I keep hearing how great the Finland school system is.

Is it though?

“Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.” ~ Douglas Pagels

Hi I’m James, I’m a classroom teacher from Sydney

I’ve just landed in Helsinki, Finland – it's 4PM and it’s dark outside.

My wife Michelle and I have come to Finland to find out how the famous Finns do school. With Finnish students constantly outperforming Australian students in international testing, my goal is to identify any key points of difference that make a difference to students learning.

I think the best way to find out is first hand, so let’s get going! Part 8 and 9 coming very soon where I will actually be a classroom teacher for a few days in a Finnish school! Very rare!

James Phelps

You can follow us on our teaching and learning journey on the Minds Wide Open Facebook page.