on quality.

Unsure of our destination, we strolled through the cobblestone city streets, lined with thousand year-old churches in the brisk Norwegian autumn air.  As I clenched my now husband’s hand, proud that my swollen ankles were really workin’ my lustrous black boots, I tripped.  

“Whoah, did you see that thing?”

“Yeah, babe, it’s incredible.”

“It’s, just done so well. Simple but with so much character.”

“I know, I haven’t seen anything in real-life, quite so beautiful. You can tell it’s top quality.”

“Should we go ask them where it’s from?”

“Why don’t you do it, babe.  I don’t want the wife to think I’m a creep.”

“Wait, what if they both think I’m a creep?  Pssh.  She just caught me staring at her baby!”

Avoiding the awkward “look away,” I kindly asked the strangers where they bought their Rolls Royce of strollers.

Waddling back to my now husband, I whispered, “Alright, honey.  It’s on.”

Later that year, one sweet stroller and one happy baby later,  we found ourselves back in Scandinavia and basking in the glow and quality of Danish life.  It turns out Denmark is deemed the happiest place on earth-not Disney. I began having conversations with Danish friends, asking a ton of questions and taking note of their anecdotes on family, friends, free-time, food and education. What makes them ranked number one in happiness? What’s the secret?  I was starting to see a pattern.  Authenticity and quality. Kinda like this stroller, I smiled.  

Copenhagen, DK 2016

Just northeast of Denmark, sits the country with the world’s best schools-Finland.  Never visiting, but reading the success stories, I was researching for something I could steal.   Yes-Finland is much smaller than the US and has way less poverty, so we are not comparing apples to oranges here. It hasn’t always been sunshine and moonbeams for education in Finland, either.  They revamped their school systems some years back and proved to the rest of the world that less is more-even in education.  So what are they doing differently than us? A. lot.

Here are some pointers I think we should take from the Finns.  

• No homework.  Home time is for family and extracurricular activities.   
• They trust their teachers.  The level of autonomy is astounding, and so are the certification requirements.  Teaching is a highly regarded, competitive and well-paid career choice.  
• No standardized tests -They take one standardized test in their entire elementary and secondary education career.  Teachers create their own assessments to ensure their students are on track.  
• Focus on the whole child.  Learning supports not only academics, but focuses on art, music, engineering and more.  There is time for play, socialization and developing kids to think for themselves.

So, Finland ranks number one in schools.  Denmark ranks number one in happiness. Norway ranks number one in places to live (and strollers).    

I’m no expert on these countries’ cultures and lifestyles, but one common denominator I see is quality.  Quality, quality, quality. Quality learning experiences.  Quality relationships.  Quality education.  Quality of life.  

So why haven’t we revolutionized things here? And I don't mean "education reform." We have brilliant educators and the tech tools to pull it off.  Are quality learning experiences even the standard anymore?  Or do stakeholders prefer a killer test score to a quick-witted student debate?

We may not have the dream education system now, but we do hold the power in asking:

1. Are my students asking good questions?  Do my lessons inspire curiosity?
2. Do my students think for themselves?  Do they respectfully challenge others?
3. Do my students “hold their own” in a conversation or class discussion?
4. Do my students produce high quality work?  Do they get to make choices about how they demonstrate their learning?
5. Do my students enjoy school?  Are they nice to each other?

We know our students. We don't need a standardized test to tell us who knows what.  We informally assess our kids thirty times a day. Trust us. We know our kids. Now can we just get back to QUALITY, please?

Quality learning experiences.  Quality relationships.  Quality education.  Quality strollers.