Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms pdfdrive com

Buddy up
At my Helsinki school, I noticed a unique tradition in which the sixth grade
classrooms would team up with first grade classrooms. Initially I admired the
practice from a distance, but when my fifth graders turned into sixth graders I
got to experience this approach with my class firsthand.
That fall my class visited the first grade classroom, where my students were
assigned to buddy up with the youngest members of our school. I remember our
collaboration started with a scavenger hunt throughout the school, prepared by
the first grade teacher. And from that day forward, this buddy system seemed to
boost the first graders’ sense of belonging at school. On the playground, during
those fifteen-minute breaks, I’d see first graders tagging along with my students
and hugging them incessantly. (At times the affection of some little ones became
so intense that I’d need to intervene and rescue my sixth graders—they’d thank
me.)
Throughout that school year, my class teamed up with the first grade class in
different ways. We had at least a couple of lessons together, where my students
assisted them with their schoolwork. Also, we did fieldwork together on at least
one occasion. The arrangement was modest, requiring little additional prep and
communication, but I think this practice contributed to a higher level of
belonging in our school, especially for the first graders. I’d argue, too, that my
sixth graders had a greater sense of purpose at school because of the buddy
system. I sensed that many of my students could see that their kindness to our
school’s youngest members made a difference.

---

The buddy system is not a mandated practice in Finnish schools, or even a
widespread one, in my understanding, but through experiencing this tradition at
my Helsinki school I saw how well this approach can boost a sense of belonging
in the school setting. Paula Havu, my former colleague and the teacher of the
first grade class I’d sometimes observe during my first year in Helsinki, told me
more about her experiences with the buddy system:
With my twenty-eight kids in the classroom, including “integrated” kids,
we were still able to go to so many places because of the buddy system,
because I had [the sixth grade teacher] and the sixth graders with us. I
knew that every single kid would have an older student to stand next to.
And those older students, although they’re kind of teenagers, when they
are given responsibility, when they are trusted, [when] they get a little
buddy to walk with them . . . they change. They don’t need to be tough.
They don’t need to be cool. They need to take care of that little guy over
there and be [the role model].
Paula has an interesting theory for why the buddy system seems to work well:
Sometimes, the class has certain dynamics and students have certain
roles in the classroom. But then when you mix it up with another
classroom, those group dynamics change. And you don’t have to
necessarily be that tough guy in your own classroom—you can actually
be part of the different group.
During our phone conversation, I told Paula that many teachers in the United
States feel like they lack time for teaming up with colleagues, because they’re
too busy and stressed out. “But part of that,” Paula interrupted me, “is also that
you do [develop] stress when you have to do everything on your own. The
moment you share it with someone else, it becomes easier.”
While pairing sixth graders with first graders seems sensible, I think other
arrangements could work well, too. Why not pair an eighth grade class with a
sixth grade class? Or a second grade class with a kindergarten class? Even
children close in age can reap the benefits of buddying up with each other.
As I suggested before, the buddy up strategy is reasonably low prep. What’s
essential is that this kind of bond between your classroom and another classroom
is established early in the school year, so that students (and teachers) can enjoy
that heightened sense of belonging throughout that year.

---