The Aseman koulu school is a primary school with grades 1–6, located in the Ylistaro area in the City of Seinäjoki. There are approximately 60 pupils and 6 permanent staff members. The school building was finished in 1922, and an extensive renovation was finished in the beginning of 2020. The school yard has a multi-purpose hall, built in 2018, with a full-size sports hall and a gym. We also have access to a recreational facility. Jogging and skiing tracks begin right from the school yard, and we also have an orienteering map available for the forest.

As the school was recently renovated, it now has new, open, and motivating premises as well as cutting-edge teaching equipment, such as 86-inch touch screens in all classrooms. Classrooms and study areas are designed to provide an opportunity for different kinds of learners to find their space and way to demonstrate their skills and maximise their learning.

At the Aseman koulu school, we invest in diverse learning environments that can be easily adapted according to the needs of the pupils. As a member of Finnish Schools on the Move action programme, motor learning strategies are very important to us. For us, the teacher’s role is to be an approachable adult whose main task, in addition to teaching, is to pay attention and listen to the children. We all face difficulties, but these can be overcome with the inner strength everybody has. The atmosphere in the Aseman koulu school is not ruled by strong discipline, textbooks, and niggling but by attending to different kinds of learners, functional practises, and acceptance. Pupils’ participation and investing in the community spirit is an operating principle equally as important as learning to read is in the national core curriculum.

Following the principles of Finnish Schools on the Move action programme, we invest in the overall well-being of our pupils and organise regularly sports and digital events. Long exercise breaks, gymnastics sessions on Monday mornings, and functional learning are part of our everyday activities.

The Aseman koulu school might be small, but with strong village community spirit, our pupils develop a great sense of humour, learn to love physical exercise, become original thinkers, and agile users of digital devices – and grow up with a big heart.