Things behind the picture

We are pleased in the group picture, in which a group of IS2 kids (Sanna and me as well) looking at the 107 Pulla and 201 Karelian pie they just baked. They are so proud. Like many others, I am proud of them as well.

But this piece of writing wants to address more about how we achieved the happy moment in the picture. It’s not depreciating all the great work IS2 kids have been done so far. This writing aims to remind them how much other people have helped them. Put in another way, I want to thank for all the great ideas and supports from my colleagues.

It was exciting news when Lena assigned IS2 the work to bake for the International Food Exhibition during the High School Culture Week. As return, school will contribution a small amount of money for our Dublin trip. Culture week is a great new idea. Life in countryside can be so still and stale in November, when Christmas is yet to come. It’s always nice to have some happenings from time to time.  

After collected recipes from Finnish language teacher and Swedish language teacher, I started to plan the baking schedule and prepare the shopping list. After booked Home Economics Classroom C1 with the help from school secretary, C1 classroom teacher came to introduce herself to me. I was rather surprised to meet her for the first time. I always use C2 with my English Club students, and I have never thought who is in charge of C1. She offered help to prepare dough for pulla and porridge for Karelian pie since I am not familiar with Nordic baking and fancy Finnish kitchen machines, especially inside school kitchen, which has its “strict” rules. Furthermore, she reminded me not to mess up with her kitchen several times, in a very humorous way.

During the preparation, she started to ask me: how many students will come to bake? How are you going to divide the roles among them? How to plan the kitchen for Pulla and Karelian pie baking? How are you going to divide the porridge so that it can be made into 200 Karelian pie? How to divide the dough into 200 pieces? Have you thought how to carry the bakery back to high school? And so on…

I felt so unprepared in front of her questions, but remarkably, she didn’t make me feel very stupid at all. In terms of cooking, I am a typical Chinese cook, who always rely on “feeling”. In terms of planning, I heavily rely on improvisation. I always think students will figure out how to do it and the process of solving the real problem is the process of “learning”. But today’s cooking is not only a learning process, but a task. I am not ready at all. She generously started to teach me how to plan the whole process before students getting into the classroom.

10 portions of porridge for Karelian Pie.

Get ready to make the Pulla dough with machines.

Even oven trays are ready...

So, when IS2 kids came, even some of them were much ahead of scheduled time, everything had been ready. She stayed much longer than planned because many of our students didn’t know how to make Karelian pie. She offered to help more. It was another treasure that two Finnish language teachers came to help. Of course, William also came with lots of “energy fuels”, physically and mentally.

Undoubtedly, IS2 kids did such an amazing job. They cover each other’s stupidity. They find ways to cheer up their spirits even when doing pure labor work. Great work. And I hope, they keep up with today’s fantastic group spirit during tomorrow’s Food Exhibition. Another big thanks to Lena, who had this idea.