But why are 12th graders finished with school in February? They take national exams (in at least 4 subjects of their choosing) in March. They finish school with 3-4 weeks to study for the National Exams. Then they apply to University, after all of this. So in essence, the 11th graders are becoming the oldest students at school, and they send the 12th graders on their way in February.
At the Kicking Out party after school, the 11th graders organized an evening of games- like trivia or games that reminded me of Improv Comedy games. There were also some musical performances, and then all of the 12th graders received a certificate with a big foot, their name and a handwritten note. After this, a lot of them went to celebrate in places perhaps advertised by the sign above. The next day at school, the 12th graders put on a schoolwide performance that is mostly a roast of their teachers. It was hysterical, even though I don't speak Finnish, and it was all in Finnish. I sat next to a woman who updated me throughout the show. The performance was so well done. They had made videos ahead of time that were of very high quality. Additionally, they acted out a staff meeting and even called some teachers up on stage to participate. None of the teachers say no. They are such good sports. I asked my host if the students ever crossed the line into inappropriate. She said that they don't because they plan for this tradition as a class, and there are many eyes on their work to make sure it is appropriate. After this show, the 12th graders get on rented flat bed trucks, all of them and drive through the city throwing out candy to people watching them- like an American parade.
All of this is happening across the country on the same day. If you were to go into a small town in Lapland, you could expect to stand on the streets and score some candy. You could also expect to see the 12th graders then head to Helsinki and get on a cruise to Sweden. The cruise ships hold 2,000 students, and almost every 12th grader goes. I don't think I would want to chaperone that cruise.
A Fulbright colleague of mine said these three days we got to spend inside the schools felt very intimate. It does feel like we were given a secret look into this side of school culture that has built over the course of a year. Some teachers shared that having these sort of traditions help the students feel closer as a school. The culture felt safe enough for students to joke with each other and teachers without crossing any lines that might hurt people's feelings. They also had the confidence for all of them to dance in public! Imagine trying to pull that off in an American high school. I think next year, Michelle Clark, my extremely talented colleague, might need to give it a try.
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