FINNISH SCHOOL SYSTEM

1. Finnish students only take one standardized test during their primary and secondary schooling. At the end of high school, they take The Finnish Test (NME), and teachers grade this test, not computers. In this test, students have to answer questions about topics, such as evolution, losing a job, dieting, political issues, violence, war, ethics in sports, junk food, and popular music.

2. Finns value free time and play. Teachers must give student a 15-minute break for every 45-minute lesson. Also, Finnish students do not have to do a lot of homework. They spend only about 2.5 hours a week doing homework. It’s 5.5 hours for American students.

3. In Finland, university education is free. Students do not have to pay a huge amount of money to be a university graduate. Master and doctoral programs are also free.

4. In Finland, they treat teachers like professors at universities. Teachers teach fewer hours, so they can spend more time planning their lessons. They also make more money than an average teacher in the USA.

American School System

1. In the USA, students take more than 60 standardized tests from kindergarten through high school graduation. Computers grade the multiple choice tests. Students must answer many complicated Math, History, Geography, Science, and English, questions.

2. American students spend more than 6 hours a week doing homework. They have only 27 minutes of recess every day.

3. American university students have to pay about $10.000 for each year of university. The cost for private universities is about $30.000 a year. Students start paying off when they graduate.

4. Teachers in the USA teach about 30 hours a week, and must do their work like lesson planning, marking, etc. at home. Many teachers in the USA choose to take multiple jobs, because the pay is not so well.