La escuela How are schools in Mexico different from those in the United States?

¿Como son las escuelas estadounidenses? Piensa: ¿Qué llevan los estudiantes? ¿Cómo son los salones de clase? ¿Pagan los estudiantes para asistir a la escuela? ¿Dónde comen los estudiantes el almuerzo?

Piensa en: La ropa, la maestra, la apariencia de la escuela, etc ¿Cómo es diferente?

There is no gymnasium or playing field at most urban Mexican schools. Instead, there is an outdoor court in the center of the school, where students gather to recite the pledge in the morning, play during recess, and take part in physical education and activities. Why do the schools only have a court in the center? What does that mean about activities that are available at the school?

What happens in the United States if you don’t go to school? In Mexico, school is required until you are 15 years old. Some students, though, do not have an opportunity to go. Vamos is a program in Mexico that provides two hours of activities every day for students from indigenous families in Cuernavaca. For some students, this is the ONLY education that they receive. At Vamos, children study and learn, but they also get to wash their hands, eat a hot meal, brush their teeth, and receive a vitamin. How is that different from the United States?

Como se comportan los estudiantes en las escuelas estadounidenses? Como se comportan los estudiantes en las escuelas mexicanas? Porque hay una diferencia? Vocabulario importante: Privilegio:Uniforme: Dinero:Importar: Comportarse: Pagar:

In Mexico, there are four levels of school. Students start at age 3 in Kinder, and spend three years in the program. Next, students go to primary, where they attend 1 st through 6 th grade. Their next level is secondary (our middle school). In secondary, students start back over at level 1, and attend for three years. Then, there’s a decision to make.

Students must take a test to find out if they will be able to attend “preparatoria” for free, or if they will have to pay to attend a private institution. At this point, many students have to drop out of school, because their parents cannot afford to pay the tuition. If a student does not attend prepa, s/he cannot attend college. At the end of prepa, students take another test. If they do well enough, they can attend college for free. If they do not, then they must either pay to go to a private university, or they end their education. There is not enough space in the public university for all of the students, so many do not have the opportunity to continue to college.

How many levels of school are there in the United States? How are students graded in schools in the United States? Who goes to college in the United States? What do they have to do? Why do you think that there is a difference between the two countries?

Imagine that you are designing a UNITED STATES style school in MEXICO. What would the school be like? Think about: schedule of classes, clothing, what’s in the school (i.e. gym, computer lab, library, cafeteria), teachers, rules, policies… Now, you are going to have to explain the differences to the parents of the students who will be attending your new school. Make a brochure to give to those parents that explains everything that they should know about your school.