Welcome to Puebla!!

Today we got to spend the day exploring the beautiful city of Puebla!  After breakfast we went to visit an archaeological site by the name of Cholula.  We visited two very beautiful churches!  We had a tour guide that taught us a lot about the indigenous people and history.  After lunch at a fantastic restaurant we got free time!  Susanna, Melanie, and I, explored a little and relaxed in our beautiful hotel.  Our hotel in Puebla is a historical and has been a hotel since the 1930's.  The hotel is known for its excellent cuisine, and is recommended by almost every foreign tour guide.  We ate two meals at the hotel and both were delicious!  I had tacos with chicken soup and we also shared some guacamole. 

The room that Melanie, Susanna, and I had, had two beds on the main floor and had a little loft with another bed.  It was so cute!  We also had a balcony! Puebla was my favorite trip during my time in Mexico.  I loved the variety of people and the pretty zocalo. 

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Today we had classes as usual from 9-12 and then had cake for Katie and Roberto’s birthdays. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

 In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to go to another public elementary school called “Cuitláhuac”. We split up and observed for about 2 ½ hours. Rachel had the opportunity to observe second graders in both their regular classroom and in the computer lab. The students were absolutely enamored by the fact that we were from America and kept giving us gifts. Something to note about this class was that they hardly paid attention while the teacher was talking, and when she left the room they were running around the classroom and fighting and screaming. On the other hand, when we went to the computer lab, the students were very well behaved and worked pretty diligently. The computer lab had about 20 computers that were all IBM’s, older models, but still in very good condition.

Stephanie observed a second, fourth and fifth grade class. To my surprise, students in the fourth grade class were cleaning and organizing the room. Everyone seemed to have a job as the teacher spoke with various parents that entered the room. In the second grade classroom, all of the students were excited to have us in their classroom and gathered around us as we helped them with their class assignment.

  Later on, while observing a gym class the fifth graders were learning how to march because they will be carrying the flag during the sixth graders graduation ceremony next Thursday. The ceremony is a large celebration that will start at 2 pm and involve dancing and even students carrying real machetes. As our Fulbright group was gathering to leave, all the kids came to talk with us and asked us where we were from. They were so excited to take pictures with us and everyone wanted us to sign their notebooks as we were leaving out the gate. The last image we had of the students was waving goodbye to us and smiling as our bus pulled away.

Saturday June 23

Saturday, June 23, 2012

This morning we were up bright and early in order to catch the bus to travel to UAEM--a local university.  Here we met with Marta Fuentes the coordinator of the special education program.  She talked to us about a group of teachers who were pursuing their Master’s degree in special education.  Marta told us about the availability of night classes so that teachers who are currently teaching can enroll in Master’s programs.  In all, the college serves about 1,000 teachers.

After the overview of the school we were introduced to some teachers who are currently enrolled in the program.  We were able to talk about issues in education in Mexico.  We discussed the identification process for Special Education services as well as how identified students are served in schools.  They told us that gifted students in Mexico are also served by special education programs.  These programs are either integrated into the regular education classroom or take place at a school called a “Centro Multiple”.

The issue of school funding in both countries also arose.  Dr. Hatt explained that due to decreasing funds for education in the US, teachers and teacher education programs are under attack.  She further explained how teachers who have increased their salaries by continuing their education are losing the raises that they earned.  

The panelists described how lack of funds in Mexico means that many schools turn to parents to provide money for building repairs and basic materials such as toilet paper.  They discussed various initiatives the government has attempted: providing Smart Boards for classrooms but not money for training, electricity or computers to operate them and providing books for classroom libraries only to have the district or school authorities keep them because they are afraid students will tear or dirty them.

We also discussed other current hot topics in education both here and in the United States such as the nutritional quality of the food served in schools and problems with bullying.  The final topic the panelists brought up was the influence of US media on kids in Mexico.

It was truly wonderful to spend time talking with teachers.

When we got back from our visit from the UAEM we helped set up for the 25^th anniversary party for CETLALIC.  Once the school was set up for all of the  guests, we were ready to start the party!  It was amazing to see so many people gather together to support Jorge and Marta and all of the families and participants of CETLALIC.  We had a delicious dinner made better only by the wonderful conversation.  After we finished eating the dancing started.  We loved watching the Chinuelo, the state dance of Morelos.  It was almost like our party turned into a parade.  There was dancing and laughter well into the night.

Charla: Mexican Education System

Today we had a talk with Professora Leticia.  She is a professor at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico) and also works at the UPN. In order to give us a strong foundation in the Mexican education system, she began by speaking on how schooling is broken down here.

1.       Básica- These years in school are mandatory.

a.       Prescolar for 2 years

b.      Primaria for 6 years

c.       Secundaria for 3 years

2.       Educación Medio Superior- There are options for how you choose to spend these years…

a.       Prepatoria

b.      Bachilleres

c.       Colegio de Ciencias Humanos

d.      CONALED

e.      CECYT-Vocational

3.       Educación Superior

a.       Licenciatura for 4 years

b.      Maestría for 2 years

c.       Doctorado for 4 years

As core component of each of these branches of education, there is also the “Four Pillars of Education” as a result of the education reform in Mexico. They are knowing, procedures, being and sharing. Leticia also spoke on how teachers stay connected through their once a month, “consejor técnico escolar” meetings. It is at this time where teachers can collaborate, plan and reflect on articles.

She also mentioned “rincones de lectura” or reading corners that all public schools should have. The SEP (Secretary of Education) has submitted books to every classroom for students to read. Although, we have visited many schools and have never seen a “Rincon de lectura” in a classroom. This program is called the “Programa Nacional de Lectura”.

A difference between the public schools in the US and the schools in Mexico is that schools can choose whether or not they want to take standardized tests. If public schools agree, in exchange for testing their students they receive compensation. We also learned that there are a few scholarships for students who want to further there education, where students can receive up to 1,500 dollars in pesos.

Tepotzlan - afternoon

Tepotlzan (afternoon) - After we climbed to the pyramid we had lunch in the Mercado, from there we visited a church called Convento Dominico de la Natividad.  Outside the church was an amazing mural made of seeds (semillas) that is changed every September during a festival. The church we visited used to function as a monestary and had very interesting details. There was even a defunct bathroom. The views were amazing from the windows of the church.

Also inside the church was a museum which had lots of cultural information about Tepotzlan. Our guide, Roberto, was born in Tepotzlan and still lives there. He had the inside story about what makes this town special. The town leaders actually listen to the population and they have successfully avoided big name stores to keep the small town feel. The map shows how land ownership works with most of the land being considered "communal". After we left the museum/church we hopped back on the bus for the half hour bus ride back to Cuernavaca.

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.

Caminando Unidos

Thursday June 21, 2012  > Stephanie & Rachel

Today we visited an organization called “Caminando Unidos” which means walking together.  This was a unique school like nothing we’ve seen so far. The school was an alternative approach to other programs being offered in Cuernavaca. It focused on the creativity of the child and developing future leaders, then they incorporate the academics. Creativity is the only reward and the only punishment is not being creative.

The school, which was founded by a couple almost twenty years ago, and has grown tremendously, is based on several founding values including:

-          The biggest takes care of the smallest

-          The one who knows more teaches the one who knows less

-          Be impeccable with your words (be honest and true)

-          Take nothing personally

-          Don’t assume

-          Give 100% of yourself

-          The only reward is to learn

-          The only punishment is to not be creative

Today we watched several of the volunteers create fire from two sticks of wood. It took several tries and about four people until the spark finally began to smolder and ignite. The school explained that it had taken them almost 2 years to find the right combination of wood so that now they can create a fire in about 2 minutes.

The students of the school have a voice in what they learn. So as long as it’s creative the teacher will try to incorporate it. This school is ONLY supported by donations and doesn’t receive any government assistance. There are only 12 paid staff members; the rest of the staff is strictly made up of volunteers. 60% of the donations they receive are from people who donate every month; the other 40% comes from sporadic donations. Because the other 40% of donations has been scarce recently, the staff members have taken pay cuts in order to have money to fund the organizations need. The love and hard work that was felt at this organization was incredible.

To find out more about this group visit http://www.caminandounidos.org.mx/

Later in the afternoon our Fulbright group had a reflection session where we talked about some of our favorite parts of the trip. Obviously, “Caminando Unidos” was one of the favorite trips thus far, along with all the school visits we have done. This hour of reflection really showed how close our group has become over the last two weeks and how much we have learned in such a short amount of time. We are all looking forward to the next two weeks and learning even more Spanish and valuable life lessons!

"Flip the Tortilla"

June 18, 2012

We began this Monday like most weekdays and split up into our various groups for classes. I chose to write about our afternoon talk with the 2 mothers on the issue of education and the costs associated with it.
First, Clara Santamaria. She spoke about her 3 children and their various experiences in school. What was immediately interesting was how difficult it is for families to enroll their children into a school where they do not have any relatives attending. Clara has 3 children; Nancy, Omar and Luis Fernando (we like to refer to Fernando as Fer). Specifically, Clara talked about how hard it was for her and her husband to get Fernando enrolled into a school he has no relatives attending; one school actually closed the door on her. Another thing Clara talked a lot about was the expenses for her children to attend school. By this time, we should all know that most families do not make sufficient income to sustain themselves, let alone pay for school. We learned that it costs $250 (pesos) for a year's tuition. But that is not the only costs parents need to pay. They also pay around $280 for cleaning services at the school, as well as between $230-250 for school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils, etc. Another expenses include around $2000 for school uniforms, as well as $300 for a "graduation" party for Fernando's primaria school. We also learned that if a parent does not pay before classes begin in August, their child cannot attend classes. Which leads me this simple question: isn't school supposed to be free in Mexico? For the government: yes. For the people: no!
It was comforting to know that Clara and her husband's experience with CETLALIC is not only emotionally rewarding, but financially as well. Working with CETLALIC has helped her family pay for many expenses associated with education.
We also learned that Fernando did not attend school for 6 months during 3rd grade due to a teacher's strike, which shows the power and importance unions play in the educational system of Mexico.
We then heard from Delia Espinosa, and her experiences having to put 4 children through education and how challenging that was financially. Both her and her husband work to pay for their children's education expenses; she works as a house cleaner while her husband is a taxi driver. An interesting, and money-saving fact about Delia is that she makes her children's school uniforms. She also talked about how important it is to have internet in their home for their children's homework assignments.
Delia and her family live with 3 other families and split the utility costs, thereby making it easier on her family financially. She also proved to be a responsible parent when it came to her children's studies and spoke about how she sits with them and goes over their homework.
I really enjoyed Clara's experience volunteering at her church as a Catechism teacher. She talked about how some children "flip the tortilla" (I love this analogy): they behave well at home but as soon as they are around friends or at school, it is a completely different story, aka the other side of the tortilla.
Important question asked was:

-Why should children get an education?
     -For their own future; parents will not be around forever.

We also learned that it is very difficult for students to get accepted into a university in Mexico. In many instances, it makes it easier to get accepted if you know someone that can help you get in.

Overall, a great insight into how parents struggle to make sure their children receive one of the basic rights all children should have free in this world: education.

The DF Experience Part 2

After a delicious lunch at Hotel Gillow, we walked to the Palacio National (National Palace) in the Plaza de la Constitucion (main square) of Mexico City.  We were greeted by a very helpful tour guide who explained the beautiful murals painted by Diego Rivera.  The first mural we viewed was painted in the main staircase of the Palace.  Rivera used this mural to provide a visual representation of Mexican history beginning with the reign of the Aztec empire in 1520s through the beginning of the first World War in the 1930s.  The mural was painted in a series of panels that detail both significant events and people in Mexico’s history as well as Rivera’s own political ideas and predictions.

The first panel depicts the Aztec Empire.  In this panel, the Aztec culture is shown with bright colors and the Aztec god, Quetzequatal, is painted in the center with a green headdress. 

The next series of panels show the arrival of the Spaniards, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Mexican Revolution.  Significant figures pictured in these panels include: Miguel de Hidalgo, Emiliano Zapata, La Melinche, and Hernan Cortez among others.

In the final panels, Rivera’s painting shows some of the events occurring in Mexico and the world in the late 1920s to early 1930s.  These events included the corruption of the church and government as well as the development of the atomic bomb.  Rivera included Communist symbols as well as images depicting the rising Nazi party.

After visiting the Palacio National, we walked to the Catedral Metropolitana de la Asuncion de Maria (Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary).  This cathedral is the largest cathedral in the Americas and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico.  The cathedral was incredibly beautiful.  One aspect many of us found interesting was the pendulum suspended from the ceiling in the center of the cathedral.  Since Mexico City was built on swampy land, the foundations of heavy stone buildings are prone to sinking.  Engineers use the pendulum to gage the lean of the building and will “prop” it up as necessary.

Across from the cathedral, in the main plaza, there was a concert held by Yo Soy 132 (I am 132) a group of students advocating for increased transparency in government.  Since the Mexican Presidential elections will be held on July 1^st, there have been a number of rallies for the various political parties.  During our afternoon free time, a number of us attended the concert and perused the shops in downtown.

We met for dinner at Casa de Azulejos. This was the restaurant where Emiliano Zapata and General Villa ate before they took the National Palace in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution.  We're looking forward to another day of touring Mexico City tomorrow!

The D.F Experience Part 1

The first spot that we visited was La Casa Azul, the house of Frida Kahlo. She wrote, "Pies para que los quiero si tengo alas para volvar (Who needs feet? I've got wings to fly)."She wrote this after she had to have her foot amputated. After being hit by a street car while on a bus and as a result of her immobility she began to paint one. One of Frida's most recurring subjects was her portraits. By looking at Frida's portraits it is apparent that she suffered from reoccurring issues such as infertility and inability to be a mom, her miscarriage and desire to conceive. Certain places in Casa Azul were closed and asked to be kept closed for 15 years by her husband Diego. In 2004, 2 years after her death, they opened closed bathrooms and storerooms in the house. They found 28,000 new documents, 6,500 photos, and one of the earrings Picasso gave her that was thought to be lost. Diego Riviera said, "There is almost an unknown humble painting tradition in which they use sheets of metal and wood depicting a St. Virgen Mary or God." Little is paid for the of painting while is commissioned by the poor. Frida liked indigenous art and reflected that in her clothing as well. Frida and Diego treasured pre-hispanic art before all others, this was evident in their dining room. Two clocks were displayed. One of them has the date that Diego had an affair with Frida's sister Christina. It said, "1939 September, The hours were broken." The other clock said, "December 8th 1940 at 11 o'clock in San Francisco California" which represents the day they got re-married. Their personal lives are very prevalent in their artwork. Frida is shown in many of Diego's murals and Diego is the subject of Frida's pieces. "If we are not our colors, aromas, our people, what are we? Nothing." This is how Diego explained his artwork on numerous occasions and so he believed painted and lived it. The struggles that Diego and Frida lived through we're evident in their artwork and their home.

Blog Post for Sunday June 17^th                                                                                                                 

Today was our second day in D.F. (Distrito Federal). After a great breakfast our plan for today was to take a “turibus” around the city. Our first stop was the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Here we saw several murals by Diego Rivera. Next we went to the Museo de Antropologia. This was an amazing museum with an extensive collection representing each geographic region of Mexico from the pre-hispanic era to modern times. This museum is well worth the trip – you won’t be disappointed! As we were leaving the museum we were able to see “volardores”. This is a ritual dating back to the Aztecs. There were five men sitting on top of a tall pole. Four of the men then began to descend suspended by one foot. They spun around the pole as the fifth man played an instrument spinning on top of the pole. After a quick dinner we were on our way back to Cuernavaca. We had a great weekend visiting D.F.!

 Amy P & Jill

Tuesday June 17th...a very busy day!!

Hola a todos!!

On Tuesday, June 19^th, we had a day full of activities!  Early in the morning we took the bus to a rural school just outside of Cuernavaca.  Valentin Gomez Farias is a public, rural, elementary school.  Melanie and I observed in a 4^th and 5^th grade classrooms.  We were especially impressed with the 5^th grade teacher.  It is her first year in the school however she seemed very informed about the community and the students.  She had a great relationship with all of the students and kept them engaged in their work.  Students were working on a summary of a story.  A few of the children even came and asked us to read what they had written.  The Fulbright group was very moved by the visit to this school and really loved it.  The kids were great and we excited to practice their English!

After class, we had a testimony of a women from Guatemala who migrated to Mexico at a young age.  She has two names, one being her real name and one being a name that she had to adopt when she came to Mexico illegally.  She was also forced to lie about her heritage and where she came from.  Her and her husband came to Mexico for a better life.  Along with fake names they had to lie and say they were part of an indigenous group in Mexico.  Their children however were able to have their real names since they were born in Mexico.  After many years, they were able to visit Guatemala however it wasn’t the experience they were hoping for.  People were not very accepting of them because they chose to leave the country where they were from.  Her family members were very happy to see her but they were nervous because they could get in trouble with the law if officials found out that they were housing them there.  They would love to return to Guatemala to live the rest of their lives but feel obligated to stay in Mexico because their children were born here.  This testimony was very moving and eye opening for many of us.  There are so many people in Mexico that have to leave their families to go to the United States for better wages.  Families get torn apart and relationships are harder to maintain with the distance and time.

After lunch a few of us spent our free afternoon celebrating Suzy’s birthday with a cake and going to the circus.  The circus had all kinds of animals including leopards, jaguars, monkeys, a hippo, a bull, donkeys, horses, elephants, alpacas, and camels.  It was a great time!

Becca and Melanie

Thursday June 14, 2012

Today our group had the pleasure of sleeping a little bit later, as we did not have to be at the school until 9 a.m. We were in our respective classrooms until 11 a.m. In Rachel’s class of three students, they were going over the different forms of the conditional tense. In Stephanie’s class of four students, they learned about the different forms of the subjunctive tense, read a passage of a story in Spanish as well as a review of the imperative. After the grammar review, her class had a conversation hour.

 At 11 a.m. our Fulbright group left the language school and went to a public school that is equivalent to a junior high school in the United States. The school contains grades 7-9, but they refer to them as first year, second year, and third year students. The students wore clothes that showed their grade and class. For example, one girl was wearing a shirt with a red A on it. Red showed that she was a first year student and A was the name of her classroom. There are six classes in each grade level, so 18 classes in total (A-F). Second year students wore blue and third year students wore green. What’s interesting is that the school divides the day into two parts, with about 720 students attending in the morning and about 500 attending in the afternoon. They split the day like this due to limited space to accommodate students at one time. Surprisingly, there are about 40 students in each classroom. Many parents came to see the showcase of the students’ work and they had commented that they chose to send their child to “Secundaria No. 1” because it is the best in the state.

The best part of the visit was when a student named Francisco sang “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. The sound that came out of his mouth was incredible and it sounded like Sinatra himself. Later we toured a class full of student art work and projects to promote recycling and saving the environment. The students proudly pointed out their projects and explained them. It was interesting to see all of the different workshops the school had. They have classes for art, electricity, blacksmithing, cooking, carpentry and so much more. The school truly was incredible and the students seemed to really be interested in what they were learning.

After lunch (or dinner her), around 5 p.m., we returned to our language school to watch a video called “El granito de arena”. It was a documentary about a school in Mexico called Moctemactza. The documentary went through the struggle that the teachers were going through to keep the school alive and running well. There were many strikes and much violence against the strikers and their families. The enthusiasm of these teachers was amazing. Most importantly, teachers were fighting to democratize the union in order to be a part of the decision making process and fight against the privatization of the education system.  

 

Stephanie Jeffery and Rachel Neukom

Sistema Educativo en México

Our first day at CETLALIC was very exciting. I am sure most of us were quite eager to meet the staff and our professors. The first thing I noticed was the incredibly friendly environment we were welcomed into.
After being presented to the staff and having a wonderful introduction, we went off to our designated groups for our first day of classes. I am sure, like myself, everyone found the professors to be extremely helpful and very energetic. While everyone's experience was different based on which group they were in, our first day was off to a great start.
After classes were done, we talked about the culture of this area, Mexican culture, and great tips on how to be safe in Cuernavaca. Jorge was helpful in helping many of us who are strangers to the Mexican culture feel more comfortable. Topics discussed ranged from having long conversations during meals, how to dispose of certain hygienic products in the washroom, basic greetings and signs of respect, as well as tips on how to be safe in Mexico, such as how much money to carry around, going in groups, keeping in contact with host families, etc.
We returned later for our Charla on la sistema educativo en México, which was established in 1905. Here are some important facts to remember:

-School is mandatory from la Educación Inicial to la Secundaria.
-CENDI (Centro Nacional de Desarrollo Infantil) is from 3 months to 3 years old.
-Educacion Inicial- "kinder" or "preescolar). From 3-5 years old. Usually from 9am-12pm. Cost is about 360 pesos a year.
-Educacion Basica- Consists of Primaria and Secundaria.
-Primaria- From age 6-12. Each child's tuition is about 250 pesos a year, when its supposed to be free?
-DIF- school where children who are under certain circumstances, such as their parents cannot pay for their tuition or take care of the child, are sent to.
-School calender begins around August 20 and ends July 6. (2012)
-Mario gave example where one of his children attends a 3rd grade primaria school with 45 students in a classroom with one teacher.
-There are 2 "school shifts" or turnos. (1) Turno Matutino: 8am-1pm and (2) Turno Vespertino: 1:30-6pm
-Grading scale or calificaciones occur every 2 months. The scale is from 5-10, 10 being the highest a student can attain.
-Secundaria- age 12-15. Same school shifts as primaria.
-Preparatoria- age 15-18. Focuses on Ciencias Sociales and Naturales.
-Bachiller- alternative to preparatoria. Students receive technical education in agriculture and industry.
-Entrance exam required for both Preparatoria and Bachiller. If a student does not pass this exam, they have to wait for the following year to retake the exam.
-Sindicato Trabajadores de la Educacion- comprised of about 1 million teachers.
-Currently around 33 million students attending school in Mexico.

We also had a great discussion on the similarities in privatization of the school system in both the United States and Mexico.

Overall, a great first day of classes! Looking forward to whats ahead!!!

Simon Rodriguez Jr.
Undergraduate, History/Social Sciences Education
Illinois State University, Class of 2013

"At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality..."
                               -Ernesto "Che" Guevara