Outi Jarventaus Oinas

Teaching didactics of language teaching, and also teaching the English language at several schools and the University Teacher Trainee school in Rovaniemi Lapland till my retirement 1996. Finished my late PhD on the life cource and life history of a person born in 1883, author and clergymän Arvi Jarventaus, my grandfather. The theoretical framework is focused on life span periods especially the impact of Emerging Adulthood (Years from 20 to 25-30) on one's Adulthood.
Happy Christmas to you all! I am going to have my whole family, 16 members all together in Lapland for the season. My husband declared Lapland the land of Santa Claus in 1982. Since then tourists seem to have found the pleasant winter season for recreation. You should come and experience the lovely midwinter in this part of the world!
Obs! Jan 22nd in 2011
I corrected the innumerable of printing mistakes in my first comments from 2008. Mrs. Isacson would have gotten a stroke had she seen them! I have been a poor user of the site, not having glanced at my own text, but I truly admire the editors' skills, creating the interesting site structure and keeping up the class spirit through this media! The only trouble is that having lost most contacts in the course of years, I feel an alien from Mars among you. I have saved the original Gopher and attained "The Luckiest Generation", but by now it is kind of late to start learning about you. All I can say is "Thank you for being there for me, too".

It was new to me (1957-1958 AFS-er) that a student was able to choose only a few school subjects for the whole year. In Finland we had various changes covering a range of areas. I made a mistake choosing classical music. All the year, every day, I participated in a class with future symphony composers without understanding the fine teaching I was getting for free. Poor Mr. Griebenow must have been frustrated in with me in the class, althgough he never let me notice. I fine teacher indeed! I admired his patience, but felt ashamed. Kids could not change their schedule, I had believed.
Most of my memories are just fun to remember. But I felt embarassed, when you guys washed cars to have another AFS-er for the year. My parents had paid a lot, and Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe had hosted me for free. But the organization needed funds to organize. It was worth it! The year was certainly memorable. So 50- years later, I still feel grateful for the car washers.

I have visited the USA several times since, but only twice in a school environment. Both trips included Berkeley, University of California while my daughters with their families were working as post-doctorate visitors (One 1994-95 and another 2005-2006). During the first trip I was able to get acquainted with teaching of a class of exceptionally talented high school students on their summer vacation. Everyone of them was motivated so wholeheartedly that the teachers could concentrate in the developing the methods instead of arousing the students' interest It reminded me of dear Mr. Olson, my very hero in St Louis Park. He was a brilliant teacher with a mixed group. His teaching was carrying out conversation on social studies involving everyone in the debate. In my Finnish school we were used to sitting still, listening or anwering questions. Luckily our schools have changed from those days...

( Now I notice that it is the text -program that keeps making randomized spelling mistakes after I saved the text! Have you got similar problems or is it because the server does not serve me, far away?)