So we’ve already established that there is no special magic that makes the Finnish educational system successful. But perhaps maybe the concept of trust has the subtle hint of otherworldliness that definitely requires further exploration. I continue to come across this word with every encounter, observation, discussion, lecture, and conversation I have had with educators throughout Finland. I have yet to synthesize my findings on trust, but I will confidently weave this into my inquiry project. This project continues to become more and more important as it fills my thoughts throughout every moment while I am here. The time to focus on this specific area of study is just plain and simply awesome. It’s not all easy, yet the highs are incredible. In fact, this week I gave a lecture to a room full of graduate students from around the world on Special Education in America and for two hours I was on, passionately sharing about how we best meet our students’ needs.
My Fulbright colleagues have been a wonderful sounding board as we continue to have intellectual conversations finding connections with our various projects. It’s all very inspiring. Sharing resources, articles, people of interest, and strategies is remarkable. I wonder how can we weave these stimulating conversations into our life on a regular basis at home. One month in and five more to go- I can’t even imagine we get all of this time to make even more of this opportunity. Feeling so lucky!
