To market we shall go ... And a talk with teachers

Today we went to the "mercado" (market). It was kind of like a farmers' market. There were fruits and vegetables, shoes and clothes, bags... Probably anything you can imagine was sold in this market. The thing that stood out the most was the meat market. Besides the strong odor, there were full pig heads that were for sale. This was something different for us. Señor Robert and Señora Laura are public teachers who graciously shared with us their experiences in education. To be a teacher in Mexico, one must attend a teacher school and pass the required tests. The education system is Federal with the government hiring and locating teachers. However for school maintenance, the parents help with what is needed. No report cards are sent home, but there are 5 grading periods with a parent/family meeting after each. Classroom sizes are large with 29 students or more. The students wear uniforms as they are from various economic levels. Children are tested in reading and mathematics. There is teacher tenure but finding an open teaching position is difficult. We found the discussion very energizing as we compared our own experiences in the classroom.