Professional Teachers

Teachers in Finland are perceived as professionals. This stems from both the shift of teacher training to an academic subject in universities, and the educational reforms decentralizing decision-making to schools (Begrem, et al., 1997).

Professional teachers:

1) Perceive personal enrichment as a professional asset
2) Appreciate cooperation and interaction with students and colleagues
3) Realize their responsibility and value their autonomy
4) Dedicate themselves to their work (Begrem, et al., 1997).

The decentrlization and devolution of school control also add to the increased responsibility of teachers. The current Finnish school curricula allow teachers freedom and autonomy, in addition to a culture of trust for teachers within Finnish society. This trust even includes politicians and economists, something rare in other countries (Simola, 2005).

Popularity of Teaching

Teaching also enjoys popularity. A 2004 poll of upper-secondary school graduates showed that 26% of students naming teaching as the most sought-after profession (Sahlberg, 2007). Even though there are some teaching shortages (especially in mathematics and science) teaching is still the most popular profession and overtakes careers such as law, medicine, engineering, and journalism (Simola, 2005).

The popularity of teaching comes from the master's degree requirement. The degree benefits both schools and society as a whole. A qualified teacher can gain employment not only in schools but also in occupations within both the public and private sector. A teaching degree also allows entrance to other postgraduate degrees, with explains an increase in PhDs among teachers and principals. Master's degrees also indicate the depth, breadth, and general high quality of teacher training, in addition to reinforcing trust in teachers by society and parents (Sahlberg, 2007).

The Organization of Teaching and Learning

The organization of teaching and learning in Finland comes from four areas:

1. The Basic Education Act and Decree (see previous post)
2. The Government's Decree: give more detailed goals of education
3. The National Core Curriculum (details to come in a future post)
4. The Municipal and School Curricula: the implementation of the national curriculum according to local needs.