Finnish schools… I have heard so much praise about them. Experts claim that Americans should copy the Finnish educational model. Should we really?
Look at Finland. It is a small, homogeneous country. America is a large, diverse country. Comparing these two societies is like comparing apples and oranges. You can’t just take a system that works in a very small country where people are practically all the same, and apply it to a large country with great socioeconomic and cultural diversity like America.
Finland is not a role model by all means. It’s practically a nanny state with total government control. The government has supreme power over families. Children are routinely taken away from parents by the government. Homeschooling and other alternative education options are uncommon and very restricted by the government. Sure, Finnish schools may be successful at teaching kids to pass tests. But can a police state like Finland have schools that foster freedom and creativity? Really?
Finnish schools produce a population of citizens who are supposed to be average, because in Finland and other Nordic state like Sweden, Denmark, this is what you are supposed to be. You are supposed to be average and not stick your head above the crowd. In other words, Finnish state and schools foster a culture of losers.
Eventually, it’s not the school system that matters, it’s the result: what does that school system produce? Does it produce free-spirited citizens? Free thinkers? Entrepreneurs? Now tell me, have you seen many free thinkers and entrepreneurs coming from Finland lately? If the answer is negative, Finnish schools are worth nothing.