The North Isn't True

American education: we need another standardized test and more homework!

Finland: actually, we became one of the worlds' best education systems by getting rid of homework and standardized tests - also, we pay our teachers better than you.

China: same

Belgium: same

American education: better make it two more standardized tests.

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I'm sorry to intervene, especially since this a chat post, but the Internet has got to stop with this "no homework in Finland" nonsense! It is not true! Finns get loads of homework and we do have standardized tests, they just aren't used to measure individual achievement but to check up on the overall quality of teaching and learning. Finnish schools are laid back in the sense that we have very relaxed relationships with our teachers and there is a sense of trust between both sides. The government also offers free school lunches and school supplies (until high school), and schools have support programs for those who need extra help. We are taught the basics of multiple subjects (I counted 15 off the top of my head) and we can freely decide which subjects we want to know more of. Everyone has to take art and music, just like everyone has to take history and physics. We are encouraged to learn and our social model supports equally good education for all. Finnish teachers are also paid well not only because their importance is understood but because they have to have a Master's Degree before they are allowed to become full-time teachers.

Finland's success in education has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with "getting rid of homework" as that has never happened. (And yes, this annoys me so much for personal reasons. From ages 13-15 my typical school week was 36 hours long and that included a hell of a lot homework. High school wasn't too different.) The success is a mixture of a lot of things, including things like the lack of class division in our society, but it is not because there's "no homework in Finland".

Again, my apologies for the interruption but this is one of those things I just can't watch go around anymore.