Finally, a chance to blog again! It’s been an intense and uplifting few days since the last entry. I’ll try my best to recap the major events. But before I do, I forgot to mention last time that this blog, this trip, and this entire experience has been brought to you...well, to me...by the U.S. Department of State - Education and Cultural Affairs and the good people at IREX - Teachers for Global Classrooms. We have been fortunate to travel with a representative of each organization, and they are the reason this trip has been as amazing as it has been. Thursday, June 21st After a very informative presentation on the education system by our in-country liaison, we finally got to visit a school - Institucion Educativa Carlos Wiesse. Our first school visit was cancelled because the Peru soccer team was playing in the World Cup, and the entire school was going to be watching. I’m not a soccer fan, but that is just an awesome thing to do with the school. Unfortunately, they lost...probably because we were not at the school to cheer them on with all the kids. As we drove up to the school, I noticed all of the structures on the side of the mountain. I found out later that the children at Carlos Wiesse live in these houses. In the U.S., poverty is hidden - you have to take a wrong turn in a city or town to see it. In Peru, it is in plain sight. The school itself was not like anything I had ever seen - a large, open, concrete courtyard with two levels of classrooms on both sides. The classrooms were fairly small compared to U.S. classrooms, and some had kids sitting in the rooms without teachers. Apparently, there is a teacher strike happening right now, and some of the teachers at the school were striking. Since they do not have substitutes, and there is already a teacher shortage, you just end up with teacher-less classes. We were led around by a group of students whose English was very good - which is a great thing, because my Spanish is very bad. *Side note - I normally wouldn’t comment on this, as it isn’t anything that I think needs to be pointed out, usually, but one of the kids was clearly living a different lifestyle than what I had expected from a culture I had been told was very traditional. He was a young man wearing some light makeup (I didn’t ask him how he identified, so I’m just going with “him”). My first thought was, “Wow, that’s awesome that he feels comfortable making that choice and being who he is.” Then we walked by a group of boys in the yard, with the boy in the front staring him down. He ignored the group of boys and went on giving us a wonderful tour. A strong young man, he would not be the only student exhibiting strength beyond his years that day. After briefly sitting in on a religion class, we were treated to an assembly with about 40-50 students in a large room. We got to ask them questions, they got to ask us questions, one of the teachers got a lesson in traditional dance, I exchanged music with one young man who asked if any of us liked rock (now all of Peru will know the glory of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden), and a young woman sang us a song - beautifully, I might add. While the other students were asking us about the states, what we thought of Peru, and why we became teachers, the young woman with the beautiful voice asked us about children being taken from their families when they cross the border. Strength. Courage. Good for you - hold people accountable. Our representative from the Dept. of State explained to her that there are many opinions in the U.S., and most people do not agree with the policy, including her. Strength. Not the tow-the-company-line answer. I admired that and was grateful for it. She further explained that it was this majority of people disagreeing with the policy that had forced the president to temporarily halt the practice (which happened that morning). These kids reminded me of many of my students - strong, intelligent, motivated, but with the world stacked against them. As hard as it will be for my students, it will be exponentially harder for these kids. I am glad I got a chance to meet them, and I hope one day they will impact the world they way they impacted me. At the end of the day, debriefing with my colleagues over dinner, I tried to order oxtail ravioli. I would be denied. It would not be the last time I asked, nor the last time I was disappointed. Friday, June 22 We began the day with an amazing lecture by Juan Carlos Calligros, a professor of Anthropology here in Peru. It was enlightening, and heartbreaking. Major takeaways from the lecture: - Of 22 countries studied, Peru had the lowest social mobility. - Peru’s education system spread out from Lima with the objective of homogenizing Peru’s culture - the great diversity of Peru was seen as an obstacle, not a strength. “The education system works as an ethnocidal machine.” - Genocide was actually considered for a time as a solution to the “Indian problem.” - Students are taught one way - they either change (how is that even possible?) or fail. *This is not unlike how some schools/teachers in the U.S. still operate. It made me think of all of the professional development I have had around scaffolding for the kids - not just on knowledge, but culturally. Teachers must adapt to the kids, not vice-versa. That’s the difference between telling the kids and teaching the kids. It made me realize that teachers who are from the areas they teach in have an advantage, as they already know the culture of the area/neighborhood, and can explain things to the kids in a way they will understand. - Quechua kids learning Spanish do not see themselves as Quechua because they speak Spanish. Their parents encourage this, because they want the best opportunities for their kids, and speaking Quechua doesn’t get you vary far. - “All cultures change, but this is not a natural change - this is a forced change.” - ***There is little chance of success for girls in Peru, especially if you come from a rural area. They have less access to education, less access to resources, including nutrition, and the school texts reinforce gender stereotypes. They are subject to attacks, including sexual assault, if they are walking alone, which is one reason why families choose not to send them to school past a certain age.*** It occurred to me that, due to the culture that perpetuates the idea that women are only there to care for the family and serve men, and can be beaten without consequence, even if parents do not subscribe to this belief system, it is just a better investment to send boys to school and put the family resources towards them - statistically, they will make more money, and will not cause hardship for the family by having to deal with or respond to their child being attacked, raped, or having an unplanned pregnancy. The entire culture needs to change, which will take AT LEAST a generation, but more likely multiple generations. Our second school visit also came this day, to an ACCESS program. This is a program that awards scholarships to top public school students to learn English. I have quickly learned that here, English is a valuable commodity. If you speak it, and speak it well, you will have more and greater opportunities than those who do not. It is the Golden Ticket, and the kids in this program sacrifice every second of their free time for two years to study in this program. Five days a week after school, and Saturday classes. When I asked what they like to do during their free time, the answer was the same for everyone - “I used to ____________, but I do not have time anymore. Maybe after I finish the program, I will _________ again.” But, like the kids in the last school, they were gracious hosts and asked thought-provoking questions. And because they all spoke English, there were no barriers to communication, except for the volume in the room as we all sought out people to talk to, learn from, and laugh with. I will admit that many moments of this trip have stirred up emotions for me, including when answering the question of what is the hardest thing about teaching. Listening to their stories a few minutes before that, remembering the students from the day before who lived in shacks on the side of a mountain, and thinking about my students at home, I said that the hardest part for me was seeing my students struggle because of things that were happening outside of school, and feeling powerless to help them. There are so many problems that these students face, and so many that my students back home face, that no child should ever have to deal with, and that often make it difficult to impossible to focus on school. I wanted them to know that there are kids all over the world facing hardship, and that their teachers care about them. By the way, if you are ever at that program, there is a gentleman with a churro cart outside the school making (yes, making) fresh churros. I highly recommend buying one or several of them. After the visit, we returned to the hotel for dinner. I asked for oxtail ravioli. The waiter took the order, and I began thinking about how good it was going to taste, especially after being denied the day before. But alas, my dreams were short-lived, and would come crashing down on me once more. There was no oxtail ravioli. Again.
My anger and confusion were quickly assuaged, however, as I enjoyed an evening talking with my colleagues. Subjects ranged from the U.S. education system to to gun control to slavery and race relations. Not everyone agreed with each other, but there was no yelling, no accusing, no emotional outbursts or name-calling. It was a discussion. I had heard about discussions when I was but a child, and much like a unicorn, I had long given up on ever seeing such a silly and obviously made-up thing. But oh, how beautiful it was! No one changed their mind, but we better understood each other, and were able to acknowledge each other’s points, and see each other’s humanity. I suggest trying it, even more than the churros. Many of us said goodbye last night, and some this morning, as we all head to our host communities. My partner and I had to pack all our bags to start the long journey of about 3 blocks to our new hotel for the week. Though our host community is about an hour south of Lima, we were advised to stay where we were, as the host teacher feared for our well-being in her community. Tomorrow, we will tour her town with her as a guide, and meet her family. Monday, we will be teaching and learning in her school. Next week, we all return to meet up and de-brief at the original hotel. Next week, I will ask for the oxtail ravioli again. Next week, I will not be denied.
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We arrived in Lima two days ago, but it feels so much longer. I am fortunate to be traveling with an amazing group of educators from around the United States who are dedicated to learning as much as they can for themselves and their students. Fortunate because I know I will learn as much from them as I will from this trip. It’s interesting, because it makes me think of the educational philosophy employed by my school which I have embraced over the last few years, that of student-centered learning. I encourage my students to discuss what they are learning, and to use that discussion to help them process what they have learned. In the first two days here, I have used my colleagues in the same way. Because of the discussions we have had, I have gotten so much more out of the presentations and tours we have been apart of. So, good evidence for me that discussions work!
I sat down at my computer with the intent of getting everything down that I have learned in the last 48 hours, but I realize any attempt to do that would have me typing all night. So here are some major takeaways, which will still be quite lengthy, I’m sure: Interesting things I’ve learned, in no particular order: - I only ever learned about the Incas in school, but apparently there were many major civilizations that dominated Peru before the Incas took power. The story of their rise to power and family conflict that ultimately helped the Spanish to conquer them would make for an amazing HBO series. - I knew Peru was a multicultural country, but I had no idea how multicultural it was - pre-Incan peoples, Spanish, slaves, Japanese, Italians...Peruvians today can claim one, some, or all of those cultures as their own. Our in-country liaison, who has been told that she does not “look Peruvian,” told us that there is a movement now to unify this wonderful mix of people. Interestingly, this movement has embraced the term “Cholo,” which had before been used as a derogatory term for the aboriginal population, but now has been reappropriated to represent and embrace the cultural differences - “We are all Cholo, we are all mixed, we are all Peruvian.” It made me optimistic that we, in America, could some day celebrate the fact that our differences are what make us all American. - Unlike in the U.S., where power is split between federal and state governments, the central government here has complete control. For the purposes of education, that means no school districts. It also means that there is no consistency in education policy, as the Minister of Education tends to be replaced every time there is a new president elected. Cool Experiences: - We took a tour of the catacombs, which was super interesting and creepy. The Franciscan monastery it was housed in was an absolutely beautiful sight, with an absolutely insane amount of hand-carved wood details. Unfortunately, no pics were allowed. I guess you’ll have to come to Lima to see for yourself. - We had dinner at a restaurant that was overlooking pre-Incan ruins. Let me say that again - we were eating while staring at pre-Incan ruins. Not that it matters, but the food was also delicious. - Having a briefing at the U.S. Embassy was very cool, and kind of made me feel like I was living in Mission: Impossible or something. By the way, in case you were wondering, they don’t play when it comes to security. My guiding question: We were all asked to form guiding questions so that we can focus on particular areas of education. My guiding question, which I will reflect on fully at the end of this journey, is this: What does success look like, both academically and in life, for girls and students with special needs? I got some information on this question before I even left the states, as the host teacher I will be working with here in Peru asked my colleague and I to prepare a lesson on gender equality. According to her, it is not an issue that is talked about much, but women here are sometimes beaten or killed by their partners with no repercussions. Indeed, our briefing at the U.S. embassy today confirmed that. According to an education expert briefing us, there are steps being taken to address this issue, including changing the textbooks to include units on gender equity, but it is still a misogynistic culture. When I asked how the needs of students with disabilities are met by the education system here, I was told that it is not something currently addressed by the Ministry of Education. Apparently, it is not even acknowledged as an issue. One teacher told me that students with special needs are often kept home by their parents, and then miraculously pass on to the next grade. My intent is to find out why this is the case, and what becomes of these children who end up not receiving an education. I fear I won’t find many answers, but it won’t be for lack of trying. Tomorrow is our first school visit. Looking forward to seeing firsthand what classrooms look like here. Until I write again, enjoy these pictures. BTW, I have brought my little wolf friend, Indigo, with me. You may spot him in some of the pictures. |