”Petteri is an educational equivalent of a rock star!”
– Dr. Alan Seibert
References
“I highly recommend Mr. Petteri Elo, master educator from Finland, as a facilitator for professional development in the area of project- or phenomenon-based learning. Mr. Elo shares his concrete and tangible strategies that he applies with his own students to develop teachers’ skills in implementing PBL. During all his workshops, Mr. Elo emphasizes the connection between academic content and the highly relevant skills students need to be successful in their futures. Mr. Elo can lead professional learning among all professional staff, including administrators, teachers, and even their students. In a short period of time, we have seen educators who attended his session apply their new learning, transforming their projects into project-based learning.”
– Dr. Sara E. Ahern
Superintendent of Schools
Franklin Public Schools MA
aherns@franklinps.net
Franklin Public Schools MA
aherns@franklinps.net
”Petteri is an educational equivalent of a rock star!”
– Dr. Alan Seibert
Former President of Virginia Association for School Superintendents
aseibert@salem.k12.va.us
“I’m not a Finland expert, so I don’t know the official answer to the question of why Finland’s educational system has been so successful in recent years. But I do know Petteri, and, therefore, I think I might have an answer to the Finland question. If all, most, or even many Finnish educators are of the same caliber as Petteri Elo, then it’s no wonder the students of Finland achieve as they do. There is nothing more important to a student’s success than an outstanding teacher, and Petteri is truly outstanding. If you have an opportunity to learn from Petteri Elo, don’t pass it up. You will appreciate his sincerity, his intellect, his humor, and, most importantly, his passion for serving young people.”
– Scott Habeeb
Principal
Salem High School, VA
shabeeb@salem.k12.va.us
“Petteri raised the awareness of United States educators about quality curriculum alignment and instruction through his provision of outstanding professional development in Virginia, Ohio and Colorado as a Fulbright Scholar.”
– Mr. J. Andrew Stamp
Associate Executive Director
Virginia Association of School Superintendents
1andystamp@gmail.com
“Petteri embodies the Finnish philosophy that professionalism in your craft plus investment in building relationships will equal sustained trust and student-centered outcomes. Petteri’s relatable presentation skills, affinity for the teaching profession, and, most importantly, love for students make it easy to understand why he is such a successful educator. For anyone wanting to build pedagogical supports and positively affect school culture, I cannot recommend anyone more highly than Petteri!”
– Dr. Michael Gill
Superintendent of Schools
Hanover County Public Schools (VA)
mgill@hanover.k12.va.us
“I felt empowerment in Petteri’s class. Truly inspiring passion to teach delivered in the form of art.”
– Mr. Naif Almutairy
Teacher, IT Consultant
n.almutairy@gmail.com
“Thank you for sharing your talents with the rest of the world! We were honored to have experienced the highest quality of teaching. You even stretched teachers who think they are interacting with students and encouraging higher level thinking to reach the next level!”
– Dr. Rebecca Cox
Associate Professor of Education
Hollins University, VA
RCox@hollins.edu
“Having worked with Petteri on a number of projects focused on experiential educational, global competence and the Finnish Education system I can state without reservation that his knowledge and skills are beyond reproach. All teachers/schools/districts aiming to enhance their pedagogical aptitude would benefit from working with Petteri, he is a highly competent and his approach is intelligent and engaging.”
– Dr. Colin Shaw
Vice President of EF Educational Tours
Colin.Shaw@EF.com
“Petteri is an outstanding and thoughtful educator who truly strives to provide meaningful and authentic learning experiences for students. He is highly effective in helping other educators understand the importance and the methodology for developing curriculum that engages students in meaningful learning.”
– Ms. Diane Washenberger (retired)
Director of Instruction
Salem City Schools, VA
“Petteri has shown exceptional innovative thinking in all the projects that he has undertaken. He has an ability to take projects from start to finish mobilizing our whole teacher cohort to work toward a mutual goal. As a leader and co-worker Petteri has gained my trust as his superior. He has also gotten positive feedback from our teachers.”
– Ms. Kirsi Kaarela (retired)
Principle
Hiidenkivi Comprehensive School, Helsinki, FIN
“Petteri’s workshops are superb, he is a dynamic facilitator of the learning process and we couldn’t be happier with his services. He not only met our expectations, but instead far exceeded. His expertise with student centered and skill based pedagogy is evident, he really helps our visiting delegations make meaning of the revised Finnish curriculum.”
– Mr. Joey Lee
2014 New Hampshire Teacher of The Year
Joey.Lee@EF.com
“Petteri communicates advanced pedagogical concepts in an easy to understand format and positive manner. I have enjoyed watching him present to a range of audiences”.
– Dr. Roger Collins
Executive Director, Virginia School-University Partnership
rcollins@vsup.org
“Petteri Elo is committed to leveraging his time in the classroom, expertise, and passion in working with educators from all parts of world to improve the experiences, outcomes, and opportunities on behalf of our collective kids. He understands curriculum and pairs it with intentional, calculated, and impactful instruction. I am very proud to have him in my Professional Learning Network and, now, as a friend.”
– EdD. Bradford Hubbard
Principal
Antioch Community High School, Antioch, IL
bradford.hubbard@chsd117.org
“I have had the honor of working with Petteri both in my classroom in Virginia, and in his country of Finland. On both occasions, I left a better teacher because of his passion for teaching and his desire to continually grow as an educator. His time in my classroom transformed the culture and resulted in students working independently to develop and implement plans to address social issues in our community. Petteri is an educational innovator who always puts children first.”
– Natalie DiFusco-Funk
2016 Virginia Teacher of the Year
ndifusco-funk@salem.k12.va.us
“You are truly an inspiring teacher and I can’t thank you enough for the optimism and joy you have brought back to my classroom.”
– Ms. Valerie Lynch
Teacher
Franklin County Public Schools, VA
valerie.lynch@frco.k12.va.us