“I can just about read already,” says the first-year class – almost in unison.
At the Aseman Koulu school, first-graders are in the same class as second-graders and pre-schoolers (six-year-olds in the Finnish system), so the groups are often split up for different lessons.
“U is really easy,” says Mattias, who also found some other letters in his book a piece of cake to write.
“Boat, board, bat…” reads classmate Sonja as she works through her ABC’s book fluently.
“Everything is easy,” says Elli.
Not like the old days
Once the term starts, small children get to know the workings of the school quite fast.
"It’s an especially good example when the autumn gets going,” says teacher Liisa Knuutila. “Now you can already see the difference. In the beginning there are more games and practicing other things, such as not talking to each other during class. It’s important.”
From the adult perspective, classroom life these days seems quite different from what it used to be. For example, you don’t always have to sit in your spot being quiet as the grave, and small school children, at least, play and buzz about quite freely.
For Knuuttila, the differences are found in the way the school works, rather than in the kids.
“I wouldn’t say that kids are more lively, but the practices are perhaps a little different,” says Knuutila. “If I think of my own schooling, it was very much teacher-directed. Now it’s a different way of working.”