The Huffington Post: My Crush on Finland: A Country That Values Its Teachers
So as much as I tried to dismiss Finland for its differences, one factor just kept standing out: the quality of the teaching force. Teaching is a very sought-after profession, allowing for the selection of some of the best students to become teachers with most teachers being chosen from the top 10 percent of their college classes. It's both competitive and prestigious with only a small percentage of candidates being accepted to study as teachers. Teachers are respected, trusted and honored. And guess what else? Teaching is popular.
I really don't know whether to laugh or cry. On a wider note, it's funny how European countries are politicized in American politics. But seriously? Sought-after? You mean that in a country with massive academic unemployment, teaching jobs are sought after. Wow! We must really like teaching!
Excellent logic. Also, as Jim pointed out, if we really valued our teachers that much, you'd think we'd pay them.
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On another note, Finnish people are funny in several ways. It's a general rule of Finnish public transport that when a passenger gets on a bus or train, they will do their utmost to avoid sitting next to another person. Earlier this week, someone sent a photo to MTV3 proving that we don't fear personal contact just on the bus. Here's a bunch of Finns waiting for a bus in Kulosaari, Helsinki:
Now THAT'S the kind of country this is!
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