Why finland has the best education by michael moore

SOC 101:

Where to Invade Next

by Alan and Yang

School Meals in France

In France, children get served a four-course meal with a vegetable starter, warm main course, a side of grains/vegetables/cheese, and dessert.

They only drink water as a beverage, and vending machines/junk food are banned in all French schools. You must sit at the table and eat your food for at least 30 minutes! The French emphasize on taking time to eat your food.

School Meals in France-America

Personally, I find France surprising. I always thought the standard for food at schools was low, as the food they serve there are typically unhealthy and cheap. Seeing France serve healthy school meals for their children was definitely different than the way they do it United States. The French treat school meals like a class, and they really care about teaching kids the healthy way to eat. This is different to America’s standard school meals, which are usually seen as unhealthy and less quality than France’s. American schools usually only give 30 minutes to eat your food, and it treated as break time instead of class.

a standard school meal from an American public school.

US Taxes vs. France Taxes

France taxes are slightly more than America’s,

but the French get a lot more services from their taxes.

This includes great schools with quality school meals for children, nursing care, prescription,

paid vacation/sick leave/daycare, free college, free healthcare, and more.

The difference between the two is that America spends 60% of their taxes on military, and France spends it on services for the citizens.

Italy Labor Rights

Italy have employment and labor rights for the workers’ and their well being. Employees in Italy have a paid holiday, paid honeymoon, thirteenth salary, two hour lunch breaks, and paid parental leave.

Italy gets over eight weeks of paid vacation a year. After couples get married, they recieve 15 more days of paid vacation for their honeymoon. The Italians believe that vacation is no good if they don’t go out and enjoy themselves.

Unlike Italy, the US doesn't have any federal laws that requires paid holidays or paid family leave. The labor laws in America are aimed to remedy the "inequality in bargaining power" between the employees and their employers.

China China is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world. It has a long cultural history and is the first country in the world to invent the examination system.

It’s a special human society. Everyone's social relations are closely linked. China is the most populous country in the world. Population is one of China's biggest problems. Chinese food culture is rich and has a lot of variety. Every place has its own special food.

The difference between Chinese and American education system

Chinese students have endless homework before they go to college. Every Chinese student needs to work from six in the morning to eleven in the evening.

Scores are the most important. Many times Chinese students are thinking about how to improve their scores, rather than learning knowledge. The school teacher taught everyone how to pass with the exam all the time

Contrary to the United States, Chinese universities are much easier than high schools. Students can spend a lot of time doing what they like to do in universities.

American students are very relaxed before they go to university. They may even have time to do outdoor sports.

In college, American students need to learn a lot of professional knowledge to help them find a good job in society.

Chinese college entrance examination

The Reasons why China have this Educational System

China has a large population and the pressure of competition is very great. High school students need to enter the university through the college entrance examination. China's credentialism is very serious.

The influence of history and culture, in ancient China, the people who were in the government had the most power, and then wanted to be an official had to pass strict examinations, and this examination system was passed down.

It's much easier to find a good job in the government after entering a good university than in a low-ranking university. So many Chinese university students think entering a good university can be done without learning. But if you want to work in an enterprise, you still need to learn professional knowledge in University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9RWgVbvklA

Finland

Finland has one of the highest quality education in the world. Students can feel happy and love learning at school.

Finland ranks first in the world in terms of criminal justice in the 2014 legal system index published by the World Justice Project (WJP). And the prison police in Finland do not have guns equipped.

Equity and Social Justice in Finland

The basic structure of Finland's welfare state provides fair and equal conditions for every child and family to enjoy a quality The basic structure of Finland's welfare state provides fair and equal conditions for every child and family to enjoy a quality educational environment for every family.educational environment for every family. I think this is also a Cultural norms，statute uses coercive means to enable schools to implement such educational guidance. After a long time, people used to this teaching mode.

“There are no mandated standardized tests,” writes LynNell Hancock at Smithsonian, “apart from one exam at the end of students’ senior year in high school. There are no rankings, no comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions.” Every school and student are equal.

Many people in the U.S. object to comparisons like Moore’s by noting that societies like Finland are “homogenous” next to what may seem to them like maddening cultural diversity in the U.S. However, Finland has incorporated (not without difficulty) large immigrant and refugee populations.

Education system in Finland

In Finland, no teacher is allowed to lead a primary school class without a master’s degree in education, with specialization in research and classroom practice. Teaching is the most admired job in Finland next to medical doctors.

It seems a bit contradictory, but Finland has become one of the world's top educational powers by virtue of fewer classes, fewer assignments and fewer examinations.

The basic structure of Finland's welfare state provides fair and equal conditions for every child and family to enjoy a quality educational environment for every family.

A school teacher must have a master's degree.

Culture Shock

Cultural shock refers to a person's cultural inadaptability from his original cultural environment to a new one.

For example, after World War II, there was a mass migration of population. A large number of immigrants migrated from their old countries to a one. This also means moving from their previous cultural background to a new cultural background. Many cross-cultural psychosocial problems awaited them, and they will experience a disorientation upon a new environment.

4 stages of Culture Shock:

Honeymoon (Excited and ready!),

Anxiety (nervous, confused),

Adjustment (adapt and getting used to it), and

Acceptance (you understand more about the culture now and are able to deal with it)

Culture Shock from the film

Personally, I found France and Italy a bit of a culture shock. I always thought the standard for food at schools was low, as the food they serve there are typically unhealthy and cheap. Seeing France serve healthy school meals for their children was definitely different than the way they do it United States. The French treat school meals like a class, and they really care about teaching kids the healthy way to eat. This is different to America’s standard school meals and social norms, which are usually seen as unhealthy and less quality than France’s. Italy’s paid vacation was also a shock for me, I never knew that it was possible to work and have your vacation paid for, it was a completely new concept for me. With all the culture shock I’ve experienced from watching the Where to Invade Next, I can only ask, “Why isn’t America doing this?” - Alan

I think there is culture shock on the educational system of the United States, Finland and China. Chinese students are under the greatest pressure. They not only don't have enough sleep time, but also have no hobbies. The cruel social competition and education system make students think that grades are everything. By contrast, the United States has a lot of hidden curriculum. English short drama, as hidden curriculum, activates campus culture and creates a good English-learning atmosphere for students. Students have their own leisure time, but they need to learn more in University. The quality of education varies are different from school. In the United States, people tend to spend a lot of money on Education. Finland is equal to every student. Students have enough time to do what they want to do. Students do not need to spend extra money on education. Students prefer to go to school compared with two other countries. - Yang

Cultural Relativism

For example, many Chinese people who have just arrived in the United States complain that the United States is inefficient and lazy. Some simple procedures in China are more complicated and time-consuming in America. On the other hand, as long as a Chinese restaurant is opened on one street, other shops can be closed (for efficiency) Chinese diligence will also be interpreted as greed and lack of interest in life. Some areas in China and South Korea have the custom of eating dog meat. Westerners and some Chinese dog lovers understand incompetence. Americans like to eat steak.

Cultural relativism is a kind of social training that respects differences and demands mutual respect. It emphasizes the value of various ways of life. This emphasis aims at seeking understanding and harmonious coexistence, instead of criticizing or even destroying things that do not conform to one's original culture. Simply speaking, it is to recognize and respect different cultures and to communicate on an equal basis.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is using one's own culture as a standard to evaluate another group or individual.

In the film Michael Moore compared other countries formal and social norms to America’s own. This includes France’s school systems, France’s taxes, Italy’s labor laws, and more.

For example, I love American food. I don’t think that any other food is better than America’s burger and fries. I see other foods and I instantly think American burgers and fries are better. This is an example of ethnocentrism, I grew up in a place where some people love burgers and fries, and I treat it as the “superior” food, even though everyone has their own backgrounds and cultures.

Conclusion

I think it is fair that Michael Moore judged American society by standards of other cultures because in a way it can help people in our society be more aware of what we do wrong. Comparing other cultures to ours can help us see how other unique other culture's social systems are compared to ours, but can also help us realize that there a lot of problems that need to be addressed. The main point he is trying to get across is that there are many ways we can still improve America’s education, laws, and society as a whole.

Alan

I think Moore is very appreciating the differences between other countries' cultures and American cultures. The values of each country are different. Compared with other countries' educational system, American educational system is widely accepted as a patterns. American education values are mainly spread in Europe, South America and Asia. So people think students have to take examination and get high grade to get a diploma. As a subculture, Finland's education system has not been widely spread in the world their schools are not very difficult for test. Nevertheless, I think United States as the most developed country in the world, school should learn from Finland's fair education system. The government can reduce students' expenditure on education, so everyone can receive a good education. A blindly higher tuition fee for students in schools will only widen the gap between the poor and the rich.