"As a teacher, it is acceptable and even advisable to express your own uncertainty” – Heli Maijanen was awarded the Coolest Teacher of 2025

When Heli Maijanen, a university lecturer in archaeology, found out in January that she had won the Coolest Teacher Award, she thought she was the victim of a scam.

"It took me a moment to realise that the email I had received was not phishing for my bank details, for example, but that I had actually won the award," Maijanen laughs.

The Coolest Teacher title is an annual award given by the Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY) to an inspiring and pedagogically skilled teacher based on student nominations.

"It feels good that the initiative to reward me came specifically from the students. It confirms that I am on the right track as a teacher. My jokes in lectures have not gone completely to waste," Maijanen adds with a twinkle in her eye.

Maijanen has been teaching at the University of Oulu since 2018. Her specialities are bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, i.e. the study of human physical remains in past populations and in modern-day conflict and/or crime contexts.

"I'm sure every teacher thinks their own field is the most interesting, but I still think that what I teach genuinely inspires students. So much so that it may have contributed to my being nominated for the award," Maijanen says.

Following a collection of bones to America

Maijanen did not originally plan to become a teacher. Born in Kiiminki, Maijanen studied archaeology at the University of Oulu when her professor at the time got her interested in bones.

"In principle, all humans have similar bones and everyone has the same number of them, but on the other hand, each person's skeleton is unique. I am interested in seeing how a person's life is reflected in their bones," Maijanen explains.

After completing her master's degree, Maijanen began her doctoral thesis in Oulu. However, she needed a bone collection for her research, which she found in Knoxville, USA, after much searching.

A visit to the Forensic Anthropology Centre research centre ultimately led to Maijanen staying in America for a total of nine years.

Maijanen initially spent a year and a half in Knoxville on exchange, then began a second doctoral degree at the University of Tennessee. At the same time, she worked on her dissertation in Oulu. She also visited the United States Armed Forces Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where she helped identify American soldiers who had fallen in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

"I have studied so much in my life that I have seen what makes a good teacher. I have applied those lessons in my own work," Maijanen says.

There’s no time to get bored in this line of work

When Maijanen returned to Oulu from America, a lecturer position had just opened up at the university. During her last year in Knoxville, she had taught one course to anthropology students, but otherwise teaching was unfamiliar territory for Maijanen. Nevertheless, she decided to apply for the position and is still on that path today.

"My work is really varied. I give lectures and teach courses, I act as a supervisor for some of the students, and sometimes I also analyse bones found in archaeological excavations in my role as a researcher. You never get bored in this job," Maijanen laughs.

In Maijanen's opinion, a good teacher is someone who can admit to their students that they do not know everything. She points out that teachers are only human, and there is no need to hide human emotions too much.

"As a teacher, it is acceptable and even advisable to express your own uncertainty. For example, if I am nervous about giving a lecture, I tell my students. I feel that honesty brings me closer to my students and creates a more relaxed atmosphere."

In Maijanen's opinion, the best but also the most challenging aspect of teaching is the constant need to stay up to date.

In this job, you have to learn new things all the time, and there is always something new to learn around you. While learning new things is very exciting, it is also a bit demanding, as you have to stay up to date with what is happening in the field all the time, Maijanen says.

Studying is always worthwhile

Maijanen believes that teachers largely work according to their own personalities. That is why she feels that she is the same person as a teacher as she is in her free time. In addition, the subjects she teaches are so close to her heart that sometimes her work and free time even overlap a little.

"Sometimes the topics discussed at work are so interesting that I return to them at home. At other times, there can simply be so much work that the days drag on. However, with age and experience, I have learned to draw a clearer line between work and leisure time."

Although Maijanen has probably completed her degrees, she has no intention of stopping studying for a long time to come. Learning new things at work is essential, but Maijanen also enjoys doing so in her own time. For example, last year she completed basic studies in psychology at an open university.

"I think studying is always worthwhile. I haven't thought much about where my enthusiasm for it comes from, but I guess it's some kind of innate curiosity," Maijanen speculates.

Text: Tuuli Turunen
Image: Tuuli Heikura

The interview was originally published in Oulun ylioppilaslehti.