Awarded school grandpa draws queues for woodworking help

Ismo Ylinen, a 77-year-old volunteer school grandpa at Aarnivalkea School in Espoo, has received the Espoo Medal after 13 years of helping pupils. Yle visited the school to find out why pupils value his support.

During a woodworking lesson, pupils in Class 5M are building wooden cars with lights. The classroom is filled with the sound of chisels and wooden mallets as pupils make spaces for batteries and wheels.

Every so often, someone calls for Ismo’s help.

“Ismo! What do I do now?”

Ylinen moves from pupil to pupil, advising them on different stages of the work and how to use the tools. He helps pupils choose the right chisel, check the positions of the wheels and complete the various steps.

Ylinen began volunteering at Aarnivalkea School in autumn 2014, after spending six years in retirement. He and his wife, Pirkko, attended an open day at the school earlier that year.

“I knew that this kind of school grandpa activity existed, and we asked the headteacher whether they had any use for an idle grandpa,” Ylinen said.

At first, Ylinen worked as a reading grandpa, reading one-on-one with pupils using books suited to their reading abilities. Some pupils needed to be taught to read, while others mainly needed help understanding new and difficult words.

His role later expanded to other lessons. He now mainly assists the teacher and pupils during woodworking classes, which he attends every day.

“In working life, I used all the knowledge and skills I had learned, and in practice they are no longer used. What I have left is time, so I give that,” Ylinen said.

He said helping children was the main reason he chose to spend his time at the school.

“I have always liked children and helping them, whether they are my own or someone else’s,” he said.

Practical skills passed down from childhood

Ylinen’s woodworking skills date back to his childhood. His father was a carpenter who involved his children from an early age in construction and repair work on the family farm.

“When you have been able to do small crafts since you were a little boy, you gain a lot of practical experience in how to use a tool and get the best result,” Ylinen said.

During the lesson, he showed Elli van Heijst how to make the edges of a recess straight. He advised her to hold the chisel vertically with its flat side against the edge and strike it firmly. The chisel should then be placed at a 45-degree angle lower in the recess and tapped gently.

“With a chisel, it is always better to remove many small pieces than one large piece at once,” Ylinen said.

Ylinen started school in the 1950s at a small village school in Kaltsila. He says he was a well-behaved pupil who enjoyed mathematics and science.

His mother, who had not had the opportunity to attend school despite wanting to, considered education important and encouraged her children to study.

Ylinen sees many similarities between today’s schools and the one he attended, although the education system and the wider world have changed. He said teachers had been clearer authorities in the past.

“Today there is more emphasis on self-directed learning, which I do not think works for everyone. More of the teacher’s authority could be brought back,” he said.

Ylinen has also noticed significant differences in pupils’ reading abilities. A pupil in the second grade may be reading Harry Potter books while another may struggle to read even a single sentence.

Aarnivalkea School has six school grandmothers helping pupils in addition to Ylinen. His recognition with the Espoo Medal followed a letter that pupils sent to the president of Finland and the Espoo city manager, praising him as a friend and encourager.