My high school in Finland is slightly different from my high school in Eugene. To start off, here it is mandatory to take only three years of high school. Since I have not yet mastered the Finnish language my days don’t consist of too many difficult classes, I would say my most challenging class is History. The teachers do the best they can to make sure I understand what is going on in class, some of the teachers have even provided me with English and Spanish text books so I can study. My favorite class is Physics because it is easier for me to follow along and the teacher is very helpful. I love PE class and it couldn’t be more different from PE at Marist. In PE class most of the students don’t wear shoes, the class is always in a different location, and most PE classes are separated by gender. Last PE lesson we went to the ice hall and ice skated (it is not my cup of tea).
The “rules” at the school are a bit different as well. There is no dress code (probably because it is too cold to wear anything provocative). When a teacher is not at school the lesson is cancelled, there are no substitute teachers. You can have your phone out whenever/wherever. You can leave the class whenever you’d like, no questions asked. If you miss two lessons without reason, you will either be dropped from that class or you will need to take it again. The homework is almost always optional.
The actual school has three floors and a “basement” (Luckily there is an Elevator in case you’re running late). In each hall there are sinks, cups, and a mirror for any type of needs. There is “billiard room” that includes a TV, a billiard, the student council office (where there is always coffee) a computer, the nurses office, and many other things. At the moment we are painting these wooden things white to make into sofas. The billiard room is a great place to hang out after lunch or when you have a free lesson. There are at least three couches in every hallway which makes the school a lot more comfortable and not so stressful.
Every student wears a winter coat to school so there are many hooks throughout the hallway for them and no lockers. Some students take off their shoes when they take off their coats and they leave them off for the whole school day. Everyone at this school is very trustworthy, I often leave my wallet with my phone in it on a shelf all day and when I come to get it, it is in the exact same spot untouched.
There are many pros at this school and not many cons, the only cons I could think of is there not being many school dances and no school sports. Going to this school has been absolutely amazing, and I have loved every moment of it.
