A Student is a Student

Students are students.

In my last 10 months in Mexico, I’ve seen several kinds of students. None of them are different from the type of student I have seen in California. I’ve taught nerds, jocks, and artists in Mexico...and in Los Angeles. I’ve talked with students with severe learning disorders...in both countries. I’ve taught students who are extremely bright, and those who don’t understand basic concepts. It is the system and the culture in both countries which makes these students different.

Let me explain. In Mexico, at least at the school I have been teaching, the parents are the most important asset. Exams are given constantly, probably because it’s easy for parents to see a number from an exam. There are more systemic differences. When a parent or student has a concern (good or bad), first the owner of the school is alerted, then the principal, then the grade coordinator, and finally the teacher (if at all). Through this pipeline, you can see that stories change by the time it finally gets to the teacher. And, parents are always right! For example, if the student comes home and tells his mom he doesn’t understand the grammar homework, the mom would call the school and the process begins.

Most would agree that in the United States, parents are not the most important; instead, a community effort of teachers, administrators, parents, students, community leaders and others are needed to create a safe and rigorous learning environment. This normally doesn’t happen,but it’s not all-parent based. So, for example, students would typically email me directly with questions. I would talk to parents all the time about projects in the classroom. That same mom would not even be in the picture about a confusing homework assignment. The student would simply email me, or just ask me during school.

My Typical Classroom-Clean, Modern

Also, the culture is different. A telling story: during Christmas (yes, in Mexico you go on Christmas vacation, Holy Week, etc. there is no “politically correct” here, in a country which is mostly Catholic), I gave my students a writing prompt: “What will you be doing for Christmas vacation?” The answers ranged from “spending time with my family,” “going to the movies with my friends,” “going on vacation with my family,” or “having a nice family dinner.” There was no mention of gift giving or even an expectation of a gift during Christmas.

If I asked the same kind of question in Los Angeles, I would not get a 100% response about family and friends. So, in Mexico, the family is all-important. This is just one example.

Yesterday, I had a typical conversation with a graduating Senior, who had grown up in Europe and traveled the world. She has straight A’s. Her family is now in Queretaro. I asked her where she was going to University. She told me she was staying in Queretaro. “My family is here,” she said. I told her she could probably go anywhere in the world to study, not just the United States. “But I like it here,” she said. That is very, very typical. Why go somewhere else if you’re comfortable? For most Americans, the answer is: because you should expand your mind, explore, and find out what you want to do. But that is not the thinking here. Neither is correct; the cultures are just different.

Don’t get me wrong-the students and teachers in Mexico are wonderful. The rules and culture create that. There are values taught every week at my school.I am most impressed by their honesty.  It’s not unusual for students to enter the classroom before the teacher. Several times, I was told to leave my classroom alone and go somewhere (a birthday party, teach another class, etc.). There is mutual trust throughout the school, where students sometimes leave their expensive computers in the open classroom. That’s nice.

I try to add color and creativity to a drab classroom.

The school: very, very clean. Our custodian comes in several times a day and sweeps, even where there are 3 pieces of trash. It doesn’t matter. When I tell her not to,(mi salon es muy limpia--is that right?)  she sweeps anyway.

The blue and white uniforms for middle school students at my school equalize the income gap. For example, a wealthy student cannot wear Calvin Klein jeans and a Abercrombie & Fitch shirt. The wear these frumpy, baggy blue and white uniforms. No makeup is allowed, nor earrings (although most have something). Most public schools do not have uniforms (yes, some do). But another factor in keeping the students inline.

Blue Uniforms Add Uniformity to the School (Sorry,I had to blur students' faces)

All classrooms have smartboards, although only one I know has the cord to use it. All have projectors. But when you look on the whiteboards, there is nothing written, not even the date.

And almost all teachers bring their own laptops from home. Although these are probably worth at least a month’s salary for teachers, they bring them to do grades, lessons and attendance because there is no printer available for teachers.

I always wonder how these students would fare in the United States. Some would excel, and others not. But that’s education.

Are the students in the US smarter? I would say-on the whole- yes, only because they have been exposed to more substantive learning experience, not just exams. Most Mexican students have a difficult time with critical thinking because they weren’t trained that way. Most students--not all! But the US can learn from the Mexican system about the honesty and creativity from the Mexican students. I love that part of teaching students here.

Is the US system the best? No. A lot of countries have much better systems, with more projects, smaller class sizes, more differentiation, etc. Both Mexico and the US have a long way to go.

All in all, a student is a student. Cultures and systems alter the students.