'Harmony' between teachers, students

Our patriotic egos aside, Americans could learn quite a bit about learning from Finland.

In Finland teachers are encouraged to do whatever it takes.

It is common to pull students aside and teach them  separately if they don’t seem to comprehend, or if their learning style is different from the rest of the class.

Seven years ago, a 13-year-old boy was held back in a Finnish school — one of the first times this had ever happened.

The principal made teaching the boy his first priority. Now Besart, the boy, owns his
own company.

Finland’s literacy, math, science and reading comprehension rates have increased dramatically in the past 10 years.

In terms of literacy, America’s ranking is somewhere around the 40th country in the
world.

All the facts show that if we invest in our students they can achieve great things.

I’ve heard the excuse that it’s because Finland’s economy is better and their people more well off. We don’t have the resources or the time.

But it is happening in Monroe County before our eyes.

Harmony School in Bloomington has adopted a learning program based on the teacher-student relationship, and it is working wonders.

Eighty percent of its students continue on to higher education, and 95 percent of those students get into the top college of their choice.

Many might scoff and say it’s because the students and families of those attending are wealthy. But that’s not the case. The school is in Bloomington, which is in Monroe County — notoriously the poorest county in the state.

Eighty percent of the students are subsidized.

The sad truth is that even with No Child Left Behind we are still undercutting students’ potential.

My roommate, an education major currently working at a Monroe County school, says she is appalled by the state of the students’ education.

There is simply not enough done for them. There’s not enough funding, and without incentive the teachers just don’t care that much.

But if Harmony School can do it, then so can everyone else.

The core curriculum is not sacrificed. It is based on a more liberal arts methodology, but students still learn math, English, history, etc.

They still take tests. They still have homework.

But the teachers are allowed to work closely with their students not only to teach them but to also guide them. To help them achieve on a level unseen in public schools.

It is possible. We just need to be willing to do it.

­— ewenning@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.