Wellbeing strengthens school peace

Olarin koulu actively supports pupils’ wellbeing, which strengthens school peace and prevents bullying. Team building helps pupils form friendships and understand diversity. 

Class 6 B at Olarin koulu always starts its mornings in the same way: First, a breathing exercise. Next, the teacher asks the class questions, which pupils discuss in pairs. This way, they can interact while simultaneously awakening their mind for the day ahead. 

“Our start-of-day routine makes me feel good, first thing in the morning,” says sixth-grader Veeti Välimäki from Olarin koulu. 

He says that the team spirit in their class is excellent. Everyone gets along and can hang out and work together.  

Class Teacher Kirsi-Maaria Särömaa explains that the class has deliberately practised spending time together.

She places the pupils in changing teams and pairs, and the children are not always allowed to decide who they work with. In the beginning, there was some grumbling, but not anymore. 

“Now that everyone gets along, the pupils may occasionally choose their team by themselves if it makes it easier to complete a project assignment after school, for example,” Särömaa says. 

The sixth-graders’ morning ritual is part of learning important wellbeing skills. It trains the pupils’ skills in being present as well as their emotional and interaction skills. This means that they learn to listen to, interact with and take an interest in other people.  

“It is important that children learn to accept, understand and, above all, appreciate diversity,” Särömaa says.  

Maija Vehmanen is a mathematics teacher and class teacher of class 7 C at Olarin koulu.  

“As pupils enter secondary school, their friends change and many things are different compared to primary school. This is why team building is particularly important at this stage,” Vehmanen emphasises. 

She supports the initial steps of seventh-graders by, for example, placing them in changing teams so that the pupils get to interact with each other naturally.  

In addition, Olari’s seventh-graders have a team-building day each autumn when they head to, for example, Nuuksio National Park and get to know their classmates by doing things together.

Jofrey Ngukwu came to seventh grade in Olari from another school in Espoo and did not know anyone from before. He wanted to make friends in his own class.  

“Slowly, I got to know the others and they got to know me. I found classmates with similar thoughts as me as well as shared interests, and we became friends,” Ngukwu says. 

“The team spirit in our class is strong, and I really like going to school. Each new pupil becomes a part of the group quickly.” 



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Veeti Välimäki thinks it is important that the teacher can put themselves in the pupil’s position and be understanding.  

“This way, it is easy to talk to the teacher about unpleasant things and trust that help is available,” he says. 

Ngukwu agrees that adults in the school hold a key position when there are problems. 

“Your class teacher or the other teachers are adults you can turn to,” he says. 

The anti-bullying KiVa team comprises primary and secondary school teachers. It follows a specific process to solve instances of bullying that could not be solved within the class. 

“There is not a lot of serious bullying at our school, but there are misunderstandings. For example, children do not always understand the harmful impact of their words. Things are always resolved by the end,” describes Vehmanen, who is part of the KiVa team. 

She recommends teachers observe any potential tension in the class during the school day. If they notice even the smallest squabble between the pupils, they should resolve the problem immediately with a positive mindset.

“When you address things as soon as possible, the problems will not escalate,” Vehmanen says. 

At the beginning of the semester, Olarin koulu will deploy a wellbeing plan that supports both pupils and adults in the school to find their own resources and strengths. 

In her daily work as a teacher, Särömaa has noticed that developing wellbeing and interaction skills creates a strong foundation for school peace and the prevention of bullying.  

“For me, school peace means that each school day is inspiring, engaging and strengthens the sense of community. Everyone enjoys being at school and feels seen and appreciated as themselves,” she summarises. 

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Espoo’s early childhood education units, schools and upper secondary schools have a plan to prevent bullying.  

Among other things, the objective of the “Yhdessä vahvaksi yhteisöksi – Ei kiusaamiselle” (A strong community, together – Say no to bullying) programme is to promote the wellbeing of pupils and students as well as to strengthen the sense of community. 

Most bullying cases are solved within the school with a teacher or the KiVa team.  

In extended and difficult cases of bullying, schools in Espoo can utilise the K-0+ programme, in which the pupils and parents get help from an extensive network of professionals. In addition to the school’s personnel, they can also ask for help from parties such as social services, the police or child welfare services.  

Schools in Espoo also utilise the Someturva service, which helps young people who have experienced bullying on social media and gaming platforms.  

Teksti: Susanna Cygnel.

This article has originally been published in the Espoo Magazine 2/2023.

Read other articles in the Espoo Magazine.