When we arrived ... around 7.45am .. the gate was open, many parents were standing around outside, and children were filing through the gate, with their control book (bit like a student diary), open to be stamped on entry. We weren't permitted in ... but Sara caught the eye of the director across the concrete sports area. He beckoned us in and greeted Sara with the usual SA greeting .... kiss on the cheek. I was introduced .... and greeted in a similar fashion. First time I've been been greeted by a school principal in such a fashion!!! Sara explained that I am a teacher visiting from Oz and would like to see how a class operates here ... could we visit the room. Well, not right then, but come back at 12 noon.
So we did, but we had to have the 'control' book with us or we wouldn't have been allowed in. We arrived at the room hile a science lesson was in progress ... I think. Took me a while to work out what was going on. Then it all changed. Another teacher arrived to take an English lesson. They were doing numbers from 11 to 20. At least I could communicate with the English teacher.
The room was ground floor ... bare concrete floor. Walls has some posters about science and maths topics. There was a large cupboard which appeared to contain class resources .... including roll of toilet paper which was collected by students when they left the room to go to the toilet. Desks were small, 2 person wooden tables painted brown, arranged in rows and chairs were small brown wooden ones. They had a new flat screen TV above the large blackboard, but it was covered, and apparently was new and hadn't been used. The teacher's desk, at the front of the room, was small... similar to student desks.
At 1pm, small plastic bags of milk and a bread roll were distributed to all students. ALL books were packed into school ports ... which were sitting under desks. Groups of older students were gathering outside the room ... I thought they were most likely siblings waiting to collect their younger brothers or sisters / this was a second grade class - students were around 7 yrs old. But NO.... this was the next class arriving for their school day. At 1pm, the first groups who have been there since 8am .... with only a 15 min break .... go home and the older students arrive for their school day .... probably until 6pm.
As we left the school, vendors with mobile carts were there to sell drinks, food, lollies etc to the kids, but there was also a guy with a wooden fram, and several small plastic bags containing goldfish for sale. Kids walked home or were picked up in motor taxis.
Later in the afternoon, the homework began, and I started to get a greater appreciation of how the school worked. The day is planned around 45 min periods - and students ONLY take to school the books required for that day. Sounds like what happens in high schools back home .... but these are second grade!!!! Five hours at school, with only one 15 min break!!!
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| From Peru 2 - 2009 |
Each subject has homework ... and in addition there is a weekly project ... which requires a great deal of parent input!!! The maths I saw included multiplication, division and fraction. The project for this week was about water filtration ... a model and experiment had to be created and demonstrated. On Friday, when the project was due... we were a bit late...around 8.15. The gates were shut, and apparently the director was addressing the students. Many students were also late, and lined up outside. When the talking finished, the gates opened, students filed in, but we weren't allowed in (we were acrrying all the bits for the science project). Eventually we were allowed through the solid steel gate, but had to wait by the gate. After a short time we were allowed to speak with the director in the middle of the concrete area. Usual greeting all around along with much loud talking ... by him, and a few parents also carring objects for their children. BUT ... there was no way he was allowing any of the group to go to classrooms .... our items were taken by the groundsman, or cleaner ... and delivered.
One other day, the students were to go home at 11am ... apparently there was a teachers' meeting after that.
ALL very interesting.
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