Educators, researchers, and policy types around the world admire (and envy) Finland's students, who repeatedly demonstrate remarkable academic prowess on international assessments. [Finland, in fact, won the most medals in our recent Education Olympics event .] Unfortunately, though, Finnish students are not immune to the school and university tragedies that have become all too typical in the U.S. ??Just yesterday outside Helsinki, a young college student went on a shooting rampage at his small campus, killing nine of his classmates and himself. This follows a school massacre last November, in which an 18-year-old high school student also killed nine of his classmates. Both young men posted disturbing YouTube videos alluding to their violent intentions.
Teams of psychologists and social workers have descended upon the campus. Witnesses tell stories of the gunman firing at helpless students and staff. The Finnish government questions its gun ownership laws. A community tries to deal with the shock. An all too familiar storyline for Americans.
In our zeal to discover, replicate, and bottle the magic and mystery that is the Finnish educational system, let's not forget one thing: ??Even though they are academic superstars, Finnish students are still just kids, dealing with many of the societal devastations that likewise affect their American peers.
