I don’t know if you ever thought of homeschoolers in the course of writing your book, but it’s made it’s way into our community. I have been talking about and posting about your book multiple times as I read it. Somethings shocked me just adding to my love of this stimulating book. I have emailed the superintendent of our school system out here and am going to loan my book to a fellow homeschooler. I’m going to try to get the library to order a copy as well. This long message is to tell you thank you for this gift of knowledge to help us improve ourselves. Also to encourage you to write more books on this subject matter. I’ve enjoyed your book tremendously. Be happy, be well. -Mel
Thank you, Mel! I’m glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my book. Wishing you and your family the best! -Tim
I recently began digging deeper into the way Finnish schools operate, having begun teaching in a Forest School in Minnesota. I’m eager to read your book, but I’m also working on doing some training offered in Finland. I’m curious if you offer school visits to see how you’ve implemented your take aways from your time and study there? I’d love to see how you’ve incorporated and continued things here in the states.
After my eldest was diagnosed with Autism at age 3, my life quickly became all about “Autism”. Doctors assured me the good news was that testing showed he was still of “average intelligence”, even with his extremely low test scores in speech and language. I would just need to find a school that could figure out his ideal method of learning.
Which I later found out was easier said than done. When my second son was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7, my obsession shifted and I began researching various educational systems. In 2021 I came across the country of Finland, after googling “happiest country” in the world. I was fascinated with their high standard of living and the country’s approach to a basic education. During this time I was battling the school district to provide my eldest with the necessary recourses needed for him to learn the fundamentals he was struggling with. The after math of that battle lead me to relocate to Los Angeles for a summer to explore a well known reading program. However, I was told that it would take more than one summer for him to develop the necessary skills to excel. The year after I took my children to New York City where my son took part in a summer program at one of the city’s prestige’s schools. I learned after that without the one on one aid my son needs to focus in class, he made only minor strides during our deration in NYC. After that experience I continued my research and reached out to several other school districts in a number states.
Unfortunately I learned the harsh reality was, I would not be able to afford the cost of living if I moved to a metropolitan area where the educational resources are more available to children with learning disabilities. Fast forward to the end of 2023 I ran out of excuses not to explore Finland as an alternative option. We are excited to move there this summer and hope the schools can offer my children a brighter future.
Greetings from NY,
Your book has had a very positive impact upon my teaching! The spirit of Finland is alive and well here on Long Island, where good folks like Dr. Michael J. Hynes carry its torch to our districts.
In that modality of thinking, I am a dissertation chair for a student who wants to include a Finnish-style buddy up program as part of his research. he would love to hear more about your experiences with this and would like to have him email you for some specifics. I wanted to see if this was permissible first. If not, I get it.
Keep up the amazing work, and I look forward to your reply.
I was an Educator in the public school system and built many Finnish Pillars on the Foundation of my classroom.
I taught students who were experiencing issues with Emotional/Behavioral Regulation. By the second year, I had discovered and many of the “Finnish Teaching Strategies” through experience.
When I happened upon this book and researched Finnish Education, I added more Pillars to my classroom. It was a significant change for my students. They were abundant with success in school and life.
I have one suggestion, please add Bluesky as a social media platform. There are numerous educators who utilize Bluesky and could benefit greatly from this blog and book.
Taught by Finland
6 Comments
I don’t know if you ever thought of homeschoolers in the course of writing your book, but it’s made it’s way into our community. I have been talking about and posting about your book multiple times as I read it. Somethings shocked me just adding to my love of this stimulating book. I have emailed the superintendent of our school system out here and am going to loan my book to a fellow homeschooler. I’m going to try to get the library to order a copy as well. This long message is to tell you thank you for this gift of knowledge to help us improve ourselves. Also to encourage you to write more books on this subject matter. I’ve enjoyed your book tremendously. Be happy, be well. -Mel
Thank you, Mel! I’m glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my book. Wishing you and your family the best! -Tim
I recently began digging deeper into the way Finnish schools operate, having begun teaching in a Forest School in Minnesota. I’m eager to read your book, but I’m also working on doing some training offered in Finland. I’m curious if you offer school visits to see how you’ve implemented your take aways from your time and study there? I’d love to see how you’ve incorporated and continued things here in the states.
After my eldest was diagnosed with Autism at age 3, my life quickly became all about “Autism”. Doctors assured me the good news was that testing showed he was still of “average intelligence”, even with his extremely low test scores in speech and language. I would just need to find a school that could figure out his ideal method of learning.
Which I later found out was easier said than done. When my second son was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7, my obsession shifted and I began researching various educational systems. In 2021 I came across the country of Finland, after googling “happiest country” in the world. I was fascinated with their high standard of living and the country’s approach to a basic education. During this time I was battling the school district to provide my eldest with the necessary recourses needed for him to learn the fundamentals he was struggling with. The after math of that battle lead me to relocate to Los Angeles for a summer to explore a well known reading program. However, I was told that it would take more than one summer for him to develop the necessary skills to excel. The year after I took my children to New York City where my son took part in a summer program at one of the city’s prestige’s schools. I learned after that without the one on one aid my son needs to focus in class, he made only minor strides during our deration in NYC. After that experience I continued my research and reached out to several other school districts in a number states.
Unfortunately I learned the harsh reality was, I would not be able to afford the cost of living if I moved to a metropolitan area where the educational resources are more available to children with learning disabilities. Fast forward to the end of 2023 I ran out of excuses not to explore Finland as an alternative option. We are excited to move there this summer and hope the schools can offer my children a brighter future.
Greetings from NY,
Your book has had a very positive impact upon my teaching! The spirit of Finland is alive and well here on Long Island, where good folks like Dr. Michael J. Hynes carry its torch to our districts.
In that modality of thinking, I am a dissertation chair for a student who wants to include a Finnish-style buddy up program as part of his research. he would love to hear more about your experiences with this and would like to have him email you for some specifics. I wanted to see if this was permissible first. If not, I get it.
Keep up the amazing work, and I look forward to your reply.
I was an Educator in the public school system and built many Finnish Pillars on the Foundation of my classroom.
I taught students who were experiencing issues with Emotional/Behavioral Regulation. By the second year, I had discovered and many of the “Finnish Teaching Strategies” through experience.
When I happened upon this book and researched Finnish Education, I added more Pillars to my classroom. It was a significant change for my students. They were abundant with success in school and life.
I have one suggestion, please add Bluesky as a social media platform. There are numerous educators who utilize Bluesky and could benefit greatly from this blog and book.
Thank you.