The teacher training schools in Finland can be compared to university teaching hospitals for medical students. The teacher’s profession is highly respected in Finland. A teacher is an expert, comparable to an engineer, lawyer or a medical doctor.
In Finland, to be a K-12 teacher you have to earn a master’s degree specific to who/what you’re going to teach. In the U.S. you just need to have a college degree in whatever you studied and pass a low level certification test.
In Finland, 90% of applicants to the teaching programs at the university level are rejected. In the U.S. we keep lowering the bar farther and farther to the point that things like Teach for America are necessary.
In Finland, 20 of your credit hours to become a teacher are spent creating lesson plans and teaching under the direction of a guiding teacher. In the U.S. you might, maybe, if we can fit it in the schedule and the budget this year, potentially get some sort of minor amount of lip service towards professional development. Maybe.
In Finland, teachers are paid like they’re doing a job that’s critical to a well functioning society. In the US we have things like the teacher of the year in Oklahoma moving to Texas so he can afford to live.
In Finland, teachers are trained to identify and help students with needs if they can, but then hand them off to more specifically trained professionals for whatever learning or social struggle they’re facing. In the U.S., you better hope you’ve got funding for that, and most states still fund schools based on property taxes of surrounding neighborhoods.
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