Reading Response 5: Article 2

"Compared with the stereotype of the East Asian model -- long hours of exhaustive cramming and rote memorization -- Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play."

This quote shows that the "Asians are automatically smart" stereotype is not that all true. It is believed that Asians' parents enforce them to always study and work hard and that is the only way their test scores get so high. Finnish schools prove that that is not the only way to teach students.

For one thing, Finnish schools give out less homework and focus on hands-on activities for the children. From personal experience, I remember lessons done in class 'labs', while I do appreciate getting the extra practice and review at home from homework, some homework assignments drone on with repeating problems. Second thing, there are no private schools in Finland. Their education is public and free, "whether for pre-K or a Ph.D.". While in America, there are even high schools that cost thousands of dollars each year and most of these organizations are running for profit. Which a nicer way of saying that they only care about money, and not the student's overall well-being in the education system.

Thirdly, in Finland they give out no standardized tests. Also known as my dream come true. Standardized tests do not usually show a student's work ethic or comprehension of what they have learned. This is basically a test showing whether or not a student is a good test taker. They do not prove much of what a student is capable of and I cannot stand how colleges in America base some of their acceptance to their school just on a student's ACT/SAT score. It should be focused on what that student can do in individual class settings; how hard they work, how much they balance doing extracurricular activities, and so on.

"Finland's dream was that we want to have a good public education for every child regardless of where they go to school or what kind of families they come from, and many even in Finland said it couldn't be done."

This is an excellent dream to have and I agree with this statement 100%, no questions asked. Every student should be given the opportunity for an excellent education regardless of their backgrounds. Many teachers today give up on the student because of their harsh/rough background. Every thing that happens at home should stay at home and let the student escape that through their education. Especially coming from a low-income family where no one has gone to college before, I work hard to ensure that my background would not define my future.

Basically, I would love to live in a country such as Finland where education is about equal opportunities for everyone, (not to mention the beautiful sites there).