Educational travelers to Äänekoski?
Pekka Ouli |
Monica and Namya from India, and Sara from Lebanon, visited schools in Äänekoski in 2019.
Finland’s expertise in education has been widely highlighted around the world, and we also do very well on several happiness indices. Through my work I have attended many international events, and people are always curious when they meet someone from Finland working in education. "Is it really true that you don’t give homework?" is perhaps the most popular question. Then I get to set the record straight and explain that it’s surely about the amount — they just aren’t given as much as in comparison countries. Many other things I’ve mentioned also puzzle people, and I often say that in many respects it’s about a Finnish way of thinking. A teacher can take exams home to grade, the principal doesn’t sit in class scoring the teacher’s performance, and you can safely walk home from school. In many ways, people are trusted and social differences are still small. We strive to give everyone good opportunities, partly because there are so few of us. I’ve noticed that what’s ordinary for us is unusual for others.
How do Visit Äänekoski and tourism in our region relate to educational travel? The people I meet genuinely dream of getting to know Finnish society and how we deliver education. They’re interested in our view of the future and how we prepare for it. For us Finns, it of course feels incredible that someone would want to come here to Äänekoski and pay for school visits, but could this be a way to attract visitors here in the future as well?
Organizing educational travel requires a lot of planning, marketing, and the design and coordination of various workshops and visits. Some services, such as accommodation, meals, transport, and additional programs, need providers. From experience, I’ve noticed that simple Finnish home cooking is more enticing than pizza that might tempt locals in Äänekoski. As evening activities, spending time in nature is of interest, but do we have local guides?
Photo: Mikko Suutala
Yours in educational travel