I first wondered if such a thread and these kinds of posts could be made on an investment forum. But then again, this is what our children encounter at school, so perhaps it is good for us parents to endure this in text form? After all, we aren’t “skin in the game” in the position of a young person.
Linking the topic to investing shouldn’t be a challenge for anyone, so I won’t necessarily write about that, at least not right away.
I aim to use my own experiences to describe the state of the Finnish comprehensive school system (my understanding is mainly from Southern Finland, but from a school in a “good” area), plus, of course, what I hear from colleagues around the country. The intention is not to underestimate anyone, sweep problems under the rug, or to fearmonger. These are, however, certain realities that we are struggling with now, and most certainly will in the future as well. Interventions should be made now, not later.
I will try to write about each topic area almost as its own post, so the thoughts stay clear and the texts don’t become too long.
In these overviews, I aim to take the reader back to the school bench and have them imagine the situation for themselves. This doesn’t apply to all young people, of course, but I contend that during their school journey, everyone is exposed to these side effects in one way or another.
Safety in comprehensive school
Generally, comprehensive schools are still safe today. The biggest change in the sense of security is that young people are very afraid of being “lynched” on social media. We adults don’t even understand the mental pressure this causes. Whether it’s sharing an “ugly photo” with others or making a mocking video. You practically cannot be yourself (if you feel you are different), because at any moment you might end up online, and as we know, you never really get off there.
Physical violence is increasingly moving in a direction where “gentleman’s rules” can be forgotten. Out in the yard, it’s not about two people testing their mettle; when someone gets hit, they get a proper beating from a group. Many have surely come across these videos on Twitter (X), among other places. In these situations, violence is directed with enough numbers and force that the victim has very little chance. This is also often combined with various forms of humiliation.
Part of the safety aspect is that carrying knives and blades is quite common. You would be surprised if you knew how many are found in backpacks. I encourage every parent to “raid” their own Markku-Mirjam’s school bag from time to time, simply because of substances and now these blades (this applies to all socioeconomic classes). Of course, they aren’t flashed daily at school; they are “carried for one’s own safety,” or if someone knows that some degree of “face-swelling festivities” have been arranged for the walk home in the afternoon, they can defend themselves a bit.
At first, what seemed like pathetic “gang signs”—hand gestures associated with gang-LARPing (role-playing)—have become drastically more common. These are harmless in themselves, but clearly already part of this larger whole where 10–15-year-old rascals imagine they are the mafia. Some young people find this frightening—and I don’t wonder why. I emphasize that both those with immigrant backgrounds and native Finnish students are guilty of this.
Fortunately, dealing weed, let alone pills, hasn’t arrived at our school in a major way yet. Sales are mainly focused on vapes and their liquids. The activity is already organized enough that they know how to place lookouts near the exchange points so that these newest “gang” recruits can howl a signal when the “camel” (teacher) comes on their rounds.
These “sweethearts” also know perfectly well that, ah, there are no consequences for getting caught. Criminal liability begins at age 15, and this is unfortunately being exploited. This relates to everything I wrote above, as well as many other side effects, such as robbery and theft. One of the latest cases was when a student took products from a well-known electronics brand from others’ pockets and sold them on, making quite a profit for an 11-year-old in just a few days.
