Multilingualism is a valuable asset, according to language and culture interpreter and early childhood educator Nadezda Kärmeniemi. However, she says that children who speak more than one native language are caught between differing attitudes at schools across Finland.
Polyglot children are usually faster to pick up new languages than monolinguals and are better equipped to view things from varying perspectives, says Kärmeniemi, a winner of the Arjen turvaaja award (roughly translated as "Everyday life protector") from the Foundation for Municipal Development (Kaks).
Nevertheless, according to the Hamina-based teacher, students from multicultural backgrounds are often met with comments such as "in school we speak Finnish". Some teachers have reportedly described speaking in another language as "provocative".
"Unfortunately, there are instances in our society where speaking one's mother tongue is not allowed. When a child goes to school, the multilingual 'coat' may be left at home, with only Finnish used at school, as there is a sense that the language used at home does not belong there," Kärmeniemi says.
Students caught in the midst of confusion
While some children do not find it taxing to switch to Finnish when requested, other kids may find this type of intolerance more challenging.
"They probably just want us to learn Finnish," say Maria Yakovleva and Yulia Souvijenko, Russian-speaking pupils in Kotka, southeast Finland.
The 10th graders tell Yle that they have been often told to refrain from speaking in Russian, especially during primary school.
"It feels quite unnecessary to speak Finnish with other Russian speakers," says Yakovleva.
Natalia Baklanova, amother in nearby Hamina, is growing increasingly upset by the treatment of her Russian-speaking son when using his mother tongue. In the worst cases, Baklanova describes her son's treatment as bullying.
"We have the right to speak our own language, and this should be better addressed," Baklanova's son Nicolas Podolyan says.
Four children enough for a language class
Should Finnish-language schools require students to only speak Finnish?
Katri Kuukka, an education counsellor at the National Agency for Education, answers with a firm "no."
According to the national school curriculum, studies can involve situations where both teachers and students use other languages they may know.
"Cultural diversity and language awareness is one of the guiding principles for the development of schools' ways of working. Multilingualism is also defined in such a way that the simultaneous use of different languages in everyday school life is seen as a natural thing," Kuukka says.
The education expert further added that the minimum requirement to organise teaching in a certain language is if four students speak that language. Still, not all municipalities provide such opportunities, despite government-funding, as such provisions are not compulsory.
Finally, Kuukka stresses that the use of one's own native language can and should be used to support learning as long as students do not disrupt class, for example, by chatting with friends in the classroom.
"Instances where teachers have asked students to not speak in their own mother tongue may be related to exclusion, misunderstanding and authority-related issues. These situations should always be discussed," the education counsellor notes.