproject.org</a><br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-39574609434641180212013-09-25T18:58:00.001-07:002013-10-20T22:47:54.495-07:00"US Teacher Gets Finnish Lesson in Optimizing Student Potential"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was asked by the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/" target="_blank">Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)</a> to write an article comparing the US and Finnish education systems; I was pleased to do so. It took me hours upon hours because I wanted to do justice to the comparison. As you already know, I love Finland, its people, and I love what Finns do for their children. I hope I've captured some of this beauty.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://oecdinsights.org/2013/09/23/us-teacher-gets-finnish-lesson-in-optimizing-student-potential/" target="_blank"><i>Part I</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://oecdinsights.org/2013/09/24/us-teacher-gets-finnish-lesson-in-optimizing-student-potential-part-2/" target="_blank"><i>Part II</i></a><br />
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Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-69996059810553085192013-07-30T18:44:00.002-07:002013-07-30T18:56:10.858-07:00Music, Creativity and Problem Solving: Part IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just returned from the <a href="http://www.douggoodkin.com/SummerCourses/index.shtml" target="_blank">Orff Jazz Course</a> by <a href="http://www.douggoodkin.com/" target="_blank">Doug Goodkin</a> and it was everything and more that I could have hoped for or imagined.<br />
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In my early years I enjoyed ten years of musical instruction but it was this 5-day class that helped me understand music and creativity as never before. <br />
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If America or any other nation wishes to develop children's creativity and problem solving skills, we should be including Orff musical methods under the direction of Doug Goodkin and his colleagues at the <a href="http://www.sfschool.org/home/index.shtml" target="_blank">San Francisco School</a> and the <a href="http://www.jasesoi.org/" target="_blank">JaSeSoi </a>Orff Foundation in Finland. Truly, these teachers are artists in their ability to scaffold lessons and inspire creativity. Amazing. These teachers are not alone, either, as they've been working with teachers from around the world for many years - at our 5-day class we had teachers from Thailand, China, Japan, Canada, Germany, and the U.K. In the next room were people from Venezuela, Brazil, and I don't know where else, but it was a rich and varied group. And this has been going on for many years. Such a talented and varied group! <br />
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I'm feeling anxious about compiling in video and written form what I learned in Finland before I get back to teaching my students but I had to take this class when it was offered and I'm so glad I did. I'm better for it, and more creative, too. :)<br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-81566835211893729082013-07-13T12:08:00.002-07:002013-07-13T12:08:30.155-07:00"The Blueberry Story"<h3>
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This is a beautiful explanation for why schools can't be run like businesses. </h3>
<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/07/09/why-schools-arent-businesses-the-blueberry-story/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to read the complete story in the Wall Street Journal. </a><br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-22645545973605638062013-07-13T00:04:00.000-07:002013-07-13T13:33:27.518-07:00Prepping the Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">You, Finns! You've given me so many meaningful interviews! Look at my list of useable clips (so far) and I'm only through about one-sixth of the stack! Either I'm going to have a movie the size of a Ken Burns documentary or I'll have to do some serious editing. (I guess I'll do the editing.) It's a joy to go through all the interviews but I'll have to cut some pieces...or the video will be so long no one will want to watch it!</span></div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-89168809384566359132013-07-02T17:25:00.001-07:002013-07-03T15:21:04.320-07:00"Secrets" behind the Finnish Educational Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was asked to write an article for the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C., and compare the American and Finnish education systems.<br />
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It's a short and concise beginning - but I promise - there will be more:<br />
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Link to my article on the Embassy of Finland's webpage: <a href="http://finland.org/public/default.aspx?contentid=279671&nodeid=35833&contentlan=2&culture=en-US" target="_blank">"'Secrets' behind the Finnish Educational Success"</a><br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-68004796855858672082013-06-25T09:56:00.000-07:002013-07-07T16:31:43.257-07:00Music, Creativity, and Problem Solving: Part III<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_CrVIojnbVxqkssktSmyJT9MTnVUKW-UzVfZDuu_LffKuH8PlYpzWhkpE6TwlnXnL3eEhBk_ghT1roBtdIMqBJ3yg694lfc5IBPgHTST2AIWGrd6bpkaDBpJNCkw5XC3XYCBhLR_wENq/s1600/DSC02124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_CrVIojnbVxqkssktSmyJT9MTnVUKW-UzVfZDuu_LffKuH8PlYpzWhkpE6TwlnXnL3eEhBk_ghT1roBtdIMqBJ3yg694lfc5IBPgHTST2AIWGrd6bpkaDBpJNCkw5XC3XYCBhLR_wENq/s320/DSC02124.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tucked in the forest of Orivesi, Finland, there stands a beautiful and warm wooden house on rolling hills, surrounded by tall trees of lush green foliage and a barn filled with egg-bearing chickens. Out back is a rectangular pool filled with well-water (unheated), a trampoline, and a pine board swing that hangs on ropes at least ten meters long. The grass is long and unfettered, a friendly dog wanders about, and the family has welcomed the five of us for drinks, dinner, and conversation.<br />
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Inside the house are vibrant and expressive artworks painted predominantly in the colors of blue, red, green, yellow, and black, a baby grand piano, a cello, and long, inviting tables for food and conversation - and with this group there will probably be ample laughter, as well. On the table in the window-enclosed patio is a standing candelabra with half-melted candles, a set of playing cards outside their box, and flowers from the garden. In the kitchen is homemade korvasieni (poison mushroom soup, carefully cooked and ready for eating), a cauliflower and vegetable dish, and a Thai watermelon preparation. <br />
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We were welcomed by our friends to their house after music class for an evening of relaxed conversation, a sauna, dinner, and music - and it was an evening I hope to never, ever forget - there were so many elements of the evening that were touching, inspiring, and laced with deep affection and intimacy; I was grateful for this opportunity to share with them in deep Finnish hospitality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QEggNiiIyIoW6fqurVkBidjDOJDnC5PXBet7a_inKIrOqYvqvYbMnWETQLox5Y9KqJKVYuqLDUCML3dYsqzuFRdT98mmie3l7KqarJdXZRlQ8bjEd2lae1oFqF-kGeovQOVjj9hhMpxm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.17.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QEggNiiIyIoW6fqurVkBidjDOJDnC5PXBet7a_inKIrOqYvqvYbMnWETQLox5Y9KqJKVYuqLDUCML3dYsqzuFRdT98mmie3l7KqarJdXZRlQ8bjEd2lae1oFqF-kGeovQOVjj9hhMpxm/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.17.06+PM.png" width="136" /></a>We started with a tour of the house and garden, the hen house (whose barn also housed an impressive array of sculptures), a ride on the tallest swing I've ever had the pleasure of riding - swinging high and fast about the house grounds and the trampoline close below - and discussions about collecting birch branches for therapeutic treatment in the sauna. As we took turns on the swing, several people left and returned with bunches of flexible birch branches (leaves attached) with promises of the birch's ability to improve circulation and a fresh forest aroma when used. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-NdBuC20mo9wpfyh6Pt6aecba2AZWIDVsP6Ji5bKzFyDsSrQBWSwLdiD1S9NQ2c2NALoEHWraTfznxaxyxabzt8WlMF8i_USOW-6vFyXv1rweL3vn6aPx7FuNi0TQAeDSrLa2D1ElDGP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.20.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-NdBuC20mo9wpfyh6Pt6aecba2AZWIDVsP6Ji5bKzFyDsSrQBWSwLdiD1S9NQ2c2NALoEHWraTfznxaxyxabzt8WlMF8i_USOW-6vFyXv1rweL3vn6aPx7FuNi0TQAeDSrLa2D1ElDGP/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.20.03+PM.png" width="191" /></a>We took turns enjoying the sauna and dipping into the cool water from the well, and went inside for korvasieni, the now-unpoisonous mushroom soup. This soup is creamy and buttery with small bits of chewy mushrooms now the consistency of perfectly-cooked calamari. Between the swinging, the sauna, the korvasieni and vegetarian dishes, and the conversation about life, music, and education, we were hours into the evening - but without darkness falling, who was to know? It was a delightful evening filled with ample conversation from interesting points of view and we were merely progressing through time. At some point the father and the 17-year old daughter stood up from the table - he proceeded to sit down behind the baby grand piano and the daughter, in a lovely evening dress, sat on a chair close by - and played for us a flowing and melodic piano/tuba duet. I've never heard a tuba played so beautifully and I was inspired by the care in which the daughter approached and played this instrument. She was an artist and the act of playing the tuba was her passion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKHaAOlhvDG57m7ZbFtuCbRnhA4TREh6O-AbGOe1yvoGtkbz9S18s4aawGOn5qqc2X20TasIi6HNZbkqTwQwSX5UFPPA6UaVVyB-r6Bbsb2PR7ItSLIYBX_mPO6Jnm5SyCB61jzwS73ZK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.19.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKHaAOlhvDG57m7ZbFtuCbRnhA4TREh6O-AbGOe1yvoGtkbz9S18s4aawGOn5qqc2X20TasIi6HNZbkqTwQwSX5UFPPA6UaVVyB-r6Bbsb2PR7ItSLIYBX_mPO6Jnm5SyCB61jzwS73ZK/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-06-24+at+9.19.15+PM.png" width="245" /></a>After such a life-changing week at the music course, it was clear that I wanted to continue this musical exploration when I returned to the States so I asked Doug Goodkin, sitting next to me at the dinner table, about the upcoming Intro to Jazz course at the San Francisco School. I expressed interest, but also my concern, that perhaps I wasn't ready to be participating in such a group. Doug suggested an audition at the piano - for me to play alongside him as he played - with the promise that he could make me sound "good." Terhi encouraged me and even promised me a free plane ticket if I failed. (She must have known me well enough to know I couldn't turn down a free ticket for playing poorly!) Terror rose up inside me because this exemplified everything that brought me to my knees: performance, playing music, vulnerability, and embarrassment. I didn't want to do this but I also knew I had to - plus, it was "safe" amongst these friends - and Doug would be playing louder (and better) than I. Still sitting at the dinner table, he said, "Let me know when you're ready."<br />
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When I mustered up the courage I asked if we could close off the wall between the two rooms by shutting the accordion-style doors - <i>but I could not get the doors to budge</i>. Doug proceeded to sit on the left side of the piano bench and I sat on the right, and to my horror, our friends followed us into the room and sat around, ready to watch and listen. <br />
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I asked them to leave but they would not; there was no easy way to push back against the momentum of the events leading up to this moment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr7TgbvEtOQ6rr4ZK2_PMcqw_YiD6JpocmDYYCtXXnwscGTNODeoIigrJk8KZ93ockeD__EFl5S8dBDf4SjFqP3AeKGQ8AsnZRQGwLx62jqz5xdSUb42qW-x-fN_1QgTidTFK1b88XHju/s1600/DSC02201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr7TgbvEtOQ6rr4ZK2_PMcqw_YiD6JpocmDYYCtXXnwscGTNODeoIigrJk8KZ93ockeD__EFl5S8dBDf4SjFqP3AeKGQ8AsnZRQGwLx62jqz5xdSUb42qW-x-fN_1QgTidTFK1b88XHju/s320/DSC02201.JPG" width="320" /></a>Doug started playing some jazzy progressions on the piano - joyfully and enthusiastically - making it sound easy, rhythmic and enticing. He encouraged me to play by repeating, "Don't worry! I'll make you sound good!" He gave me only one note to play - a process that's designed to make improvisation easier for someone like me - and I think he gave me the A key. After a few strokes I told him it was "boring" so he gave me both the A and the C. When I told him it was still boring, he let me play the A, C, and B-flat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYkq1FhUbS5YcbQElEzE8pgi6kio070igNBNrFYshirK3UBkg8fiUxU4qaCExgPKdrjkXqJ2AUNmGgtJtEHskMVS5XPygOkGNx00CSsoxpmx_xUr6P7faqd5kLgeuXsDbNlH7QEH2tzqJ/s1600/DSC02202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYkq1FhUbS5YcbQElEzE8pgi6kio070igNBNrFYshirK3UBkg8fiUxU4qaCExgPKdrjkXqJ2AUNmGgtJtEHskMVS5XPygOkGNx00CSsoxpmx_xUr6P7faqd5kLgeuXsDbNlH7QEH2tzqJ/s320/DSC02202.JPG" width="213" /></a>I won't go into detail about what happened but I will say that a few times my playing seemed to "work," but most times it did not. When Doug said, "Have a conversation with me" and played 4-6 notes in sequence - and I was able to reply in a musical conversation - it was fun! I was able to play a little bit of rhythm with varying accents and some phrasing - but what I was playing would still be considered a beginner mix. He seemed okay with whatever I was doing - even though my playing was hesitant and apologetic - and he told me I was allowed to join the Intro to Jazz class. (Oh my gosh!)<br />
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When we finished playing we looked down and to our surprise, there under the piano were our friends - reclining themselves on the floor UNDER the piano! Doug and I had been so involved in what we were doing we forgot about where our friends had gone or what they were doing - they were enjoying the vibrations of the piano's sounding board as it came down through their bodies and into the wooden floor of the house. It was then that I remembered this experience from my childhood and I said, "I used to do that when my mother played the piano!" He and I dove under the piano and Terhi sat down to play some classical music. (Listening to music like this is "heaven" as long as the notes that are played aren't too high.) I placed both of my hands directly above my head and onto the sounding board so I could feel the vibrations moving through my body and I said, "Doug, try this!" and he placed his hands on the sounding board, too. I sat up and put the top of my head between the supports and up against the piano's sounding board and I said, "Doug, try this!" which he did, also. <br />
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The Finns have challenged me, have nurtured me, and have surrounded me with warmth. None of this growth, or any of these experiences, could have happened if I had stayed within the comfort and safety of my own home. Perhaps this week, and the hospitality and generosity of our friends and hosts for this memorable evening, best encapsulates what can happen when one leaves their "normal" life in order to meet new people, become ensconced in a completely different culture, and opens oneself to a new way of life. Here, in the rural countryside of Finland, with two Americans who had never before met and six musical and artistic Finns, joined together for a delightful evening of friendship, conversation, music, and laughter. I would wish this for all people. Thank you Fulbright, thank you, Finland, and thank you to all the beautiful people with whom I shared this week and this evening - you know who you are. :)<br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-7437323705656057522013-06-24T13:38:00.002-07:002013-07-03T07:02:05.130-07:00Music, Creativity, and Problem Solving: Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For years I've joked that if there were a thing such as reincarnation I would love to come back as a jazz and blues singer - but the reality is - I don't believe in reincarnation and I have a vocal range of about four notes - even if I did have an impressive vocal range I'm too inhibited to "belt out" those fabulous songs. What I think I crave is to be able to express myself musically without fear. Those jazz and blues musicians seem to play without inhibition and to me that is an incredible and beautiful expression of self. For years I've felt a love of musical expression welling up inside me but I continually trap it down and hush it; it's been safer to keep it there - but not so comfortable.<br />
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What does this have to do with my research project about problem solving? When I walked into the music class in Espoo and experienced the exercises the teacher had her students perform, I felt my brain doing calisthenics I hadn't experienced in any other class - my whole brain seemed to be activated as well as all the parts of my body. In all the schools I visited in Finland, I found elements of the music class to be <i>the most engaging in overall problem solving</i> and it made me wonder - <i>what is the connection between the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orff_Schulwerk" target="_blank">Orff</a> methods and problem solving, and how can these techniques be used to inspire creative, innovative thinking in our students and adults?</i><br />
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A very good question - so let's proceed....<br />
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If living a "normal" life has the tendency to close down one's openness to new ideas and creative, innovative thought, and music through the Orff method seems to open up those barriers (at least that is my experience), is there a place to combine the two in our educational processes to help children grow toward creative and innovative thinkers by combining music and the sciences? <br />
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I think so.<br />
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If I am this reserved in playing music, are there other aspects of my creativity that are being stifled because I'm afraid to express myself? What about other people? With so many people telling me they are amazed I moved to Finland for six months and how they don't think they could have done it themselves, I have to think that restraining oneself - even in the face of a embracing a wonderful experience - may be a common occurrence.<br />
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There have been days in the past few years when the house is quiet and I sit alone at my piano - and I surprise myself at the emotions that come out of me when I play the keyboard - it's pretty intense, actually, as it comes from such a deep and reserved place. I have to wonder - why am I so protective of this musicality and why don't I let these emotions out through music? or in other ways?<br />
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These are the questions that drove me to the <a href="http://www.jasesoi.org/" target="_blank">JaSeSoi ry Orff Level Courses</a> at the <a href="http://www.orivedenopisto.fi/" target="_blank">Orividen Opisto</a> in early June. I took the 6-7 hour train ride from Joensuu to Orivesi and stepped out onto the platform of a wooden and historic rural train depot on a sunny, spring afternoon. A woman with a rolling suitcase (and what turned out to be a drum) was also walking across the parking lot, looking around as if she, too, needed to find her way. I said to her, first in Finnish, and then in English: "Excuse me, do you speak English? Are you going to the music class?" We ended up sharing a taxi and we were both glad we did - the road to the school would have been longer and more uncomfortable with our luggage than either of us wanted to experience.<br />
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The Orividen Opisto is a small campus in the countryside of Orivesi with a few large-sized buildings, a few medium-sized buildings, a gym/performance area, dorms, a restaurant, and a pond with a fountain and gazebo; it's a lovely spot for an arts and music school. Throughout the afternoon the 80+ music teachers from around Finland converged on this spot to learn how to be better teachers for their students.<br />
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My journey in Finland began about five months earlier, which included two months during the deepest parts of winter where I visited schools but most afternoons and weekends were of significant isolation, and another three months of traveling to schools around Finland by bus, by train, by bike and by foot - and as the temperatures warmed, so did the people - they came out to interact and play! In retrospect, I spent a significant amount of time by myself over the past five months and I was well adept at opening myself to new experiences, new people, a new language and culture, and I was used to being open and receptive to all that Finland had to offer; I had trust for her people and their actions; I felt at ease.<br />
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Our first activity in the morning was so simple - yet so difficult...for me. All 80+ of us were standing on the floor of the gym, most people wearing clothes comfortable for movement; music played over the sound system. Our task was simple - take a scarf and create four dance moves with the scarf and repeat them in sequence. We did this separately, but together on the gym floor, and I assure you, no one was looking at me - but it felt as though I was completely exposed. Every move had to be forced as I had to push past my inhibitions to move freely in this open space. In contrast, my new friend, Sanna, was completely joyful with the exercise and went through cycles of throwing the scarf up in the air and trying to catch it with her head, diving across the floor, laughing and exclaiming how much fun she was having. I wanted to be Sanna, or at least, to find the freedom of creativity that Sanna knew how to embrace and love. As I watched Sanna and the joy she experienced, and compared it to the tension I was feeling, I realized how closed off I had become to undefined musical experiences - because <i>every movement</i> felt so uncomfortable I had to force myself - FORCE myself - to do it.<br />
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We proceeded to another dance where all of us held hands and went through group dances usually performed at Finnish wedding ceremonies; I was surprised to see the Finns looking directly at each other - and me. I was shocked, actually. In the five months I spent in Finland I didn't have this many people <i>in total </i>connecting and retaining eye contact with me - or so it seemed. Their looks were deep and deliberate and I found myself getting teary because I had missed having prolonged eye contact. It was such a gift.<br />
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We proceeded with other Orff methods which included percussion games through claps, stomps, snaps and other sounds, as well as chants and the playing of Orff instruments that made it easy for even the beginning musician to participate. Sometimes we did repetitive rhythms in rounds while other times we played drums or xylophones or simple dance steps - always as a group, or groups within groups so that the entire "piece" could be played together. I think the artistry in teaching these methods comes from understanding how to scaffold a lesson so that students feel as comfortable as possible within each step but still challenged to perform and experience something new. For me, I felt comfortable with the instrumentation - it was the improvisation that was difficult, but I found that the scaffolding and the repetition within the exercises tended to make all the steps much easier, and at the same time, more of a natural progression.<br />
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It was still exhausting to let myself go and try something new and I had to deliberately force my actions past my restraints toward creativity. The progress was happening, but it was definitely a work in progress. <br />
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By the time lunch ended, I was so exhausted I went to lie down and I contemplated staying in my room and not participating - who would notice my absence? During the morning we had danced, we had sung, we had played drums, we played the xylophones - and slowly, these activities were becoming more and more enjoyable - and I kept envisioning Sanna and her joy at creating her own art - without reservation and without fear of judgement. Without conscious intent, I found myself getting back up and going back to class; <i>I would not improve by staying in my room.</i><br />
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By the next morning I was starting to see that the most successful musicians were those who were unafraid to make mistakes, that mistakes were normal, and that the people who were trying without great concern were those who had the most fun. I wanted to have fun; I started to let go.<br />
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It was that evening that Sanna put together a ukulele jam session, complete with grilled Finnish sausages. One of the women played her accordion so in total our group had fifteen ukuleles, one accordion, and about twenty-five singing voices. We played together for several hours and by the time we finished we were marked by mosquito stings, the sun had dimmed slightly past midnight, and everyone headed off to bed.<br />
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It was then that I started to feel the music come from me, rather than to me.<br />
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It was a beginning. <br />
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(To be continued.)</div>
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For more information about Orff methods:<br />
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In the United States: <a href="http://www.sforff.org/" target="_blank"> http://www.sforff.org</a><br />
In Finland: <a href="http://www.jasesoi.org/" target="_blank">http://www.jasesoi.org</a>Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-50591458975293991152013-06-22T09:30:00.000-07:002013-07-03T07:01:34.123-07:00Music, Creativity, and Problem Solving: Part IIt's been almost four days since I've returned to California and after two full days of work, a lovely graduation ceremony for my high school students, and a deeply needed day of rest to help me recover from jet lag, I'm starting to feel my strength return - my creativity reawakening and looking to express itself - and today I will direct my creativity toward keeping my promise - my promise to share what happened in one very special Finnish classroom.<br />
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I'm listening to, "Credo," a song based upon a poem by Onerva, a feisty 20th century Finnish feminist poet and put to music by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KKHl-mm8eQ" target="_blank">Maria Ylipää</a>. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KKHl-mm8eQ" target="_blank">CLICK</a> to play). My friend translated this song and I remember it meaning something to the effect of, "No painful experiences are in vain," and "We can all grow from that which hurts us." I'm not sure I agree with this sentiment but for those who can get past painful experiences, perhaps this is true. We all have painful experiences that close us down to new ideas, new experiences, new relationships, and maybe it's the struggle that makes us more insightful, more willing to forgive, and more apt to understand the pain of others.<br />
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In art as in life, it depends on the person and their interpretation of their experiences that creates beauty or disaster...and perhaps there is reason why children look at us with open eyes while many adults close themselves off to the unknown; we've had painful experiences that make us less open and less vulnerable. Time and time again, we are taught that life's new and unpredictable circumstances can hurt and we start to close the doors to potential pain. Unfortunately, it also hinders one's ability to move forward with fresh ideas and an open mind - not a good way to solve global problems or fix an education system, for sure. Are there ways to unlock our creativity once it's been blocked? When I walked into this one Finnish classroom, little did I know that this teacher would guide us through musical activities that would ultimately make me more open, more creative, and more innovative in my thinking - and start to shed the barriers that keep me from expressing my own musicality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ffKq3G7k69-HO4cUg69S4lBlE7R-k5dmAoDrZ60jgPzDqG4PIyc_T_TpEcXKxhB8IcValfq-Ly1TkgX9Pej_-9ObepKJJsUaTVwS_mE-ehipjeyRYWr86D6Guz7wvFR2wII43ZJK5I90/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-22+at+7.50.24+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ffKq3G7k69-HO4cUg69S4lBlE7R-k5dmAoDrZ60jgPzDqG4PIyc_T_TpEcXKxhB8IcValfq-Ly1TkgX9Pej_-9ObepKJJsUaTVwS_mE-ehipjeyRYWr86D6Guz7wvFR2wII43ZJK5I90/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-06-22+at+7.50.24+AM.png" width="400" /></a>This winter I visited a school in Espoo, Finland because Howard Sklar, a childhood friend who was now married, living and working in Espoo, had invited me to his school. He arranged for me to meet and observe science teachers, which I did, but it was also suggested I try to visit Terhi Oksanen's music class. In a kind twist of fate, Terhi walked by and invited me to join her class at 1:00. Without reservation, I said, "Sure!" I had learned that problem solving was occurring in all areas of Finnish curriculum and I was looking forward to seeing what Terhi did with her students.<br />
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In my childhood I was given music instruction that included reading music, practicing scales, and playing someone else's compositions - I also marched around in the field band with about three hundred other enthusiastic young people. We had an inspiring and all-involving music program at our high school and our directors were fabulous, but our view was limited - we followed the musical direction of our directors and composers and we kept in line. In Terhi's class, she taught the basics, as well, but this is where her lessons changed: she allowed and encouraged students to experience music as it comes from one's own creativity - and I learned that this method can twist and changes one's relationship with music - literally and figuratively.<br />
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Terhi used body motion, body percussion, and simple instruments to allow her students to explore the essence and the implementation of music, not just the creation of other people's music. What I later realized is that as a student in Terhi's class I was able to start releasing the constraints of years of musical instruction, and it allowed me to see that those constraints were keeping me from exploring music for myself. In other words, my own desire to explore rhythm and patterns of my own creation had been halted by the rules I had been taught as a child - an unintentional result of very good and well-intentioned musical instruction.<br />
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For decades, however, I've been frustrated because I wanted to shed this overcoat of rigidity and had not known how, or been able, to do so. <br />
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After I left Espoo I took the 25-minute bus and 5-hour train ride back to Joensuu, and Terhi and I kept in touch; I returned to Espoo the next month to interview her about how she teaches music and how she incorporates problem solving into her lessons. I was fascinated with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orff_Schulwerk" target="_blank">Orff-Schulwerk</a> methods she used and she told me she had learned these methods from <a href="http://www.douggoodkin.com/AboutDougGoodkin/" target="_blank">Doug Goodkin </a><a href="http://www.douggoodkin.com/OrffWorkshops/index.shtml" target="_blank">from San Francisco.</a> Once again, here was a Finnish teacher telling me about how she was using an American teacher or American educational research for her work with students - and time and time again I was shown that American education used to be on the right track with our educational research and teaching until the focus went away from learning ... and toward achieving high test scores. <br />
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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to further this musical exploration by attending the<a href="http://www.jasesoi.org/" target="_blank"> JaSeSoi ry</a> Orff Teacher Training in <a href="http://www.orivedenopisto.fi/" target="_blank">Orivesi, Finland</a>, with 80+ Finnish music teachers. I knew I could only stay 2.5 days of the 5-day workshop but at least I could experience a part of it. This class turned out to be extremely difficult for me but in the end it was far more inspirational and fulfilling than uncomfortable. <br />
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But it wasn't easy....<br />
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(To be continued.)</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-83472625392916457132013-06-21T15:10:00.000-07:002013-06-22T22:16:09.611-07:00The "Little" Things Aren't So Little<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Sunday - my last Sunday in Finland - my good friend walked me back to my apartment; we walked slowly down the street and had some last, thoughtful discussions along the way. During the winter she had given me some home-harvested black currant juice when I caught a cold and I had preserved it in the freezer so it wouldn't spoil when I began traveling around the country to visit schools. Now, too late in the game, I could not enjoy it...I would be leaving on a double prop plane in the morning. She offered to come to my home to pick it up so down the street we walked, past the houses I had seen many times in the snow, in the rain, and now the bright, almost 24-hour sunshine; past the hidden garden items now exposed from the lack of snow and the fiercely-growing organic mass that seemed to be taking over the houses. Green was everywhere - a very enthusiastic green that grows almost 24 hours a day at this time of the year - it almost feels as though you can see it growing while you sit on the porch watching it. If I were in Finland right now I know I'd be finding a way to measure the growth of grass and estimating its total mass of growth in this area - no doubt, a HUGE number. Call me a nerd, but nature amazes me and its ability to combine sunlight, rainfall, and CO2 to make all this beautiful growth astounds me. There are some days I wish I could photosynthesize and simply go without eating lunch... but not many.<br />
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My friend and her family live five minutes down the street by foot and one minute on bike - a bit more if I take the time to weave my bike lazily down the street and sing while feeling the air against my skin. These friends have had me over for dinner countless times over the past six months - always involving kindness and respect, organic fruits and vegetables from their summer garden, carefully preserved in the cellar over the winter and lovingly prepared for their dinner table. I'm not sure how I am so fortunate to have been included in their family dinners but my appreciation runs deep. Their hospitality and friendship are genuine, kind, nurturing and so welcoming; it is because of their generosity that the months of isolation during the Joensuun winter were far less difficult.<br />
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These friends reminded me, once again, that it's the little things in life that actually are the biggest, that mean the most, and that make life so beautiful - like having a friend bring you juice (and much needed vitamins) when you don't feel well or asks you over for dinner during the long, dark winter. Kiitos, my dear friends.<br />
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That Sunday, as my friend walked away holding the frozen black currant juice, I didn't want to go back inside; I stood at the door and watched her walk away. I didn't know when I would be able to see her or her husband again, I didn't want to go without seeing them, and I didn't want this period of my life to end. I will miss them and will hope for more time together in the future; I hope this will be true.<br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-46259103726771703412013-06-16T04:25:00.002-07:002013-06-16T04:25:29.451-07:00A Ride and a PromiseIt's time to get real, I mean, really REAL. Even though it's difficult to leave Finland I truly am excited to see my students back at El Toro High School and tell them, truly, how proud I am of them for being such upstanding, creative, and diligent students. Take for instance my students in Bull's-Eye, our video production class, who have put on a 7 minute +/- show for a student body of more than 2600 students EVERY WEEK, a DVD yearbook with the FilmEd Academy of the Arts, put on a music/dance show for more than 800 people with our print media class, and at least two pep rallies. They are truly phenomenal...and then add on top of that Elodia Gonzalez, their teacher who joined them since January - she clearly could have no idea what she type of work she got herself into when she accepted the job and from what I hear she's been great!<br />
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And to my science students - I can't wait to see you! I have wonderful reports about your progress and I look forward to seeing you in person. (Yay! Operation Warmth!) There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you and the Bull's-Eye kids; I am so fortunate to know you and to work with you. You give me hope in the future each and every day. Truly.<br />
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I took my last ride around town today on a bicycle - holding an ice cream cone. It was a long, purposeful meander through the streets of town to say "Good-bye", around the fountain in the park, by the thawed and flowing Pielisjoki River, by the university and my former office in the Regia building, by the Verona restaurant where we used to have lunch, the elementary and secondary schools where I met so many interesting students and teachers, some university kids playing "floor ball" in the elementary school's play yard, and back down the long forest trail to my apartment by the lake. <br />
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The weather is so pleasant - I'm wearing a light sweater but it's only needed in the shade, if at all. There's a light breeze, the birds are singing; it couldn't be a more beautiful day. The environment couldn't be any more different than when I arrived on the 5th of January.<br />
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There's one story I have tucked inside me but I haven't been able to share it because I don't yet know how to do it justice. I came to Finland to research how scientific problem solving is taught but one of the most compelling classrooms I attended was a music class. Yes, a music class. When I left the class at the end of the day I told the teacher, "I don't know what just happened to me, but something big just happened." In fact, I'm still trying to determine the far-reaching effects of the skills this teacher employed to help her teachers grow in problem solving skills, in creativity, in collaborative and communication skills, and in finding one's own courage to express oneself.<br />
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For some reason I'm still not ready to tell the story, but soon I will be. Soon. I promise. I want to do it justice; the words are still forming. Soon. I promise.<br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-58646409703017029722013-06-14T12:16:00.000-07:002013-06-16T00:51:39.765-07:00Transformed Through Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are times in one's life when you realize you have been transformed; Finland has given me that experience, and more specifically, the JaSeSoi ry Orff music class for Finnish music teachers, has done that as well.</div>
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After experiencing this class, I firmly believe that if all music teachers were trained in these methods the atmosphere of schools would improve and the potential for all children to achieve would improve, as well. Let us not forget the power of music to heal and to bring us together as creative, inspired individuals. </div>
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Music teachers "jamming" in the evening around Finnish sausages (makara) cooking on the grill. <a href="http://youtu.be/qMpXh5UjFmg" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to see and hear the Ukulele and Accordion "Jam" Session</a></div>
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Performing at the end-of-course show</div>
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Elisa Seppänen demonstrating (phenomenal) Orff music methods with students. (Elisa is one perceptive and talented teacher, I have to say.)</div>
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Practicing methods to be used with students.</div>
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Our inspired teachers: Markku Kaikkonen, Sanna Purokuru, Juuso Kauppinen, Soili Perkiö,</div>
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Doug Goodkin, and Terhi Oksanen.</div>
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At the end-of-workshop show, Elena and I performed a piece simply called, "Thank you." She tap danced to Koechlin's "Sonate Für Oboe Und Klavier" and I read a message to the participants thanking them for letting me share in this beautiful and life-changing experience.</div>
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For more information about JaSeSoi ry, the Finnish organization that put on this (phenomenal) training, visit <a href="http://www.jasesoi.org/">http://www.jasesoi.org</a></div>
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For more information about Doug Goodkin and the San Francisco Orff Class, visit <a href="http://www.sforff.org/">http://www.sforff.org</a></div>
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As explained at www.sforff.org:</div>
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"Orff Schulwerk is a dynamic approach to music and movement education created by composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman. Proceeding from a strong conviction in each child's natural musical promise, the Orff approach draws it forth through the child's world of games, chant, song, movement, folk dance, drama and work on specially designed Orff instruments just right for the beginning musician."</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-32043608839226007532013-06-14T09:55:00.002-07:002013-06-29T22:26:28.862-07:00UEF Laughing in the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am so fortunate to have worked with such exceptional people at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Joensuu. They care deeply about high-quality education for the nation's children and are working diligently to train Finland's incoming teachers to work with students. Well done, and thank you for sharing yourselves with me. I am grateful for knowing you. I hope to see you again very, very soon.<br />
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From the left: Tuula Keinonen, Ilpo Jäppinen, Sirpa Kärkkäinen, me, Anu Harhikainen-Ahia and Kari Sormunen. (Sadly, Sari Havu-Nuutinen is missing from our picture.) Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-78040510718452536192013-06-03T09:31:00.003-07:002013-06-03T10:03:29.497-07:00Eight-Year Old Finnish Children with Power Tools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't imagine an America teacher giving an eight-year old child a power drill in school - maybe I'm sheltered and maybe I'm wrong - but I've never heard of it or seen it. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I so desperately want to be wrong!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here we are in crafts class, designed for 8-10 year old students. Their teacher, Paavo Sivonen, like almost every other teacher I met in Finland, tries his best to incorporate problem solving into his lessons. In this lesson the children were learning how to work with plastic, wood, saws and electric drills. He told them a little about the tools, but not much - because what they needed to learn they would learn by doing the work themselves. As they learned the tasks he set before them, he gave them another task; every child, at his or own speed, each with the same goal, but with different ways to get there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Paavo's words:<b><i> "I think problem solving is the most important thing children have to learn in school. These skills of how to learn are much more important than geography or biology or history or whatever - if they know how to learn, they have the skills to learn anything."</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"<b>T</b></i><b><i>he atmosphere in the classroom should be that the children feel that everything is right with how they're learning," Paavo said. "The
teacher shouldn’t say, 'Don’t you do that! It’s wrong!' That makes the children afraid and
that blocks out their learning. I think (creating the right) atmosphere
is very important (to the children's mental state)."</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The crafts class is merely one way to get the children to learn how to use their minds. Paavo credits his approach to teaching in large part to <a href="http://theinnergame.com/about-tim-gallwey/" target="_blank">Tim Gallwey</a>, coach and author of <i>The Inner Game of Tennis</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Well done, Paavo. Your students adore you and you're doing wonderful work with your students.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(For Tim Gallwey's approach to learning and coaching, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8X0v1NgXgQ" target="_blank">CLICK HERE.</a>)</span><br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-974559141518289752013-05-31T00:26:00.001-07:002013-05-31T00:26:51.849-07:00What is the Most Important Component in Education?<span style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span>
This entire text was taken directly from the post, <a href="http://qz.com/89038/the-single-most-innovative-concept-in-education-is-at-least-100-years-old/" target="_blank">"The single most innovative concept in education is at least 100 hundred years old" </a>by Bobby George and June George.<br />
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span>
(What do you think?)<br />
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"In this</span><span style="color: #313131;"> <a href="http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/steve-jobs-on-technology-and-school-reform/"><span style="color: #1778d0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">wonderfully
candid interview</span></a>, </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">conducted in 1995, (Steve) Jobs was asked, “Some people
say that this new technology may be [the most important thing in schools]….” He
responded:</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #ffe599;">'I absolutely don’t believe that. …
I’ve helped with more computers in more schools than anybody else in the world
and I [am] absolutely convinced that [it] is by no means the most important
thing.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;">What is the most important thing? Well, for Steve Jobs, no
less than Maria Montessori, to be sure, it was another person. As he goes
on to explain, “The most important thing is a </span><i style="color: #cfe2f3;">person</i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">. A person who
incites your curiosity and feeds your curiosity; and machines cannot do that in
the same way that people can.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span>Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-60273394371656908982013-05-29T13:34:00.004-07:002013-05-31T10:31:20.105-07:00Letting the Finns (+1 Insightful German) Tell You the "Secrets" Behind Finnish Educational Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past 5 months I've been interviewing the Finns about teaching and learning scientific problem solving - well, it started with scientific problem solving and it became a project about problem solving in general because ... I found problem solving EVERYWHERE. Stay tuned to hear what's happening in Finland! I've enjoyed this journey and I think you will, too.</div>
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Included in these interviews:</div>
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Primary students</div>
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Lower secondary students</div>
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Upper secondary students</div>
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Primary and secondary students who have studied in both American and Finnish schools</div>
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A vocational student</div>
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Student teachers</div>
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Primary teachers</div>
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Lower secondary teachers</div>
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Upper secondary teachers</div>
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Headmasters</div>
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University professors and researchers</div>
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Finnish National Board of Education</div>
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Pasi Sahlberg, CIMO, Finland</div>
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and a special appearance by</div>
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Andreas Schleicher, PISA at OECD, Paris</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-26924700300797760182013-05-29T11:57:00.000-07:002013-05-29T14:16:39.743-07:00A Finnish Summer Cottage, a.k.a.,"Why You Should Start Planning Your Visit to Finland"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't have any words for Finland other than "Spectacular." You need to visit. Period.</div>
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Kari Sormunen from the University of Eastern Finland is waving from the deck of his summer cottage. The smaller building in front of you? That's a Finnish sauna. :)</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-91434898128648167122013-05-27T03:17:00.000-07:002013-05-29T07:41:05.426-07:00My Interview with Pasi Sahlberg: "Speaking as a Father"<!--StartFragment--><u><span style="color: #810081;"></span></u><em></em><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i><b>"I think public schools should be a place for each and every child to have equal opportunity to become what they want to be."</b></i></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">- Pasi Sahlberg -</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Over the past two days I have had the pleasure of getting to know the warm, reflective<span style="color: #0000af;"> <span style="color: #0000e9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/" target="_blank">Pasi Sahlberg</a></span></span>. On Tuesday, Pasi, Anjali Vyas and I drove the few hours to and from the <a href="http://oitk.tatk.elte.hu/hu/node/202" target="_blank">Nordic Comparative and International Education Society (NOCIES)</a> conference in Turku, Finland and during the ride Pasi spoke about being a father to his sons, the life and educational work of his "grandfather's grandfather's father," the lineage of educators in his family tree, and what drives his passion to improve children’s education. These conversations helped me learn about Pasi's depth and authenticity, and it helped me understand how to talk with him the next day when we sat down for a formal interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Our interview did not start smoothly. We decided to conduct the interview in his office and as he worked at his computer I set up my equipment: I took out the camera, lights and audio equipment and they worked fine. I was ready. I invited Pasi to come sit down, he attached the microphone to his tie and tucked away the black wire; I turned on the lights. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"Please say, 'one, two, three,'" I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven," he replied with a small grin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">When I checked the audio, the playback came back with static. (What?) Only static. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I checked the settings on the audio recorder and the microphone and tried again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"Please say, "Yksi, kaksi, kolme." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He responded just as enthusiastically in Finnish, "Yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljã, viisi, kuusi, seitsemãn, kahdeksan."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Three more adjustments. Three more tests. Only static. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> (This was my 45th interview in 5 months and this has never happened.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Pasi decided he would check with the South Korean reporters who were waiting in the next room for their interview. While he was talking with the South Koreans I made another adjustment to the audio recorder and thankfully the adjustments worked; the audio was clear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><em><strong>Game on!<o:p></o:p></strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Pasi returned to his office and we began. I told him I would like him to think about responding from the perspective of a father - as if we were talking in the Finnish tradition - over a cup of coffee; it was a discussion of warmth, friendship and interesting conversation. Even now, I wish I had more time to talk with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I recalled last evening when we were driving back from Turku; it was pouring rain and Pasi was hurrying home to spend time with his son before his son went to bed. Pasi’s wife had called to tell him his son was looking forward to seeing him – and Pasi was enthusiastic about getting home. When he got out of the car to head home it’s as though he couldn’t move fast enough – sure it was raining, but it was clear that he didn’t want anything to stand in his way of having his evening time with his family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I decided the best way to begin the interview was to ask Pasi to describe the schooling he would like for his little boy. He smiled, reflected, and said, <i><b>“I wish the school would help my son become a passionate learner </b></i>so that when my son leaves school he would say, 'I want to learn more about the world, I want to learn more about the people who live here, I want to learn more about nature and (I want) to learn more about the countries.' If my own child would like to continue learning and if the school can help him to understand who he is then I can say that school has been successful."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He continued by talking not only about his son, but every son and every daughter – because <i><b>schooling is not just about “my child” or “your child” - it’s about every child and their right to be educated. "I think public schools should be a place for each and every child to have equal opportunity to become what they want to be,”</b></i> Pasi continued. “We should not have different expectations and hopes for our own children than (we have) for the others. I think the problem in education oftentimes is that we speak about other children’s schools and other children’s education and we think about schooling and education for our own children as a very different thing. I couldn’t say anything about anyone else’s children that I wouldn't say for my own."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I thought about our culture in the United States and wondered if we, as a people, could ever consider the rights of other people’s children as the same as our “own.” Unfortunately,<i> the idea of “equality” has become more “survival of the fittest” for our children, not a system that's striving to provide equality and opportunity for all.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Some people are trying to make substantial changes in American education – or should I say, many people are trying – and some are looking at the education-for-profit model. Pasi addressed this potential change in the American system:<i><b> “I see the value of public education system as a fundamental element of our democracies: a free world, a free mind - and I see clearly enough the dangers and risks that come with seeing a school education as a private good and something you can purchase - if you think of it as something you buy for your kids - if you can afford it. </b></i>I think public schools should be a place for each and every child to have equal opportunity to become what they want to be and the older I get the more I see my own view/ideal of school education at risk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Ouch. Isn’t that what is happening in America? The affluent areas have more financial resources for their schools and the underserved areas have less. We send money to these impoverished areas and it helps, or it doesn’t, and then we move on to other issues and hope everything will work out. This is not a sustainable and meaningful solution. (<a href="http://statisticbrain.com/high-school-dropout-statistics/" target="_blank">3,000,000 American students dropped out of high school this year.</a>) We need to look to other systems that are achieving equity for their students and learn from them. <em><strong>We can learn from others.<o:p></o:p></strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">One of the most valuable lessons I've learned while in Finland came at a price – in fact, I was a bit offended – but it was a valuable lesson. I returned from a school visit and was asked about what I had experienced. I said something to the effect of, “It was wonderful. The teacher engaged her students, etc., etc.” This person stopped me and said, “Quit it - not everything is good. Americans have the tendency to say everything is ‘Good!’ but that’s not true. Finns want to hear what’s not working, too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I thought about what he said, and I thought about it some more, and I came to the conclusion that he was right. In asking other Finns about this same conversation I was told, “It’s boring to hear that things are always good; it’s much more interesting if you tell us the other side, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Hmm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Is this attitude toward evaluation and discussion one reason why Finns fare so well on many of the international measurements? Imagine their key stakeholders sitting in a room and saying, “Let’s talk about what’s working, what’s not working, make some compromises about what can be done and then make some decisions about how to move forward"... and then do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Perhaps all of us have to make compromises to “fix” our education system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">At this point I asked Pasi how he might proceed: "If you were to invite ten people into a room whose job it was to 'fix' American education, whom would you choose?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He paused and replied, "That's an interesting question. Only ten?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"Yes," I said, but of course there was no reason that the number be ten, only that having a limit makes one's decisions more critical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He listed the first and second people rather quickly, he paused at the third, went more quickly through numbers four through six, and it wasn't until number seven that he included, "teacher." I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to mention a teacher, and honestly, my heart broke every time he listed a person who was not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">All I could bear to squeak out was, "Only one teacher?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Pasi then held up the "mirror" and I was forced to look at his reflection of me: he asked, "Whom would you put at the table?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I answered, "A primary teacher, a middle school teacher, a high school teacher, and one from an inner city school, a typical school, and an elite school." My rationale was that if you want to improve education, you involve the people who are doing the work with students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">For the past four and one half months I have been visiting Finnish schools and learning how Finnish teachers teach problem solving to their students; there are no bureaucrats in the schools, no business people, no parents, no lobbyists, no textbook publishers - only the teacher and his or her students. Of course there should be teachers at the “table” for important decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"So, six out of ten people would be teachers?" he questioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">(I sat there dumbstruck - realizing I had put myself in a corner.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I said to him, "My big concern is that teachers (in the United States) are typically undervalued (at that level) and aren’t put at the decision-making table for educational policy.<strong> </strong><em>Based upon the policy decisions being made, American teachers are then told, "This is how fast you should be going (with your teaching), this is where you should be (in the curriculum), this is what you have to do (to keep your job), and these are all the things you have to teach."</em> <em>The problem is, this model doesn't fit with how children learn.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Maybe this doesn't sound substantial so I offer an imperfect analogy: imagine your job is to bake cakes in an assembly line (for our purposes the cakes represent content you're supposed to teach). You mix the batter, you pour the batter in the pans, and you put the pans in the oven. In the middle of baking your cakes you are told to take them out of the oven so you can start baking different cakes (for this example it would be more curriculum you need to teach). You exclaim, 'But the cakes aren't done. This isn't going to work!' But the decisions have been handed down to you to and you must hurry up and put more cakes through (and more and more curriculum). At the end of the day you are evaluated on how well you baked your cakes (they're not fully baked) and then you are critized for doing a poor job. Forcing students to learn too much curriculum in too short of time and with very little depth is one of the reasons many experienced and valuable teachers are quitting the profession - their cries are not heard and the students are suffering; the teachers simply cannot do it any longer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I continued, "<em>In Finland it's lovely because it's the pace of the learner, not the pace of the teaching that determines what happens in a classroom; that’s a substantial difference. Finnish teachers are told, 'Here's an objective; take your students on this (intellectual) journey and that's what they do."</em> I recently asked a Finnish physics teacher how he decides when to move to the next lesson and he said with a smile, "When my students stop asking questions." Finnish teachers have the time and the freedom to work with topics that interest their students and they challenge them to solve problems. I observed problem solving taking place in every content area in Finnish schools, and they were not only solving problems, they were doing so in an unhurried, relaxed environment. It was a pure joy to experience. This is the freedom we need for our American teachers and students so that our students can excel. American teachers and students are just as capable but they need the permission to do their creative work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I said to Pasi, "This disconnect (between policy and practice) is why I keep saying, 'Why aren’t the teachers at the decision-making table?' because if we don't have the teacher voice at the policy-making table we'll continue having the same problems we’re having now!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He acknowledged my words, looked straight at me and replied, "There is a saying ... that 'war is too important to be decided by the military people' and it's the same with education. I think education is too important to be decided by teachers - and this has nothing to do with undervaluing teachers' expertise - but their view is very different to education. I think teachers should have a say to these issues - exactly what you said - how to decide the teaching, how you set the standards for your own kids, how you organize your school work - this should be left to the teachers. I think too often we intervene in the wrong areas of education - we try to control what each and every teacher is doing in the classroom. We should leave those things to the professionals. But the broad issues, the big issues, the principles of education should be based on a more balanced view and that's why I would only have one practitioner in the room and divide this voice more equally to those who are the key stakeholders, (including) parents and the community members - not necessarily just those working or teaching in the school."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I replied, "I've seen that community-driven, cooperative approach in Finland and it works. I agree with you." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">He continued, "I think in general, particularly in the United States, you like to standardize - and in some ways I appreciate that you set standards - you set expectations for something - but I think if you look at the entire education system in the United States you seem to be standardizing things you should not standardize and you are not standardizing things that you should standardize. This is a kind of interesting thing. I think that me or somebody else should not be seen as somebody who is against setting standards in education. I think we should be seen as people who probably think that standardization should focus on different things than it does now and that's why I say that teaching and learning and teachers' work should be left more to be decided by the professionals there (in the classroom and schools). The thing you do not standardize at all in the United States is school funding - you don't have a national standard for how the money should be allocated to schools because it varies from one community to another; you have 15,000 different ways of doing these things. In Finland and in other countries we have just one way and we're careful we standardize how the resources are allocated to our schools."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I asked him, <i><b>“Would you agree with the phrase, ‘America is trying so hard to be great that they’re forgetting how to be their best?’</b></i> (Leena Semi, Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching, Finland, 2012)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">(Laugh) "Yeah, probably. This is another thing. I’m often comparing countries like the United States and Finland and it seems to be the American way to say that if you say anything about setting your goals for (your) school system in 2030 that almost automatically this phrase comes out that you want to be the best in the world. And that is something that would never come out in Finland - Finland would keep repeating this same mantra that we want to have a good, a great school for all our children - although we are now in the situation where most kids in Finland already have a great school - but we still keep repeating that we want to guarantee that each child has a great school and teacher. These are very different goals and people don’t often realize how different the implementation of these two goals looks like (in a school) 1) if you want to be the best in the world, or 2) if you want to have a good school for your children. If you go and see what the teachers and the districts and the leaders are doing when they are trying to help the government achieve these goals they are very different. I would encourage the U.S. to rethink if they can find a smarter way to reset the target for education - (rather) than being the best or trying to beat the Asian countries or Finland - I think that’s the wrong goal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"If you are American and listening to this conversation,” he said, “I always want to say that there are so many powerful things in your country that you can rely on as a way forward. Too often I see people who say everything is bad and nothing is working and that we have to reinvent the whole thing; I think that’s not a good way to think about it. For example, when you think about math and science education in the United States, you have some of the best examples and models to teach science and to teach mathematics - not only to one class or one school, but several of them. (I would wish) that people would not go into this business of blaming teachers and blaming schools by saying, 'if only you were a better teacher things would be in a different way.' It takes much more than that. I think your challenge is more than getting stuck in this debate of bad teachers and good teachers; it should be how you can help the entire system share what they are doing now and how you can make sure schools cooperate rather than compete and that the districts in the United States would share what they have learned rather than try to hide it because they are competing over resources and funding. That’s the kind of hope there is and I think there is always hope as long as things are as they are right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">"It’s more typical in the United States to think (in terms of) 'my children' and 'my school' and 'my classroom' rather than 'our children' and 'our school' and 'our classroom'” he said. “Like in many, or probably most, places in Finland, people think about children in their communities as everybody’s responsibility."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i><b>"We should not have different expectations and hopes for other (people’s) children than we have for our own."</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">- Pasi Sahlberg -</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-43881973356803379332013-05-21T09:16:00.002-07:002013-05-21T11:44:08.519-07:00When "Silence" Means "We Care"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qmVWCoVH6-ZdtNNFRvxmtDY8tEIgjMv5qte0siAGN-cjC-yF-7Mea_6jhLxNOuew4MYtTCIPs0l7PtDeODoUS5wj9oMjWIvynjK8vyI3Wf2g0rQ9pGAfHZIEJ0nYxa0tOOtqM-d7nLzN/s1600/*3SilentChurch5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qmVWCoVH6-ZdtNNFRvxmtDY8tEIgjMv5qte0siAGN-cjC-yF-7Mea_6jhLxNOuew4MYtTCIPs0l7PtDeODoUS5wj9oMjWIvynjK8vyI3Wf2g0rQ9pGAfHZIEJ0nYxa0tOOtqM-d7nLzN/s640/*3SilentChurch5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Look at this building!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS2uL5ICj6i7aOMTzGAPGGZqqbOw4DHgWPdPDMO0ljmI2VvGzrvCF1cH42P9jfn7wp73fThVj2xan6Ikxo4cvY9udN66ZDiAvDU3WNQmaa2GKB86M-pDS5hamQqK40HO1h8DgiRuYYD9v/s1600/*1SilentChurch6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS2uL5ICj6i7aOMTzGAPGGZqqbOw4DHgWPdPDMO0ljmI2VvGzrvCF1cH42P9jfn7wp73fThVj2xan6Ikxo4cvY9udN66ZDiAvDU3WNQmaa2GKB86M-pDS5hamQqK40HO1h8DgiRuYYD9v/s1600/*1SilentChurch6.JPG" /></a></div>
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You're looking across one of the busiest areas in Helsinki: in back of you is<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamppi_Center" target="_blank"> Kamppi, </a></i>the main bus terminal and on the other side of the yellow building is the main <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Central_railway_station" target="_blank">Helsinki Central Station</a>. Thousands of people walk through this square every day. (You can see the brown building far to the right.)</div>
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What is this oddly-shaped building doing in such a prominent spot?</div>
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I heard about this building from Lindsay Whorton, another Fulbright grantee, who came here to experience the atmosphere and simply enjoy the peace and quiet. She told me this building has another purpose - to provide social services to anyone who needs it - right here in the middle of the busiest part of town. Free.</div>
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Seriously? I needed to see it for myself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI96TCUErEk7AvZ1arcSBq5PYpdOo6bbxyoSmb1GHeQL0r5ngvcrc8dQ_r-ZKcHv678xo3XzbT3uLrBTrnRk4yFHlEJnCeEgVb2QHN0KeN74vpcDKI25NVwtJQY9trTJANJhbjjrJP_BbK/s1600/*4SilentChurch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI96TCUErEk7AvZ1arcSBq5PYpdOo6bbxyoSmb1GHeQL0r5ngvcrc8dQ_r-ZKcHv678xo3XzbT3uLrBTrnRk4yFHlEJnCeEgVb2QHN0KeN74vpcDKI25NVwtJQY9trTJANJhbjjrJP_BbK/s1600/*4SilentChurch.JPG" /></a></div>
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When I arrived (in a room adjacent to this space), there were four or five people standing around interested in my arrival but busy in their work. They were of varying ages and looks - one looked conservative, one looked edgy, one was young, another was middle aged. I asked the edgy, middle-aged man if I could enter the, "Silent Church" and he said, "Sure. Go ahead."</div>
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I walked into this room - this exquisite room - and it was silent. Of course.</div>
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I didn't sit. I just observed. And enjoyed it. </div>
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It was fabulous. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4ImRbSz1rC5cM96DXsK_hLZNqhThP_wWa1fW7jN0bHBFw90IKRtRF4BKBtLeDDIdM6nccMss1eqX43qCLAnRTuaa4fmKOD0-iUZCvITVkLe51tXppkdQHJV7l96cp4mUPX_u2iR9Ygkl/s1600/*5SilentChurch2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4ImRbSz1rC5cM96DXsK_hLZNqhThP_wWa1fW7jN0bHBFw90IKRtRF4BKBtLeDDIdM6nccMss1eqX43qCLAnRTuaa4fmKOD0-iUZCvITVkLe51tXppkdQHJV7l96cp4mUPX_u2iR9Ygkl/s1600/*5SilentChurch2.JPG" /></a></div>
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I've learned throughout my travels that Finns realize that most people, if not all, need help at some point in their lives, and this includes not only physical and financial help but psychological and spiritual help, as well. When I walked back to the outer room I approached the man "with the edge" and asked him about how they provide social services here.</div>
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He said they provide time with social workers and/or church workers for anyone who walks in the door and needs it. Sometimes people need short conversations and sometimes they need longer conversations, but the interactions (and assistance) are always free, one never needs an appointment, and the person in need may remain anonymous. The conversations can be as long as the person needs them to be. </div>
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Right here, in the middle of town - open 365 days a year - the help is here even when everything else in Helsinki is closed.<br />
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Thank you for setting a new standard for excellence in mental health care, Finland.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBfSYC2DrXwyjOnHkfJuZ5v0ROuKBkUKRvz5LBxQeW2zQF-DuEbJGkS840ZuYnYEclY65JeepjoORboB9F4hiEr4OgBxh6-DjYWg95HYxf_hJach28zJt6JT5VZYpK0-9Fp_Vlo2n35_g/s1600/*7SilentChurch1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBfSYC2DrXwyjOnHkfJuZ5v0ROuKBkUKRvz5LBxQeW2zQF-DuEbJGkS840ZuYnYEclY65JeepjoORboB9F4hiEr4OgBxh6-DjYWg95HYxf_hJach28zJt6JT5VZYpK0-9Fp_Vlo2n35_g/s640/*7SilentChurch1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This building is affectionately called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamppi_Chapel" target="_blank">"Silent Church," or, <i>Kampin Kaapeli</i></a>, and in 2010 it<i> </i>won the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Architecture_Awards" target="_blank"> International Architectural Award.</a><br />
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Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-43499636275822782932013-05-19T11:37:00.003-07:002013-05-20T08:14:22.622-07:00The Intrepid Mushroom Hunters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christine, Tuula, Leo and I went mushroom hunting today. It was not just any mushroom hunt, but a hunt for the special, poisonous "ear mushroom," or translated into Finnish, the <a href="http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korvasieni" target="_blank"><i>korvasieni.</i> </a></div>
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This mushroom is quite tasty but it contains neurotoxins and must be carefully cooked in order to eat it. I was told that kovansieni must be cooked twice, in a lot of water, to make it safe to eat and that many people choose to cook it outside because even the vapors can be harmful and cause headaches. Why hunt the korvasieni? Because it's delicious (and Tuula and Leo know what they're doing)!</div>
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This area is where Tuula used to hunt mushrooms with her mother when she was a child, and Tuula brought her children here when they were young. She knows this area well and knows about its ability to produce mushrooms, blueberries, lingonberries, and strawberries. Christine is also quite skilled in the hunting of mushrooms. They heard that the best time to find the korvasieni is when the new leaves on the birch trees are about the size of a stamp and the leaves are about that size right now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNGD6OB7BaObVMS0FruEEsDiwaNuC87E7dSUwjr_WnHtSTs_h824dQnDBLhT-A4XsU5Zz4N-aIja96Z7u4TdpYXXPDvEz9HJdBCy80nVvYTwf_MM5UFHYXmbSGWAuGYT-dr3Oo8atkJwU/s1600/*MushroomType1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNGD6OB7BaObVMS0FruEEsDiwaNuC87E7dSUwjr_WnHtSTs_h824dQnDBLhT-A4XsU5Zz4N-aIja96Z7u4TdpYXXPDvEz9HJdBCy80nVvYTwf_MM5UFHYXmbSGWAuGYT-dr3Oo8atkJwU/s640/*MushroomType1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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These mushrooms are close to what we are hunting but the "ear mushrooms" are more crinkled and actually look like the shape of a human ear.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyccvzZ3srd2K_rAA5aqhtXsI2l4amo-CbB4lImnFvUgTTslSID2cPXFlM0HlqD6FkQPNv2OdhOw_0t9J_D5PbXZUD0hBzTeet4LA0CYq0hWsZAVB31JTsV_ZmXuph_FJ3MCabBbuhYoUA/s1600/*MushroomType2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyccvzZ3srd2K_rAA5aqhtXsI2l4amo-CbB4lImnFvUgTTslSID2cPXFlM0HlqD6FkQPNv2OdhOw_0t9J_D5PbXZUD0hBzTeet4LA0CYq0hWsZAVB31JTsV_ZmXuph_FJ3MCabBbuhYoUA/s640/*MushroomType2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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These aren't the right ones, either.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInsMc2uuuT2lnmUHv0rA7JpyCqEtt7doOecIA1b-hVh1My3-7gq4-EVO97UuxFkrEK08HIOM3G_HFjqpbllW1pju2IDzqfj0tL8IGPxSTMnL6tvzN0gDlgB6i20aj_f3lv5ea7XDmgQZq/s1600/*MushroomHuntingPartII.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInsMc2uuuT2lnmUHv0rA7JpyCqEtt7doOecIA1b-hVh1My3-7gq4-EVO97UuxFkrEK08HIOM3G_HFjqpbllW1pju2IDzqfj0tL8IGPxSTMnL6tvzN0gDlgB6i20aj_f3lv5ea7XDmgQZq/s640/*MushroomHuntingPartII.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So we continue to hunt. </div>
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Leo likes to go quickly through the forest and so the three of us went one way and Leo went another - along with his compass and phone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNaxEC78Au7Kp48PkifREXRVcpOYgXDvXWRONpbZQm0zLeprRGq5X8VSLoeciBbVAgzW113SoHO_R1nFLXyGnkxKP5VqDteaFvykVTUtWIcTW-ve6ruTUkhGpo4pkmucEdQFnBGQfHg5N/s1600/*MushroomType4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNaxEC78Au7Kp48PkifREXRVcpOYgXDvXWRONpbZQm0zLeprRGq5X8VSLoeciBbVAgzW113SoHO_R1nFLXyGnkxKP5VqDteaFvykVTUtWIcTW-ve6ruTUkhGpo4pkmucEdQFnBGQfHg5N/s640/*MushroomType4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have to ask about every mushroom I find because I don't know what I'm looking for. Tuula told me these mushrooms are old and from last year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP1X0v2EMQrBxBr2xAURUUht9ZzHMXk5CEMBauGJqyuB46VLtEf36E4pO8rjYf9s-dVsC5O97aeGWeHVGMttT3IwIH-BSyYB9lo7GV0S6qXl-4HUV3CujNNSLuoExNdOXOlhhrSFDaplK/s1600/*MushroomLunchBreak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP1X0v2EMQrBxBr2xAURUUht9ZzHMXk5CEMBauGJqyuB46VLtEf36E4pO8rjYf9s-dVsC5O97aeGWeHVGMttT3IwIH-BSyYB9lo7GV0S6qXl-4HUV3CujNNSLuoExNdOXOlhhrSFDaplK/s640/*MushroomLunchBreak.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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We didn't find anything, so we did what all good Finns do - we had coffee. The Finns are very good at stopping what they're doing several times a day to sit and have coffee. (I absolutely love this tradition.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOaI8GwQhivb00MykVX4v7MQYZ6w2bRAVowKcSv4eBsNOiLsDS3fBCDt78uSrTNbPGRanUICQnNKbxhSwtsC-m6w6Kk5AQ4FLyCodmMfhspcX1xy-s9HA1u5YITwsTgCzS-YFJaAlrI0b/s1600/*TuulaLeo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOaI8GwQhivb00MykVX4v7MQYZ6w2bRAVowKcSv4eBsNOiLsDS3fBCDt78uSrTNbPGRanUICQnNKbxhSwtsC-m6w6Kk5AQ4FLyCodmMfhspcX1xy-s9HA1u5YITwsTgCzS-YFJaAlrI0b/s640/*TuulaLeo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Leo returned and said he had found three mushrooms. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincRhMstOhn3xABXk89pCBGE821XZevIksU-JaYPxhu8hJtGJe5flN9qINURxyI-sf7vsyQJZeT2m5vVBNOGkUnMNeqX3NsB9JAb6vshQnkHi5mJAO364krK5ho2TIjMb-a2rEpxmhrf1E/s1600/*MushroomsFound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincRhMstOhn3xABXk89pCBGE821XZevIksU-JaYPxhu8hJtGJe5flN9qINURxyI-sf7vsyQJZeT2m5vVBNOGkUnMNeqX3NsB9JAb6vshQnkHi5mJAO364krK5ho2TIjMb-a2rEpxmhrf1E/s640/*MushroomsFound.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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The one in the upper right is the poisonous mushroom we are searching for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo3J5qCUsjZ1xnGKTYbjOWtFeiRpQxEWrwm4t0eHwXuDf4HOTL6hcYzRebEzRxrZdc2hfkAasyeMoFJkxh5A1zTil_zckm3JnLJF2Tkn_fJytOOoVuWiANZ4sGx-XaDM8gKYLHJwelAFH/s1600/*MushroomsEarFound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo3J5qCUsjZ1xnGKTYbjOWtFeiRpQxEWrwm4t0eHwXuDf4HOTL6hcYzRebEzRxrZdc2hfkAasyeMoFJkxh5A1zTil_zckm3JnLJF2Tkn_fJytOOoVuWiANZ4sGx-XaDM8gKYLHJwelAFH/s320/*MushroomsEarFound.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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(Here's a close-up - see the shape of the ear?)</div>
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The other mushrooms look similar to the ones we found at the beginning of the hunt. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5IjRCd_xvCWi2TreKXv_jpvMOSOa3pVtuVyrY5bcs9pXu45EYje18avicmOeJbZPSxoDEOk8WtO-ltR05IndBt2vtQbKx5CNtcrQkZ6t-hgH_1cQg5tFMqETvYFhfTbWsbbIHn2EXmPa/s1600/*Sandwiches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5IjRCd_xvCWi2TreKXv_jpvMOSOa3pVtuVyrY5bcs9pXu45EYje18avicmOeJbZPSxoDEOk8WtO-ltR05IndBt2vtQbKx5CNtcrQkZ6t-hgH_1cQg5tFMqETvYFhfTbWsbbIHn2EXmPa/s640/*Sandwiches.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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After coffee, Tuula served us a traditional Finnish lunch. Very delicious, I must say.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jfp_ABLBgVuT6Q-9okPaSTdm5PFn9fuOKgJ6zwWC9iapbcj6WQqsSpXf7-p3hjoUXpQY95ocdSAmhDUs15QG6zGHXgdhIrJNeBEVd7kO4Qp85QpdbwxVuv5DZz6Duhs_PcVO5wPv_H72/s1600/*Pollywogs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jfp_ABLBgVuT6Q-9okPaSTdm5PFn9fuOKgJ6zwWC9iapbcj6WQqsSpXf7-p3hjoUXpQY95ocdSAmhDUs15QG6zGHXgdhIrJNeBEVd7kO4Qp85QpdbwxVuv5DZz6Duhs_PcVO5wPv_H72/s640/*Pollywogs.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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We drove to a second location, all the while scratching our heads and trying to determine why we couldn't find any special mushrooms. Here are some tadpoles Christine found in a pool of water by the parking lot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLYN4WAnucstdQ607ArF38R75kk-K6jds_3arLXlI6a2vHrzxU8zGCtlQbuqw8ST_ctZqoidZWRhhx6miESmq9OY3C-B4Aa-e03Nlv0ZlGLpIGb0ROeryhWuguvWPWB6xW1Rs39XZDr7c/s1600/*CristinaHunting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLYN4WAnucstdQ607ArF38R75kk-K6jds_3arLXlI6a2vHrzxU8zGCtlQbuqw8ST_ctZqoidZWRhhx6miESmq9OY3C-B4Aa-e03Nlv0ZlGLpIGb0ROeryhWuguvWPWB6xW1Rs39XZDr7c/s640/*CristinaHunting.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia07jsCQOqUa-NVLOy6ikH-r9HCySpag0Ct72RABHuJlNRDRVCqBjFUF8MvqxoUn66YpzL7NOstO7ANlvjcGmYjUyF1yEVmmhoM5Y2QDIiOuSnHhP6WlQrlC1te9hlUItKUlhFBz_Qv3XB/s1600/*MushroomType5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia07jsCQOqUa-NVLOy6ikH-r9HCySpag0Ct72RABHuJlNRDRVCqBjFUF8MvqxoUn66YpzL7NOstO7ANlvjcGmYjUyF1yEVmmhoM5Y2QDIiOuSnHhP6WlQrlC1te9hlUItKUlhFBz_Qv3XB/s640/*MushroomType5.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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These aren't the correct mushrooms,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibbNWcCw8jE9lVg8pyYoaIMsq8H2ulogBRq40TQhO3XmShnuuD-9LeFfLCtpGyB33y0oe_QyP9OnewqB6vcVC_ZABxNCF-mbEF_k1sC7O98JSB6z-vXD1JffFLVp6Zjza2o5oD-ktxwNc/s1600/*MushroomType6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibbNWcCw8jE9lVg8pyYoaIMsq8H2ulogBRq40TQhO3XmShnuuD-9LeFfLCtpGyB33y0oe_QyP9OnewqB6vcVC_ZABxNCF-mbEF_k1sC7O98JSB6z-vXD1JffFLVp6Zjza2o5oD-ktxwNc/s640/*MushroomType6.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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and neither are these,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXmKSDkNK9-RrfX-khJMPP_4v_YxzAd5-rKGXAIpQ6I3ixcX-6emJZ3GWRQiGUhheAEpeGMhgS7VODv76yUIClJ85-Jdv77q97CY7Ieom9MBy-ZLZxf6EG2SaXLPVJfjz-6zmNAUT9XEJ/s1600/*BrilliantGroundCover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXmKSDkNK9-RrfX-khJMPP_4v_YxzAd5-rKGXAIpQ6I3ixcX-6emJZ3GWRQiGUhheAEpeGMhgS7VODv76yUIClJ85-Jdv77q97CY7Ieom9MBy-ZLZxf6EG2SaXLPVJfjz-6zmNAUT9XEJ/s640/*BrilliantGroundCover.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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but this was so pretty I had to take a picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjRvyk4eJ_0dWwExGn7v1mBFRRlAVlNwc84yfs2ZlvaFz1DO9sIt_JjUIv-4PHHl_oCVQZnqA9jbWEf3CBFN0qkjSjvSAw79A6NRLGHFEqAwrYSVLqaBQLjlXgAgunB8hpGZKxWpHmAdR/s1600/*MushroomType7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjRvyk4eJ_0dWwExGn7v1mBFRRlAVlNwc84yfs2ZlvaFz1DO9sIt_JjUIv-4PHHl_oCVQZnqA9jbWEf3CBFN0qkjSjvSAw79A6NRLGHFEqAwrYSVLqaBQLjlXgAgunB8hpGZKxWpHmAdR/s640/*MushroomType7.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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These aren't the right ones, either, and they're actually left over from last year. Tuula said they're the type of mushroom that sprays its spores "like smoke" if kicked.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwK2AMH9t7EzmldWmrmMVWjca7m0oa5kSmegO1LzFKi8raMXCkLHW_NLMprQe-CSwkfqWmqxMxruRW8rhGafvcutBZsrexF5sxpsHCaHoBL9WWwBH8SxUAVhCwItgIyRURENU8sWYQFAf/s1600/*ForestFloor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwK2AMH9t7EzmldWmrmMVWjca7m0oa5kSmegO1LzFKi8raMXCkLHW_NLMprQe-CSwkfqWmqxMxruRW8rhGafvcutBZsrexF5sxpsHCaHoBL9WWwBH8SxUAVhCwItgIyRURENU8sWYQFAf/s640/*ForestFloor.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some beautiful forest ground cover.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy-mm_ys9FOfiiC2X7Kl85L-PRtpNcKkqxvvRGGRuhCvZGD1CJd5fSdbJ7WHsm1SebhhycabVfKze9YBz6ezQBpd6bLOR-EV37btSf-miyiyzFoB9rDlYYr98zTf9aut-LD6xMA5OfeDM/s1600/*IceAgeEvidence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy-mm_ys9FOfiiC2X7Kl85L-PRtpNcKkqxvvRGGRuhCvZGD1CJd5fSdbJ7WHsm1SebhhycabVfKze9YBz6ezQBpd6bLOR-EV37btSf-miyiyzFoB9rDlYYr98zTf9aut-LD6xMA5OfeDM/s640/*IceAgeEvidence.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Evidence of the last glacial period.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt1u__9dc6C-OBSM-qAzdGCP_RZKtCUXruTCiEnQj-i-18msDuOjYXFtfCqi8wzdOb9voBb2t9amEdFom1ioM1diCC6o-4CC0bFhOERcRbadc6J59yHtujJ7VD9WuFfwEKPSOIoqcAzXH/s1600/*MushroomType8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt1u__9dc6C-OBSM-qAzdGCP_RZKtCUXruTCiEnQj-i-18msDuOjYXFtfCqi8wzdOb9voBb2t9amEdFom1ioM1diCC6o-4CC0bFhOERcRbadc6J59yHtujJ7VD9WuFfwEKPSOIoqcAzXH/s640/*MushroomType8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This isn't the right type of mushroom, either.</div>
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We found some frog eggs in the tracks of some heavy logging equipment. These eggs had apparently been laid when there was still water in the tracks but the water had evaporated and left the eggs intact. It's possible the embryos are dead. </div>
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If there is a chance they are alive, their only chance of survival is if they're back in the water.</div>
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We didn't find any of the elusive poisonous mushrooms and usually in this area there are plenty. Leo returned with just a few more mushrooms in his bucket.</div>
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We returned to the car and had coffee. </div>
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Perhaps it's a little early to be hunting these mushrooms; we'll try again next weekend. <br />
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-73690121265112043682013-05-17T12:06:00.003-07:002013-05-22T11:28:53.893-07:00"Rakastan Sinua" Means "I Love You"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm starting to think that every day is beautiful on this journey but I know that's not true. Some days I am lonely, but when I get myself outside and interact with the Finns, interesting things always seem to happen.<br />
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In the late afternoon I took Tuula's bike out to see if I could take some pictures of the new green leaves. Just this morning, Dennis sent me the link to the song, <a href="http://youtu.be/kRdtKUWn_wI" target="_blank">"Good Day, Sunshine"</a> by the Beatles so there it was, again, rattling around in my head. (Click on the link and play it in the background for the full effect of this blog post.)</div>
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So I'm biking along the trail, singing this wonderful song and thinking to myself, "This isn't very Finnish to be singing out loud like this" but I couldn't help myself.<br />
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I hummed, and I sang, and then I hummed the words I didn't know. (I did know the chorus, however.) I passed a Finn or two, and then ...<br />
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I rode up behind two older people walking through the forest; she had her walking sticks and he walked alongside. </div>
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I passed on the left and kept humming, knowing that it would probably fall upon ears not accustomed to hearing singing in the forest. </div>
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About 30 meters in front of them I found a picture I wanted to take with my camera so I pulled over, got off my bike, and took it. The couple walked up alongside me and she said something in Finnish that I couldn't understand. I smiled and replied in my very limited Finnish, "I'm sorry, I don't speak Finnish. Do you speak English?" </div>
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She looked at me and said, "No." <br />
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She smiled and looked at me again, and said quite sincerely in English, "I love you," clearly referring to the fact that I had been singing and riding a bike in the forest.</div>
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I smiled back, and said, "I love you, too." I paused, and said, "That's all that matters." I reached out to hug her; she hesitated...and hugged me back.<br />
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We smiled, and smiled again, and parted ways. I rode off on my bicycle and they continued their walk.</div>
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Another beautiful and surprising day in Finland.</div>
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Earlier that morning I went with Auli Pulkki to <a href="http://koulutuspalvelukeskus.jns.fi/index.php?1578" target="_blank">Hammaslauden School</a> in Hammaslahti, about 30 minutes outside of Joensuu by car. We visited the teacher Anne Karttunen and her class of children with special needs, aged 7-13. What I enjoyed about this class was the relaxed atmosphere and how the students seemed so comfortable in their school and their classroom - they were attentive and ready to learn. The teacher had obviously been doing valuable work with and for her students.<br />
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The class worked on a project that helped the students understand facial expressions and content by using pictures, not words. It's a program called <a href="http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Instrumental%20Enrichment/hur3.htm" target="_blank">Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment</a> and many non-traditional learners struggle with either reading or the ability to read expressions - both of these challenges can make it very difficult for the child to communicate with others. </div>
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The teacher showed the top of a picture and gradually revealed it from top to bottom. <br />
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As she revealed the face, she asked them questions about what they saw. At this point the children said they thought it was a dark-skinned person,</div>
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and that it probably wasn't someone who lived in Finland. </div>
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When she asked where they lived, they said the person probably lived in America or Africa.</div>
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She asked them to tell her more about what they saw from the forehead and his eyebrows but unfortunately I don't remember what they said.</div>
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When she revealed this much of the face, the students said they thought he was happy because of the curve of his cheeks.</div>
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After they discussed the picture of the man, the teacher asked the students about a second picture and what the child felt about being lifted up by the man. </div>
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At first they said the child was glad, but that it was also possible that the child was in danger, or even in trouble. </div>
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The Feuerstein method seemed to be a valuable way to help these children learn in non-traditional ways and the children's questions and statements, perceptions, and even potential errors in judgement could be discussed in the open. I should say, however, that the children were spot-on, and showed no indication of prejudice or tendency to judge someone for their skin color being different than their own. (Or if they expressed it, it wasn't translated to me.)</div>
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Auli and I had a chance to talk with two of the students and they were delightful. It reminded me of how much I miss my own students! :)</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-19357662383681545062013-05-14T02:03:00.001-07:002013-05-15T07:42:39.010-07:00A Saturday in Tallinn, Estonia, and a New Look at the Former Soviet Republic<br />
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From the land of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Revolution" target="_blank">"Singing Revolution"</a> there are unexpected, enduring, and endearing surprises. This musician was lost in his music as he played in the streets of <a href="http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng" target="_blank">Tallinn</a>, Estonia - even as a tour of motorcycle enthusiasts passed by he seemed not to notice - the revving of the engines almost completely drowning out his music - he continued on. A slow, melodic, captivating piece - with his eyes closed and seemingly unaffected by the noise and commotion around him.</div>
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Just like the boy, I became lost - lost in the charm of Tallinn. We came here because Dennis had seen <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/scan/tallinn.htm" target="_blank">Rick Steves talk about it on PBS</a> and so we ventured out to see it for the day. It is a charming medieval town about two hours from Helsinki by<a href="http://www.lindaline.fi/en/" target="_blank"> ferry. </a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/explore/attractions/cat-370" target="_blank">Old Town</a> of <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/822" target="_blank">Tallinn</a> has an upper town and a lower town - the upper town home to the historical administrative center and the lower town home of the merchants and craft guilds, housing for the residents and public buildings. </div>
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Lower "Old Town"</div>
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Along the main street was an antique store and I had to wonder what might be inside. Years ago I visited Buenos Aires and when I stopped at a flea market I found a Sputnik-era pin - I've been collecting those small pins for the last few years. I wondered what I might find in this shop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZqA90JAbChJwynuxrDzm6mxbJcDCCiUAGfLC72uNsDj70vQnyU7mFTECyq-I-fvoV0MGlnX5TTyjSi4727CljaKYmzFG7JjblU3YCfE2FOY-8Am_9vcOvWKIx13-3RE8R26n9shU3Wvf/s1600/DSC01429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZqA90JAbChJwynuxrDzm6mxbJcDCCiUAGfLC72uNsDj70vQnyU7mFTECyq-I-fvoV0MGlnX5TTyjSi4727CljaKYmzFG7JjblU3YCfE2FOY-8Am_9vcOvWKIx13-3RE8R26n9shU3Wvf/s640/DSC01429.JPG" width="640" /></a>Photograph by Dennis. :)</div>
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What we found was fascinating!</div>
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The shopkeeper behind the counter seemed skeptical of our visit. I couldn't help but reflect on how in our youth both this man and I were on opposite sides during the Cold War, and now here we stood in his antique shop with Soviet memorabilia. I wanted to connect with him and cross those boundaries, if possible. He was actually quite gruff at first and he watched us closely as we looked around his shop. I found a pile of pins on his countertop and I asked if I could look through them. He said, or motioned, "Yes." I carefully moved the pins one at a time. He watched. I moved a few more. He continued to watch. Dennis walked over and we looked at some together.<br />
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I asked the man if he had any Sputnik-era pins and that seemed to please him. From behind the counter he brought out a book and opened the felt pages to the pins I requested. I asked if I could turn the page and he motioned, "Yes." He was relaxing. I said, "My name is 'Janet'" and he pointed to himself and said, "Vladimir." I asked him how much the pins cost and he said, "Two euros each." I picked out two and asked if I could buy them. He nodded, "Yes" and I offered him 5 euros instead. He looked at me and seemed to say, "That is not fair. It is 4 euros." We both grinned; the<br />
"ice" broke.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSKCEPZotkwoZvu7R9K0LiN__5MQvXiWiymyK4ltUbk4ekcYafEe47alzLyzWi57aYMe2JgBfzZxVCL5Fu50xEaO2OcSZx3s4JW1uGKbF_pKOAIo5y-lROibc6MgFJH9vcMxicFLz8EgM/s1600/SputnikAlarmClock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSKCEPZotkwoZvu7R9K0LiN__5MQvXiWiymyK4ltUbk4ekcYafEe47alzLyzWi57aYMe2JgBfzZxVCL5Fu50xEaO2OcSZx3s4JW1uGKbF_pKOAIo5y-lROibc6MgFJH9vcMxicFLz8EgM/s320/SputnikAlarmClock.JPG" width="320" /></a>On the adjacent counter I found a Russian cosmonaut alarm clock - it was unbelievable! </div>
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I picked it up and put it down. I picked it up and put it down. I walked around the shop and thought, "If I buy this clock, how am I going to get it home?" Silly me. We stayed in the shop for perhaps an hour? I lost track of time.<br />
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In the end, I bought the alarm clock, the pins and a small silver tricycle. I asked to take Vladimir's picture and he agreed, then he came around the counter. He put his big strong arm around me and pulled me close. Before I left I reached to shake his hand, and he took my hand and kissed it. A gentle and heart-felt gesture. <br />
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Two touching moments in one day and we hadn't even had lunch!</div>
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<a href="http://www.balticantique.com/" target="_blank">Vladimir Zahhartšuk </a></div>
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Dennis and I climbed a church steeple and from there could see the city walls and the part of Old Town on the hill. We decided to climb the hill and as we walked up to the stone walk we both remarked at the curiosity of the hole in the wall - and what might be inside. (Dennis quipped, "May I see your shop?" Oh, it's just a hole in the wall.")</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvCzHZV6AKbaXRUOJX2g7ka8D_vi9uYxOrlKXhKUNJtm25tpiHFPCE6biyiRV7AKcxejBZ0rDCcpNt5rfUqRNDLmFTWMhYa_6cUbZpkDg8eW0B2ymJPAULq-wZ_KxTmFC-TRAcnq5RB_n/s1600/DSC01441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvCzHZV6AKbaXRUOJX2g7ka8D_vi9uYxOrlKXhKUNJtm25tpiHFPCE6biyiRV7AKcxejBZ0rDCcpNt5rfUqRNDLmFTWMhYa_6cUbZpkDg8eW0B2ymJPAULq-wZ_KxTmFC-TRAcnq5RB_n/s640/DSC01441.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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It turns out that the hole in the wall was the storage area for the local street artists. On either side of the portal hung artists' paintings and drawings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-wwQhQFhdSMorWtvMrLHG6oXCzfqdK_QEgMwa9uy6PzoasV15KSQ2xAzxA_CoIO68IRS_LLZhW3uzOG34ocZ83J8IPlmN69GvyKvvgGOBtd4mTU-pdshou-nQUHdzp7dqZIILHre-D1l/s1600/DSC01442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-wwQhQFhdSMorWtvMrLHG6oXCzfqdK_QEgMwa9uy6PzoasV15KSQ2xAzxA_CoIO68IRS_LLZhW3uzOG34ocZ83J8IPlmN69GvyKvvgGOBtd4mTU-pdshou-nQUHdzp7dqZIILHre-D1l/s640/DSC01442.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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I found one artist's work quite interesting; it was fresh, unique, and I put it in contrast to the work I had seen in Paris - because in Paris we had seen many contemporary artist's work but they didn't capture my imagination. Dennis and I looked closer. </div>
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"Three Mandolins" by <a href="https://www.ashotjegikjan.com/" target="_blank">Ashot Jegikjan</a>.</div>
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This painting caught my attention. Knowing some history of Tallinn and how it used to be part of the Soviet Republic, I wondered if part of the artists' "fresh look" came from knowing the contrast being living under "occupation" and that of "independence." The artist, Ashot Jegikjan, moved from Armenia to Estonia 27 years ago and at that time, Estonia was still under Soviet occupation (1944-1991); Estonia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. I asked him about how his life was different before and after being part of the Soviet Republic and he said, "This is my life. It is not better and not worse. It is my life. It is same. It is what is inside me that counts." <br />
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I thought about buying this painting because I liked it and as most pieces of street art, the prices are very reasonable, but then I thought again....</div>
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We walked on. Further along we saw marks on a wall that looked much like the bullet holes I had seen on the walls in Berlin. I don't have confirmation that these are bullet holes but they looked oddly familiar.</div>
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More street art.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3N2tSp00G434WPe_NGPzzOHDDtTRMlSRG0pvSKtcLumY51LcUnBM9c4fiChF3lMJ2XGoHqnYKQESWfxotVi8hBESAdIgVvjULJPCNXXGPx4voM9xUWo7ZPuCI78k1QH0wJ3Gn7SNx8t4/s1600/DSC01460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3N2tSp00G434WPe_NGPzzOHDDtTRMlSRG0pvSKtcLumY51LcUnBM9c4fiChF3lMJ2XGoHqnYKQESWfxotVi8hBESAdIgVvjULJPCNXXGPx4voM9xUWo7ZPuCI78k1QH0wJ3Gn7SNx8t4/s640/DSC01460.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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A view from one of the town's lookout points.</div>
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A close-up of the men on the rooftop</div>
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Art piece in front of a musical theater.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf0UX8ptnQ8qyr31zBr4tF_uQy7875aTmgl0kmQRyi1PurH6rFsTUIySuFKIDXmbOKt5f5HRIQQZW-KB_B06vcnItxQG1aylsN-aSBU0e3peYyxkfqOAz0MEYVDW7hAU39pq_Iib08gMk/s1600/DSC01466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf0UX8ptnQ8qyr31zBr4tF_uQy7875aTmgl0kmQRyi1PurH6rFsTUIySuFKIDXmbOKt5f5HRIQQZW-KB_B06vcnItxQG1aylsN-aSBU0e3peYyxkfqOAz0MEYVDW7hAU39pq_Iib08gMk/s640/DSC01466.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Menu at lunch</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnVcd6JMItTcvPR_UPrG1S6Nw0eIdSJ5upRkkG8_zbakfL9iC-zttWD55-Ms9mX3eCvLWcbI7yG_9noUyMgXt8hQt5M3pY7X0yeKxmxkbUTszVgXSJNOvF9LIFRDsmP89SUgZPhh3M-_W/s1600/DSC01462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnVcd6JMItTcvPR_UPrG1S6Nw0eIdSJ5upRkkG8_zbakfL9iC-zttWD55-Ms9mX3eCvLWcbI7yG_9noUyMgXt8hQt5M3pY7X0yeKxmxkbUTszVgXSJNOvF9LIFRDsmP89SUgZPhh3M-_W/s640/DSC01462.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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From this alleyway echoed the soothing sounds of folk music being played on violin. If you look down the alley on the right side, there stands the musician.</div>
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Here she is. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrig93vQ4sSKFn7WiSgMJCkNPzgioaTSPHn7SlmTnl8n7pwgngvt6F8BmO0OPtR3DvRKsa3OHZgipjYyG8LAZ6iY4B7z35kVr2I5JEeImd9SzLyhNyPyJPJIrQrc30_JUk0HX_CbuPb0L8/s1600/DSC01379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrig93vQ4sSKFn7WiSgMJCkNPzgioaTSPHn7SlmTnl8n7pwgngvt6F8BmO0OPtR3DvRKsa3OHZgipjYyG8LAZ6iY4B7z35kVr2I5JEeImd9SzLyhNyPyJPJIrQrc30_JUk0HX_CbuPb0L8/s640/DSC01379.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We returned to see the artist on the stone street later in the day; I couldn't get free of "The Three Mandolins." The artist was busy painting and even though he saw us coming up the street, he didn't interrupt our conversation. He continued to paint.</div>
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He was painting a piece called, "Dreamer" and when we approached he stood to talk with us. Somehow, in the lovely context of the sunny day and our conversation about art, he began to sing, "Good Day, Sunshine" by Paul McCartney. I joined in, then Dennis joined in, then Ashot started to harmonize and add musical percussion to the song. It melted my heart and I've been humming the song ever since! (Ask Dennis - it's ridiculous!)</div>
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As I completed my purchase of "Three Mandolins," Ashot told us that his goal is to have 3-4 pieces of his work exhibited at the <a href="http://www.moma.org/" target="_blank">Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City.</a> He exclaimed, "I love MOMA!" <a href="http://www.ashotjegikjan.com/" target="_blank"> After visiting Jegikjan's artwork on his web page,</a> you decide.</div>
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We laughed and we hugged good-bye. A touching day on many levels. I definitely recommend a visit to Tallinn, and while you're there, be sure to connect with the locals. You will not be disappointed.</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-13981918256621932502013-05-09T02:31:00.000-07:002013-05-20T05:46:13.260-07:00Kevo Climate Research Station, Ivalo Lukio and Utsjoki Koulu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We observed three herds of reindeer on the drive from Ivalo airport to <a href="http://www.kevo.utu.fi/en/" target="_blank">Kevo Climate Research Station</a>. This herd was making its way across a lake whose surface looked perilously close to caving in under the weight of these small hoofed animals. The reindeer made it, but not until after we unintentionally spooked them (with my orange coat) as we walked toward them to get a picture.<br />
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The drive from the Ivalo aiport to the <a href="http://www.kevo.utu.fi/en/" target="_blank">Kevo Climate Science Research Station</a> took about two hours and the drive took us past great expansive spaces of <a href="http://en.infoglobe.cz/topics-of-interest/lappland-tundra/" target="_blank">tundra</a>. We are above the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Circle" target="_blank">Arctic Circle</a> by about 435 kilometers. The purpose of this trip is to visit two schools and learn a bit about climate research from the scientists in Kevo.</div>
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It felt strangely fabulous to wear my Parisian raincoat and "climate change research boots" in Lapland. They are the perfect combination!</div>
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Here is Dennis Grice basking in the fun of the new environment.</div>
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Kim Miller, Fulbright awardee and climate scientist, is our host at the research station. She has been here since August and studies the gases that microscopic organisms emit in the tundra under different conditions. She's hoping to compare her experimental results to what she collected in the Alaskan tundra during three previous summers.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.kevo.utu.fi/en/research/" target="_blank">Kevo Research Station</a> is part of the University of Turku, Finland, and houses many scientists in the spring, summer and fall. Most of the scientists will start arriving in a few weeks when the snow is melted. Here are some of the housing and apartment units at the station. We are staying with Kim in the apartment on the left.<br />
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Kim's research includes collecting vials of gases from the tundra - here you see them stored in our refrigerator before she travels with them to Rovaniemi for analysis.<br />
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Around the research station is a "carpet" of low-lying plants and berry bushes. We're a little early to see these plants in bloom but they will be full of flowers (and then berries) in about one month.</div>
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Across this lake is the rest of the research station. In the summer you can take a boat to get back and forth and in the winter you can take a snowmobile. </div>
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We took a 5 km dirt road that enters from the opposite direction.</div>
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The seasonal "road" for snowmobiles.</div>
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This picture was taken early in the morning, or should I say, after the "white night."</div>
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Here is the sky at 11:00 at night.</div>
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You don't need bottled water in Lapland.</div>
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On site is a teepee, and in the center is a fire pit.</div>
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Above the fire pit hang reindeer skins you can use to sit on or as blankets for warmth.</div>
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Owl boxes for repair or reassignment.</div>
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We visited <a href="http://peda.net/veraja/ivalo/lukio" target="_blank">Ivalon Lukio</a> (secondary school in Ivalo) which educates about 110 students and the students and staff were enthusiastically warm and welcoming. The students seem very content and the teachers say the children get a good education because the environment is small and the teachers know how each child learns. </div>
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The building on the left houses students (aged 15-18) who travel long distances to get to school each day; they are allowed to live here during the week but they must go home on weekends unless they are given special permission. There is no adult supervision in this housing and the students are responsible for their own cooking, etc. </div>
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Here are some specifics for the school site from their <a href="http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Divalon%2Blukio%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fi&u=http://peda.net/veraja/ivalo/lukio/english&usg=ALkJrhh9gQ5uOGQslG93Biv95ZQcdORgvQ" target="_blank">web page:</a></div>
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This is a homework tally sheet from chemistry class. Only about 10% of the students' grades are based upon homework - and that 10% is added only if all homework is completed. Above you see the tally marks for how much homework the students completed.</div>
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Across Finland I have been repeatedly told that students are generally not assigned more than 3-6 problems per night per class for homework.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp85xsXSLKi0HHdAmPIF7Kc0rJMUpzF-dSU8pWQdY9S5ZShsu4KO2V0WWRqUc1O9q3__6EFyTlmIiZrJ_jvoXEUhPRKaKHxAqhGOUCvif7XEo5q4F2YbEfJjSkhyPpM-bicD3Qp9GYPcF/s1600/IvaloArtClassPaints.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp85xsXSLKi0HHdAmPIF7Kc0rJMUpzF-dSU8pWQdY9S5ZShsu4KO2V0WWRqUc1O9q3__6EFyTlmIiZrJ_jvoXEUhPRKaKHxAqhGOUCvif7XEo5q4F2YbEfJjSkhyPpM-bicD3Qp9GYPcF/s640/IvaloArtClassPaints.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Out back the students were doing an art project with a visiting street artist from Sweden.</div>
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The visiting instructors had their baby sleeping in the stroller near the trees. In Finland (and Iceland and Sweden, I guess) it is very typical for babies to nap in their strollers outside in the cold for 30 minutes or an hour.</div>
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Thank you to Ulla Hynonen, Ulla Keskitalo, Jaakko Joentakanen, Helena Lampinen, Maarit Lepistö, and Rodney Francett for a lovely, warm, and inspiring day.</div>
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At the <a href="http://www.utsjoki.fi/fi/palvelut/opetus--vapaa-aika-ja-kulttuuripalvelut/utsjokisuun-koulu/koulun-esittely.php" target="_blank">Utsjoki Koulu</a> (school in Utsjoki) there are only about 70 students for ages 7-18. It's a quiet school and about half of the students are of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people" target="_blank">Sámi</a> heritage. In Finland, the children have the right to be taught in their mother tongue so in this school there are also Sámi language classes. Many people in Finland are trying to show honor and respect to the indigenous people of Finland by including more Sámi culture in the educational objectives of schools. This is a difficult time for moving forward for the Finns and the Sámi, however, and the process of deciding how to do this, and how much to do this, is a defining time for Finland and how they want to move forward as a nation. Change isn't easy, and we were told that even though between Finns and Sámi's there are good relations, the politics of the situation are much more difficult.</div>
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Kiitos, Annikki Lauerma, Markko Siitonen, and Helmi Länsman for being such lovely hosts, to Helmi for her interview, to Annikki for her translating skills, and to Markko for sharing his science teaching expertise. I appreciate you.</div>
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Artwork in the "Sámi" school.</div>
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Reindeer products in the local hardware store.</div>
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Melting ice along one of the many frozen lakes in Lapland.</div>
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A Dennis quote: "Um, these aren't human tracks."</div>
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These tracks are deeper than they look in the picture - each hoof was actually longer than my hand and past my wrist. Eek! That's one big moose!</div>
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After the school visits we drove up and over this bridge into Norway. The Teno River was filled with ice chunks flowing toward the Barents Sea. This view is looking toward the northeast.</div>
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Looking toward the southwest, and the source of the ice and water.</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4361479924214228355.post-18056688647072256772013-05-03T03:52:00.000-07:002013-05-04T14:23:18.914-07:00Recharging in Paris<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25ei1mf9D5gG38MAHBmduNBWUpNaVN5SI6mQmZ7wXLyTVvwBq_ebnOIk2FKvTYB5pHQRWpLggMW2-KukS9b_-aTWO2ghyCtLdVO4euLx-80ymuAYoEtjPdpGO_neXGPerGhkB2fx3BH_S/s1600/*LuxRedTulips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25ei1mf9D5gG38MAHBmduNBWUpNaVN5SI6mQmZ7wXLyTVvwBq_ebnOIk2FKvTYB5pHQRWpLggMW2-KukS9b_-aTWO2ghyCtLdVO4euLx-80ymuAYoEtjPdpGO_neXGPerGhkB2fx3BH_S/s640/*LuxRedTulips.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Would it be a surprise to say that the "stars aligned" in Paris this week? After four months of traveling the beauty of Finland, I came to Paris to interview Andreas Schleicher and to spend time with my family. <br />
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The interview with Andreas went well and then my holiday began. A dear friend of ours, Valerie Burdick Humphrey, arrived on the Eurostar from London and we promptly fell into patterns of old times and chatted and giggled away. We decided that one of the reasons it's so fun to get together with childhood friends is because in youth, "You do stupid things...and at the time you do them you think you're making good decisions." Well, Valerie and I have those kinds of memories.<br />
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My brother, Bob, and my Mom arrived and we settled into our Parisian apartment. (Found through <a href="http://www.airbnb.com/">www.airbnb.com</a>) Here are Bob and Valerie getting re-aquainted - we all went to high school together but they haven't seen each other in a few years. (And we all have fond feelings for this Cleopatra couch - it feels so exotic to sit in it.)<br />
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It was the perfect alignment of past and present, with people who love each other, love spending time with each other, and are simply positive, caring, interesting people where there was no ego, no agenda, and no inclination other than to spend time with each other and enjoy Paris. <br />
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We walked and talked and laughed. Here we are walking around the park by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower" target="_blank">Eiffel Tower</a>. Coming on a Fulbright program is a profoundly rewarding and challenging experience - but at this point I am filled up but deeply exhausted. Having a dear friend and my family here is exactly what I need to get recharged for the next six weeks. <br />
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View from the mid-level of the Eiffel Tower.</div>
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Mom and Valerie at dinner at <a href="http://ober-sale.e-monsite.com/" target="_blank">Ober-Salé</a>. The food here is exquisite!</div>
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Cherry tree flower blossoms on the grass by <a href="http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English-" target="_blank">Notre Dame Cathedral.</a></div>
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This art piece in the Louvre is a <a href="http://www.pistoletto.it/" target="_blank">painting on a mirror</a>, and as I was trying to capture Bob in the reflection I realized he saw me taking a picture and he posed for me. He almost looks like he's part of the painting!</div>
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A <a href="http://www.visitfinland.com/" target="_blank">Finnish advertisement </a>(in French) in the metro station.</div>
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Bob being silly at the <a href="http://www.musee-orsay.fr/" target="_blank">Museo D'Orsay</a>. I don't think she knows he is hovering over her head!</div>
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We traveled around the city on the <a href="http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/paris-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours?_$ja=cgn:HOHOB+%7c+Paris+%7c+GENERIC+(ROW)%3a+HOHO+Bus%7Ccgid:3254656637%7Ctsid:36801%7Ccn:HOHOB+%7c+Paris+%7c+GENERIC+(ROW)%7Ccid:84562757%7Cnw:search%7Ccrid:21926834837%7Ckw:hop%20on%20hop%20off%20bus%20paris%7Cpm:&gclid=CK3y6--7-rYCFerHtAodqjoAZA" target="_blank">Hop-On Hop-Off</a> bus and here in the middle of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs-%C3%89lys%C3%A9es" target="_blank">Champs-Élysées </a>were two lovers smootching!</div>
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At the <a href="http://www.musee-rodin.fr/" target="_blank">Musée Rodin</a> is a block of concrete just waiting for someone to pose. I tried to get Bob to stand on top of the concrete block but he opted to pose as his own version of <a href="http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/sculptures/thinker" target="_blank">"The Thinker." </a> </div>
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<a href="http://sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/" target="_blank">Ste. Chapelle</a>. Ahh. Need I say more?</div>
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As I've been told, the <a href="http://www.louvre.fr/en" target="_blank">Louvre</a> is an overwhelming experience. There are so many pieces of art that most people seem to wander through them, barely stopping to look at anything in detail. Here I caught Bob and Mom taking a break and looking out the window together. </div>
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At the Muséo Rodin, the curator positioned these small chairs around the gallery as if Rodin could walk in any minute to view his work.</div>
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At the Muséo Rodin, this tour guide captivated the French children with tales of the <i><a href="http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/sculptures/gates-hell" target="_blank">Gates of Hell,</a></i> the original location of,<i> The Thinker.</i></div>
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Looking down at the street from our apartment: the meat market is across the street, the grocery store is up the street, and the bakery is directly below us. :) We went there every morning for fresh baked goods for breakfast...until they went on vacation!</div>
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Looking at the <a href="http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orienter/f_plan.php" target="_blank">metro line stops</a> - and figuring out when to get off.</div>
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We took an elevator up to the top of the <a href="http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/" target="_blank">Eiffel Tower</a> but this picture is looking down from the mid-level.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyDtlul9agRCpsC7ry6cFvkSMuhM20XWOYj95OipkevYh-v-q0Ihn6I0ymqXz2Rdc2zs_BHOXm_TIkqh3CIAJ94KHBpKf0UrC8yIg0m-Xowl74CEIdiO4lb5QdLhM3Ww9kc4yzjTT82PS/s1600/*MarionetteTktW:Room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyDtlul9agRCpsC7ry6cFvkSMuhM20XWOYj95OipkevYh-v-q0Ihn6I0ymqXz2Rdc2zs_BHOXm_TIkqh3CIAJ94KHBpKf0UrC8yIg0m-Xowl74CEIdiO4lb5QdLhM3Ww9kc4yzjTT82PS/s640/*MarionetteTktW:Room.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some days you get lucky - and on this day we got to see a <a href="http://vimeo.com/53151532" target="_blank">classic marionette show in the Luxembourg Gardens.</a> The story was in French but the young children (4-5 years old) would enthusiastically exclaim, "Oui!" when asked a question by the puppets.</div>
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The <a href="http://vimeo.com/53151532" target="_blank">Marrionnettes du Luxembourg</a>, a favorite in Luxembourg Gardens since 1933.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKIii4wF22xXFlTVbz1Goew9tZ39uP2hQLxr3Y_W3CWU0vId9NBCeYrEc181NLUV421ilF4hkaGv7Dvse0vm9Kwpq1f9y8YM72EHPwsd68FObP8-uubLQ3ZqWQ6I0TpprgKtPUNYC-Nyn/s1600/MomBobRodin2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKIii4wF22xXFlTVbz1Goew9tZ39uP2hQLxr3Y_W3CWU0vId9NBCeYrEc181NLUV421ilF4hkaGv7Dvse0vm9Kwpq1f9y8YM72EHPwsd68FObP8-uubLQ3ZqWQ6I0TpprgKtPUNYC-Nyn/s640/MomBobRodin2.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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They look so Parisian!</div>
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The circular pond in Luxembourg Gardens where children (and their parents and grandparents) enjoy the sunshine and sailing boats.</div>
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Trying to fetch their sailboat with sticks.</div>
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Now on the other side of the pond, she awaits her sailboat's arrival.</div>
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A happy mother to be spending her time with her three "kids." :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.alexandrasojfer.com/creations/umbrellas/" target="_blank">Alexander Sojfer</a>'s umbrella store.</div>
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Mom's favorite umbrella from <a href="http://www.alexandrasojfer.com/creations/umbrellas/" target="_blank">Alexander Sojfer</a>, Paris.</div>
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<a href="http://www.angelina-paris.fr/" target="_blank">THE MOST AMAZING HOT CHOCOLATE at Angelina's, Paris. </a> (Thanks, Marjorie Beale for the recommendation!)</div>
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I borrowed these flowers from the woman who took our picture at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuileries_Garden" target="_blank">Jardin des Tuileries. </a> :)</div>
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<br />Janet Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00071494930808386221noreply@blogger.com1