Finland has the happiest people on the planet continuously for the third year.   The world happiness report is created by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations after conducting an annual survey report. There are six factors that they consider and 156 countries participated. The six factors are life expectancy, generosity, level of GDP, Social support, corruption income, and freedom.

So how Finland is the happiest country in the world for consecutive three years. Finland has extensive welfare benefits, low levels of corruption, Freedom and anatomy, well-operate democracy, and a well-organized system of taxation and wealth distribution. Finland has a great healthcare system which is free for all citizen most of the time, the university is free for students and provides the best educational system. 80% of the population in Finland believe in their police force. Finland has a great work-life balance and one of the first country to introduce a flat working environment which demolishes the high level of hierarchy in the workplace.  Companies are well structured down more often employees work without or less direct supervision. Finland was a country that flighted for equal opportunity. They have been successful to end homeless and everyone has a home of their own. It also says Finnish never complain.

The second happiest country is Denmark, even though Denmark has the world’s highest tax which is more than ½ of the person’s paycheck they are happy to pay that amount. The reason that they believe the tax is to create a better society. In Denmark, health and education are free for everyone. They have a concept “Work when you can and do your share to the society”. The country has a strong social binding which each of them take care of each other. The best example in Denmark many children age 8-9 take public transportation by themselves alone but others will take care of them as their duty, babies put to sleep in their cart outside during cold weather. The most important thing is their free time off from work, they use it for more useful time to hang around with friends and family or be alone with a good book. They called it hygge. The most important thing is empowerment within selves which means people can choose their own lifestyle. For both countries, the mental condition is one of the key factors other than a good education, health care system, and freedom.

The unhappiest country is South Sudan. India is one of the  10^th unhappiest countries. Population and culture can have a major role in it. India is well known to have a hierarchical cast system, Many different ethnicities, religions beliefs, and ideas. Even India is getting economically strong and producing world-class best businessmen, politicians, tech expertise, educators, and philosopher country still have a huge income gap which pushes the majority of the people to poverty.  The hierarchy system in the workplace, society, and government corruption can be the number one issue. Safety is at a very low level in which the country has many rape cases reports which are 88cases daily and the 4^th highest crime. The government is failing to full fill people’s basic needs such as water and toilets. Gender equality has a huge gap in India which some still think having a baby girl brings unluck to the family. It also can be high expectations of individuals which will end up with disappointments due to other negative factors.

The United States was able to lift from its previous place of 20 to 18. Originally the United States was in the position of number 11 in 2012. United states can increase happiness by increasing gender equality and supporting work-life balance more than now. Boost the health care system and the welfare system reduce inequality and poverty. Also, need to set up a system to increase middle-class income and wellbeing. There is a lack of income distribution thru different states, simply say rich states and poor states. More than anything I think America needs a good educational system that decreases the banking educational system and increases self-education.

However, Sri Lanka took 138 places.

How unhappy is India? Very, according to World Happiness Report. Here’s more

Bhagya Bammunuarachchi

Used internet resources

While the world is trying to find what is the best method for teaching young children, Dr. Maria Montessori became the first lady physician in Italy. A Physician and educationist Edouard Seguin were enthusiastic about defective children or “Idiot” children in the 19th century. 1846 Seguin published a book called “Traitment moral, hygiene et education des idiots”. One day Dr. Maria Montessori read this book and fascinated about defective children while she met her own ideas within this book. She was working as an assistant doctor in the clinic of Psychiatry, Rome. In 1898 she was invited by Minister of Public Instruction, Signor Baccelli to give a course of lectures in Rome, to teachers who are interested in back-ward children. This lecture led to the foundation of “Mind -Straighten “schools. All the “feeble-minded” students all around Rome attended as well as private students send by the parents. She was then able to make these feeble students pass the same exam the normal students can pass. She said, “It was that the boys from the asylum had followed a different path from that pursued in the public schools.” (These are the words they used for children at that time)

Then she left the Scuola Ortofrencia and she entered the University of Rome as a Philosophy student. While she is dedicated herself to her studies she visited and inspected all the primary schools within her reach, and research pedagogic anthropology. After seven years of research, she then put her work into practical setting. In 1906 the well-known engineer Edoardo Talamo who then offered her the new infant schools about to established in Rome.

She was invited to create her educational center in San Lorenzo where a poor area of Rome. The people who lived under poverty and poor hygiene in cheap flats. The children live without air, light and with all forms of crime. She then opens her first Casa Dei Bambini on January 6, 1907. Once Real Estate institute of Rome established new flats, the apartments which open the Casa Dei Bambini were determined to be the cleanest and she created a great educational environment for all these students. She established rules for parents and for children to build a great atmosphere within the setting. The Director-General of the Real Estate Institution Edoardo Talamo place Dr. Montessori as in charge of all the schools established by his association. In the same year, she opens her second House of childhood and she direct supervised many schools belong to few societies at the same time. Her method of education then spread around Italy and open her third school in Milano on April 7, 1907.

The most attractive sensorial materials in our classrooms are the Pink Tower, broad stairs, Red Rods. Children love to work on those material and one of the most interesting materials is Broad stairs. Children carry one block at a time and place it as a staircase. Then the child uses the thinnest block to check their work. If they did their work right the thinnest block will match properly into the gap of the other blocks. Children are gleeful and thrive with this material since it has a point of interest. “The pebble”! children slowly and quietly drop from the top and it is falling with a sound of melody. It acts not only as a point of interest but also as an object to find errors. In the first Montessori magazine article of “An educational wonder -worker” the material describes as same. “A series of ten quadrangular prisms of equal length but regularly diminishing thickness, which the child has to range in their proper order so that they form a regularly ascending stairs” (McClure’s Magazine An Educational Wonder Worker(Pg. 13/14))

Another game we used in our classroom is the “Silent Game. We switched off the lights, closed all the blinds to block the natural sunlight. But we explain to children now we are going to play a game and it called Silent game. Some said “I know it” since we used to do it before, but some are curious. Then we were all slowly stop talking and put our bodies to calm down position. After we explain and showed them how to get out from the chair and walk to the line of the oval to sit. We then took a few minutes to enjoy the silence of the room. We listen to the sound of the clock. Once the teacher knows all are ready to call, she starts whispering each child’s name. Each one who pays good attention, start to walk slowly to the line and sat down. Some students take a long way to walk to the line as they enjoyed the silent and slow walking. This game helps all of us to calm our body and mind.

Montessori help student to understand themselves, their ability and it is a life long learning system.

1. Maria Montessori changes the way of teaching students. While everyone thought education is giving young children a bunch of theory or never-ending lessons created by the teacher, she introduced a child-centered hands-on educational method still creating a balance of freedom and discipline. She always looks at the child as a New child or a Superior child. She said every child has his own inner world, as teachers we need to find it.

” The Child has within himself a secret life – unknown energy that can aid humanity. The teacher must see the child as Jesus saw him”. Montessori

She introduced children to has their own power and freedom in their mental setting. Once we understand the child’s inner energy it is easy to cater to each child individually. If she did not find this theory the world will still talk about idiot children. Her method developed critical thinking of a young student and it already changes the world.

Bhagya Wijewardane

Director – Keystone Montessori