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Mexico - schools in mexico

Expert: Julia Taylor - 10/22/2009

Question
I am attending a University here in the United States to be an elementary teacher. I need to do a country report on Mexico and am interested in the differences in the schools there and here. What can I realistically expect about a student's educational experiences that is from Mexico? Does everyone from Mexico have access to education regardless of socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc? Are there potential issues I may need to address because of a student's cultural, linguistic, or religious background? How do parents from Mexico view education? Could there be any extraordinary circumstances that I may encounter with students from Mexico, e.g., refugees, political asylum, gangs, drug wars? Also, are there any things that would be taboo for students from Mexico, like that they don't like to be patted on the head or something of that nature. I'm sorry I know this is a lot of questions, but anything that you could help me out with would be fantastic!

Thank you so much!
Christine

Answer
Christine,

I wish I could provide you with a better answer than I can, but I am going to do my best because the questions you are asking are so important. Please ask other people the same questions so that you can get a variety of different answers. Somewhere in the middle will be the main thread.

I have not worked with Mexican students inside the US schools, so I am having to guess at the answers to your questions.

Mexican schools appear to focus more on rote learning than on thinking skills than schools in the US. On the other hand, students are exposed to a broader range of topics and know more about the US and other countries than their American counterparts.

Yes, theoretically, everyone has access to education regardless of their background, but the major cross section of people who move from Mexico to the US, are the ones who are economically disenfranchised. Often parents could not attend middle school or high school (but NOT ALL parents, so don't make that assumption right off hand). Economic factors cause parents not to enroll children in school. School it's self is free, but families must pay for uniforms, certain required school supplies and text books, transportation, etc. Also, families may move a lot to try to earn money, or children may help in the country with agriculture rather than going to school. It's hard to imagine, but sometimes school officials actually drive parents (and thus children) away by playing power games. They may require certain paperwork that the parent doesn't have rather than just administering a placement exam. They may just have such a superior attitude that parents can't break the barrier and get their kids into a new school after a move.

In some families an education for girls is considered less important than for boys, though I see a major change in this attitude with this generation. Still, if resources are too tight for all children in a family to attend school, the girls are more likely to stay home than boys. Parents don't tend to sit down with children and help them work through homework. They are often working (both in and out of the home) and just check in with their kids to see if they have "done their homework." The gap between the rich and educated and the poor and uneducated is so great in Mexico that parents literally can't imagine that a child's schooling might help them to cross that gap (because in Mexico, it wouldn't. The rich hate being told this, but they keep the poor out of their ranks). Often schooling is just considered important so that children can read and can do basic math--maybe operate a small store.

Poorer Mexicans don't generally know anything about nutrition. Their traditional diet is quiet healthy, but as they begin to incorporate packaged foods into their daily diets, they don't understand the effect they may have on childrens' emotional stability and ability to think, let alone long term health. Pop, candy, potato chips, are all commonly consumed in high quantities. A "Maruchan" soup is considered an acceptable lunch.

Yes, there could be some "extraordinary" circumstances that children have experienced -- They would never call it that. It's just life. If they have entered the U.S. illegally, it is likely that crossing the border was NOT a safe, fun experience, yet they would hardly tell you this is the worst experience of their lives. Some of the poorest people have lived through hunger and may have lived in tight quarters with extended family members. Some places in Mexico are experiencing threatening violence, though the vast majority of the children have not. They are able to roam freely in their little towns and in their neighborhoods in cities, though this is changing as kidnapping becomes a more prevalent threat. Children of families (or extended family) who have lived in the inner city in the US are likely exposed to gangs and drugs.

As far as taboos go: NEVER scold a Mexican in front of others. Find a quiet, private time and speak ever so gently about any changes you would like to see. Also, Mexicans don't generally do the "laughing along with you" thing so avoid laughing at any time when it could possibly be construed to be about something they did.

Exchanging formal greetings of hello and goodbye will build trust and communication with children and parents. Mexicans know how to be relaxed and present in the moment. Being together at school can be a fun time to connect and learn together.

The answers to your questions should rightfully be the topic of an entire book or two... or five, but this is what comes to mind from the people I know. Enjoy teaching Mexican students. They tend to be flexible, easy going, and respectful of their teachers.

Kindest Regards, Julia C. Taylor
Author of Mexico: The Trick is Living Here and creator of www.home-sweet-mexico.com

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