Anu Rapala, who works at Keuruu elementary school, is known as Lakiope on social media. Now he is writing an easy-to-read law book on discipline in primary education.
“Law teacher-Anu here’s hello!”
This is how they start Anu Rapala video On Youtube and On Tiktok. Among other things, they familiarize themselves with what kind of means Finnish law gives teachers to discipline the class.
Topics include, for example, the follow-up session and removing the student from the class.
There has been a lot of talk in the public about the burden of the teacher’s work and how to guarantee work peace in large, combined classes. Rapala, who works at Keuruu elementary school in Central Finland, wanted to contribute to the discussion.
All started from burnout at work.
The exhaustion of Rapala, who has been a teacher for 30 years, was caused by factors that many others have also pointed out. It was a big class where it hurt and happened. At the same time, there was less time left for teaching itself.
On the other hand, both the students and their guardians seemed to question Rapala’s authority, professionalism and discipline.
Rapala was exhausted for the first time in 2014. The stress was so intense that he could not walk and had no strength in his hands.
Rapala’s exhaustion was diagnosed in 2019, when the ability to walk started again. That’s when he thought that he would no longer let work take away his health.
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Rapala received a lot of information about legal disciplinary methods, which he had no idea about before.
Eventually the idea of going to study developed. Rapala was able to study legal trade economics at Southeastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and completed his degree in about two years.
Rapala says that, for example, he got a lot of information about the teacher’s legal disciplinary methods, which he had no idea about before.
Rapala completed the internship at the district court. For a while, the idea of downsizing was running around in my head.
“But I got the feeling that now that I got information as a teacher about what tools we actually have at our disposal by law, I can’t help but share it with other teachers. I have to do something.”
In addition, there was so much good in teaching that Rapala wanted to return to it.
Anu Rapala believes that even teachers do not know the law very well.
One one of the biggest realizations for Rapala was that teachers are public servants in the eyes of the law. He thinks that not many others are necessarily aware of it either.
Rapala mentions an example from 2005. The teacher had tried to remove the student from the class, but he had resisted and hit the teacher on the cheek. The Helsinki Court of Appeal fined the student for resisting an official as a young person.
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“If the rules of the game were made clear to everyone, we could reduce the cat’s tail of who has the last word.”
Rapala believes that teachers generally do not know the law very well. According to him, many may have removed a student from class without knowing what the right is based on.
If, for example, a student or guardian has questioned the actions, the teacher may end up questioning them himself. It increases uncertainty and caution.
“If the rules of the game were made clear to everyone, students, teachers and students’ guardians, we could reduce the cat’s tail of who has the last word.”
In the law much more is said about the rights and responsibilities of the teacher and the student. For example, chapters 35 and 36 of the Basic Education Act state, among other things, as follows:
“Students must perform their tasks conscientiously and behave in a matter-of-fact manner. The student must behave without bullying or discriminating against others…”
“– the teacher or principal of the school can, for educational reasons, order the student to clean or reorganize the school’s property or space that the student intentionally or carelessly has dirty or put in disarray.”
“A student who disrupts the lesson may be ordered to leave the classroom or other space for the remainder of the lesson…”
Chapter 36 also makes it possible to remove the phone from the student. The object can be taken over if by using it “the student disturbs teaching or learning”.
Rapala would like to see teachers become polarised. If necessary, teachers may also use force, but not the use of force.
To the authorities According to Rapala, there has been a big change in attitude during his career. Students don’t always believe the teacher’s word.
Even talking to the principal is no longer a deterrent for all students, Rapala says. However, he believes and hopes that the law will still be respected.
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Now Rapala is preparing a “law book” for basic education on disciplinary methods.
When Rapala returned to school, he held a class for the sixth graders, among other things, where he explained the Basic Education Act.
“When the students heard what all that entails, they quieted down a bit and thought, ‘oh my, does the law say that’.”
Now Rapala is preparing a “law book” for basic education on disciplinary methods.
It will be a thin and small spiral bound book. He compiles the text directly from the law book. Then he clarifies and summarizes the legal points.
The purpose is that, if necessary, the teacher can show the student in an argument situation where to base his order: Finnish law.
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