Good time goes fast

Our active period in SRES ended last Thursday. Even though we realized it in advance that the four weeks would go fast, we were amazed how suddenly the final week and the final lesson came.

Our great team

We had two hour long lesson per day with 3^rd graders and even though it sounds a short time, I took lot of preparation work and days were drawn out often to midnight. One of the main targets of program was to create learning situation and environment, where the pupils would be in central and active role by creating and exploring information by themselves – and learning by that way. Someone could think that if you give more responsibility and tasks for students, you can lighten your own work load by doing that. Yes, in some cases that might work that way, but when operating with class with 30 pupils, the preparation and schedule planning takes notable part of your work time – especially, when you have to compress your daily class room activity effectively in two hours.


When planning, the important questions are for example: how to organize the schedule that every pupil can be active, how to adjust the level of assignments right (not too easy, but not too challenging either), and maybe the first and foremost: how to create effective learning environment.

The final floor ball game. It shouldn't be serious, right? "Why didn't you pass?!"

Operating with fellow worker(s) is a priceless advantage in best possible case. And that case came true this year. I, as a media education student and a journalist, have some know-how about creating media contents and how to use them supporting teaching and learning and Matleena, as a teacher student, has a lot of knowledge and experience about teaching methods and working with young pupils. Our team play, from planning to class room, went perfectly and we gave each other great support and our own special areas were balancing each other. And of course, Steve as a class teacher gave us invaluable tools and safe backup when working with large class.

Sanna and Risto having some spelling practice with shaving foam! One example of Mr. Aho's innovative teaching methods.

I will tell and analyze more details about our class room activity later. No it’s time to continue my other duties related to the project and try to fit everything undone tasks in Upper Peninsula to these rest three weeks I have left here. Semester in Finlandia University is over and the dorm is almost empty. That means lot of time and space to think and create!  

E-Magazine project with SRES 3^rd grade and Sodankylä's 6^th grade will continue awhile and there will be still some updates. Please follow!

And for the final, the compulsory weather update: finally snow has melted almost totally from Hancock area and last two days have been almost hot causing some burning to some parts of skin. The forecast still promises some possibility of snow showers for the next weekend, so you shouldn’t celebrate yet. This lake-effect has been something unprecedented for Finnish!

A view from the school yard only three weeks ago. The snow storm interrupted the school day and busses are ready to carry kids back to home.

The practical part of training started

So finally this week we started our field period of Hei Suomi! –program spring 2013. The 3^rd graders of South Range Elementary School have been so far, as we understand, very interested and excited about our co-operation. We are already so delighted about the great atmosphere which we are surrounded by in Steve Aho’s 3^rd grade’s class room.

At the beginning we introduced ourselves with Matleena and we also told some basic information about Finland and our backgrounds. Students got their Finnish first names and it seemed that that kind of ice-breaker was great simple idea, thanks to teacher Steve and last year’s students Sanna-Mari and Eeva.

During the first week we dealt with Finnish immigration history of Copper Country in nutshell and the students had as their first homework to ask, what kind of different Finnish backgrounds they have in their home. After that we had interesting discussion about the topic and we recognized that the kids were truly interested about that topic.

Konsta and Kyösti are exploring the local newspaper.

To explain the distances and locations, Google Maps has been an invaluable tool!

We have already taken our first steps as media producers too. Students have already learned the basics of using SLR camera. We have also explored our E-Magazine ground so far and started to do short introductions about kids there. Before introducing digital format of magazine, we riffled together some local newspapers and explored what kind of sections and contents they are including.

Jaakko and Antero, young journalists!

 Let’s hope that the current snow storm wouldn’t cancel any lessons tomorrow, because we have lot things to do before early May - and it already feels, that there’s not too much time left anymore!

Preparing for FinnFest 2013

"We are not going to put the phonograph on because se on epäkunnossa". Director Melvin Kangas is guiding actors on an old stage of Hancock Middle School, which has not been in use for a while.

A group of actors are training for their play, which is going to be performed at midsummer, as part of various program of FinnFest 2013.

Hancock old Middle School has come to action again. The play group uses the stage every Wednesday and Thursday nights before FinnFest 2013 for training the play.

"Yes, we are practicing on a play for FinnFest. It is called Ten Scenes of Niskavuori, which I have made the translation for from Finnish to English. The play is compilation of three stories; Women of Niskavuori, Bread of Niskavuori and What’s now, Niskavuori?.

Niskavuori is a legendary old Finnish drama series, written by Hella Vuolijoki. The series have had an important role to strengthen Finnish identity.

FinnFest USA is an annual event for American Finns and their descendants which give a chance for American Finns to meet each other over the USA and deepen their knowledge about being Finn. This year the FinnFest will be held in city of Hancock which has a remarkable Finnish heritage and immigration history. They are expecting thousands of visitors to arrive to Hancock and all of the accommodations of the nearby area will be fully booked.

The 16 person group of Niskavuori actors consists mainly of staff and faculty members of Finlandia University and other community members. All of them are amateurs, but the atmosphere there at the hall of Hancock Middle School feels like in any professional play practice. The actors are flinging themselves in the practice and director Melvin Kangas is pointing out some details if needed.

"We practice two times per week, couple of hours each time. We’ll have three performances: the first one is the evening before the opening the FinnFest, Melvin says.

Director Melvin Kangas has had a big amount of work by translating the Finnish play manuscripts to English.