Two Years in the Making

After many ups and downs, I finally finished the work I started in Finland. Many of you have been following along since we left the United States to move to Finland. I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to research the Finnish education system. You can see my original Statement of Grant Purpose here.

After arriving in Finland in September 2021, I learned that many schools were still not allowing international visitors because of COVID. This put a damper on my research plans. Most of my research hinged on being able to enter the schools to observe and interview teachers and students.

I spent the first few months researching in coffee shops and from our tiny studio apartment. It wasn’t the life I expected when I signed up for the grant. I felt very lonely. The lifestyle was such a shock after spending four years in the classroom.

The professor who supported my work already had connections at a primary school through the University of Helsinki. This made it easier for my research to be approved. By January, the school approved my research plan. I started conducting interviews via video conference.

I began making progress that winter. I interviewed teachers, students, and parents via video conference with the help of my supporting professor and her colleague. We conducted interviews in English and Finnish based on the participants’ preference.

After my grandpa died in April, I flew back to the United States. It was difficult for me to return to Finland, let alone continue my research. I became unmotivated to finish.

I took some time off of writing. I even thought about not continuing my research at all. At this point, I had moved to Panama and started teaching fifth grade. I had very little time to research while adjusting to my new busy schedule.

In January 2023, my professor reached out to me again and encouraged me to keep writing. I spent every weekend editing, revising, and even conducting more interviews. This summer, I found out that my manuscript was approved for publication in the Education Sciences journal. I was overjoyed that after so many obstacles, my paper would be published.

If you are interested in the final product, check out my article here.

Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this process!

Jon got me this balloon when my article was officially published.