Spring break has come and gone and we are back to the books! However, the experiences and memories made this past week in Mexico City will not soon leave us. Formerly known as the Federal District of Mexico, similar to our Washington D.C., Mexico City has now claimed statesmanship as its own municipality and capital. I couldn’t believe that this entire city was built on water, which goes to show how truly amazing and creative the people of Mexico have been throughout time.

Entrance to Frida Kahlo museum

Mexico City has about 8.8 million people that call it home, sitting at the 23rd largest city in the world. As I sit and reminisce of the immense size of the city and it’s districts my mind wanders to the countless walks we took on the large city streets. One our first adventures was to the museum of Frida Kahlo. The blue house, as it’s called, wasn’t initially meant to be a museum at, as it was originally her former house. When she died she requested that her husband, fellow artist Diego Rivera, keep her things hidden. Following her request, when Diego died he demanded that her belongings be locked in a bathroom of the blue house until 15 years after his death. Some conspiracy theories suggest politics, including the couple’s communist beliefs and relationship with Leon Trotsky, are behind this request.

A portrait of Frida Kahlo

A corner of Frida’s kitchen

After brief (3.5 hour) wait in line, we learned about the life of Frida Kahlo, a prominent influence in the art scene of Mexico. One of the most interesting facts I learned was that from her experience of polio, one of her legs stopped growing. In response to the stunted growth in her leg, she made dresses that covered her disability. The dresses she made are part of the art that influences modern art displayed in her museum today! Her art also represented some of the struggles with her disability, including her infertility and desire for children, her medical past, or occasional confinement to her bed. However, she also used her art to explore worlds beyond what she herself could know, and painted many works with native Mexican plants and animals, pre-Hispanic symbols and traditions, and imaginative surreal worlds. All of this is displayed in the possessions and artwork in la Casa Azul, the house in which she was born and died.

With over 12 premier brands and more than 670 properties in 54 countries, companies like Hyatt Hotel Corporations are rapidly profiting off some of the most resourceful and beautiful regions of the world. And one of these wonders is just a coast away from the United States, oh so close to home! Cancun, often known as ‘the Paradise of the Americas’, holds title to one of the world’s busiest regions during the tourism peak seasons of spring break until late summer. International companies in foreign countries,  like those with American assets in Mexican territories, bring additional changes to the communities whether that is economic, cultural, or environmental aspects. The large presence of transnational corporations in the Yucatan state and Cancun area are bringing strong economic modifications drizzling down to the next generation; students and young adults are quickly shifting interest into joining the tourism workforce industry rather than studying toward a degree to bring larger and long-term financial support.  This is all due to economic instability.

“There are no jobs in Cancun if you don’t speak English,” said Josue, a dear friend of mine who worked in Cancun for a number of years. “It’s expensive to take classes so it’s better to work as a cleaner, learn the language, and slowly climb the chain of command.” Josue Diego began his career as a dish washer and quickly met English speakers where he then began learning the language. Of course there are grammatical errors and difficulty in pronunciation, however, Josue’s English is still better than those who learned it the same way he did.

After much introduction and conversation, Josue quickly learned that I was an English teacher and from there, our conversations about education led to a shocking discovery — a college education was never in his future. Safe to say, it existed when he was a child, but as he entered junior high school, it was “unnecessary because English is more important than a degree.” I cannot imagine one of my junior high students withdrawing from high school due to economic factors. He continued to add up the cost of university, “how can I go to school when my family and I can’t afford to pay for it?” Interestingly, with the high demand of employment, Mexican staff in Cancun also experience labor exploitation where they are paid minimum wage, if not sometimes lower. In a lengthy explanation, Josue shared that he and his colleagues would have missing hours on pay checks or added unidentified taxes. “Sometimes $2 or $3 dollars would be missing. It sounds little, but in Mexican pesos that’s about $40 to $60 [Mexican] pesos, and that’s a lot of money.” Josue does prove a point that although it sounds little to the average foreigner, $40 to $60 Mexican pesos is the equivalent of more than 6 hours of work; the federal minimum wage is roughly $9 pesos an hour (about 50 cents in USD). Now a supervisor of cleaning staff, Josue has worked a long ten years to get where he is. Often time those who follow his same career choice don’t arrive to where he is due to lack of language and other skills.

As the presence of international business increase in Cancun, the priority of education is rapidly changing to employment. It’s become largely confusing to why education is needed when you can teach yourself a language and have some sort of income. In lives just outside the beautiful white walls of resorts and sandy beaches, the surrounding communities are experiencing poverty even with employment. Though Cancun produces one-third of the Mexico’s tourism GDP, much of it belongs to international business and follows with the idea of international money stays in international economics with international businesses. Much of the income comes in but very little is given back to the local community. There is no room for growth and without employment, it’s very difficult to obtain higher education. Using the example of Josue, students are choosing short-term solutions over long-term financial development.

On Tuesday, March 13th, Paula Alvarado Cañada came out talk to us about the goals and changing nature of Special Education in Mexico. Maestra Paula is a retired master teacher, who has worked with students with a wide range of abilities and skills. Her expertise was incredibly valuable for those of us studying to be teachers.

The class started with a simulation activity to help us imagine life as students with disabilities and their teachers. Three students were given some kind of impairment – a blindfold, a tied up leg, or plugged ears. Their “teachers” then had to lead the students in simple activities, like a walk around the yard or a crayon drawing. As the activity progressed, we were given more considerations: what if this student was ten years old and had never been to school before? What if the student had no conventional language? What if the materials that you’re given are completely inaccessible to your students? In this case, it is the job of the teacher to be responsive, adaptive, and creative.

Our talk specifically focused on two types of Special Education systems in Mexico. The first are CAM’s, special schools for education of students with disabilities. Until age thirteen, students are in the “basic” CAM, which teaches basic skills like literacy and beginning math and science. Older students then enter the “labor” CAM, which teaches a trade skill. These programs have relationships with local employers so that graduates can immediately get jobs as restaurant workers, cleaning staff, massage therapists, or any number of other jobs. In contrast, the USAER program sends a multidisciplinary team (including a psychologist, a social worker, a special education instructor) into regular education schools. These professionals act as support staff to classroom teachers who face challenges such as students with disabilities, students living in unstable home environments, or exceptionally gifted students. These support staff work to make sure that all students have access to the class and the resources and support they need to be successful.

Additionally, Maestra Paula talked briefly about the effects of policy changes on Special Education programs. For example, recent legislation has opted toward an “integration” policy, including more students with disabilities into regular classrooms. The job of the teacher is very different depending on what students are in the classroom and what special needs and disabilities the students bring. Maestra Paula’s accounts of how her own career and responsibilities changed with different policies served as a good reminder that outside forces will always play a role in the responsibilities of the teacher, and that we must be ready to adapt our classrooms for many different types of students.

In a lecture by Araceli Radilla, an educator and former Secretary within the Secretary of Public Education, we learned that the Mexican education system has its share of struggles and the dropout rate in public schools is very high. Many children need to work to support their families,  and a recurring theme in the talks we have heard have touched on the in-accessibility of education in Mexico. (Radilla, A., personal communication, 2018, February 28). Although the government says that schooling is free of charge and provides free textbooks for primary school children, there is corruption that has kept rural schools underfunded for quite some time. There is also a shortage of buildings, teachers and textbooks that has been exacerbated by the earthquake on September 19, 2017. (Mariel, personal communication, 2018, February 13).

Urban public schools are better, but the standard of education is still relatively low. Private schools, have a higher standard of bilingual education that is usually marketed to expat children, children of people who live outside their native country. Most commonly, they are children of diplomats, business men or women, and teachers. That being said, despite there not being a tuition fee for public schools, parents of children in public schools are still responsible for a “cooperation,” which helps subsidize the disparity between the resources provided by the government and the resources needed to maintain a fully functional classroom. This fee ranges between 800 pesos and 1500 pesos and is used for classroom materials and building upkeep.

A biology class in session in one of the public high schools to which we paid a visit

From what we saw during our time in Amatlan and more broadly in the Tepoztlán municipality through our school observations, we were impressed by the creative ways teachers are confronting issues and creating culturally competent classrooms. We had the opportunity to visit some private schools near Tepoztlan, Mexico which are also striving to address the diverse needs of child learning. These schools were the Montessori style Primaria Teixtomani in Tepoztlan and an Waldorf style school. Both schools displayed more open learning which allows the students to navigate the world and see what is important and why. Within the grades, children were grouped together, allowing for the spread of knowledge between students. They work to diversify and rotate the learning material, so each student is given opportunity to expand their knowledge in their own space; When they are ready they will help teach the other student which helps them to solidify their own understanding. Both schools also incorporated permaculture into their curriculum, which focuses on how agriculture can be developed in a self-sustaining way and aspects such composting. They schools integrating it into such classes as biology, herbology, and even cooking classes in the Waldorf school which can teach everything from nutrition, mathematics, and economics.

A classroom in a Waldorf School that we visited in Tepotzlan

Despite their creativity, we couldn’t help but wonder about the reality of affordability. As we mentioned previously, parents of children in public school are responsible for a co-operation fee. This seemed burdensome for many families and for families to afford private school tuition and a co-operation fee seemed even less realistic. We learned that tuition for the Montessori school is about 2000 pesos, while the Waldorf style, was more than 4,000 pesos. While we did not get much information from the Montessori school about financial assistance, the founder, Adriana, did say that the school is a business and they do need tuition money to support operational costs. The Waldorf school did share that they have both programs and scholarships for families of lower incomes. If they are unable to receive a scholarship, the school works with the families to see what they can contribute to the school’s community; this can be anything from being a community teacher in the classroom, to helping repair desks, or other school upkeep.

Overall, we were able to get a fuller picture of Mexico’s education system. The impression left by the teachers, and their desire to further the possibilities for their children, is something that we believe many teachers worldwide can relate to. As we continue with our semester, these visits will help us as educators to make more culturally sensitive learning environments, that adapt to our ever-changing global society.

Adriana, Founder. (2018, February 16). Primaria Teixtomani in Tepoztlan [CGEE Global Studies and Education Students Interview]. Translated by Lisanne Morgan.
Chelsey, Maestra. (2018, February 13). Waldorf style school near Amatlan. [CGEE Global Studies and Education Students Interview].

Mariel, Maestra. (2018, February 13). Amatlan’s Primary school [CGEE Global Studies and Education Students Interview]. Translated by Lisanne Morgan.

Principal. Assistant Principal. Maestro. (2018, February 15). Secundaria Telpochcalli school [CGEE Global Studies and Education Students Interview]. Translated by Lisanne Morgan.

Radilla, A., Educator and former Secretary within the Secretary of Public Education. (2018, February 28). Mexican Education System [Lecture]. (Morgan, L., Trans.). Cuernavaca, Mexico.

During the week of February 13th to February 18th, students from the Education and Migration and Globalization programs lived with host families in the town of Amatlan. In the traditionally indigenous village of Amatlan, we were able to learn about the indigenous attitudes to aspects of schooling, farming, and migration that affect life on both personal and global scales.

A focus of the week was to learn about the relationship between the indigenous community and their natural surroundings. Overall, the people of Amatlan try as best they can to live in harmony with nature. Spiritual traditions surrounding the sacred nature of farming practices prevent land, crops, and animals from being exploited. Currently, the community is engaged in struggles to prevent their environment from exploitations from outside sources like tourism or multinational farming companies. We took an eco-hike with the head of the volunteer wildfire control brigade, who told us the ways that the natural resources have been compromised in a way that puts the whole community in danger. We also heard from an elder named Dona Irene who has protected her own farmlands against chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds, and plans to pass her traditional farming practices on to her nephews. Both of these talks showed the ways that the people of Amatlan protect their environment because of the reciprocal relationship they have with their mother earth – if they respect her, she will take care of them.

Waldorf’s school playground that we visited

During the homestay we were also able to visit nearby schools in the city of Tepoztlan. One school in particular followed the teaching philosophy known as Waldorf, that is, teaching without the integration of technology. The school was almost completely engulfed by the trees and ecosystem around it. The environment provided students with an opportunity to learn from one another while simultaneously developing an appreciation for the natural world. The students engaged in classes known as “permaculture” to learn how to create a sustainable and self-sufficient ecosystem. For example, the students recycle scraps of food and biodegradable waste into compost and use it to fertilize the trees and plants that surround their school. After all, the earth provides us with nutrition to thrive, it makes sense to give back to it what we can. Do you or your family compost? A challenge I leave with you from our experiences thus far in Mexico, the next time you’re ready to toss leftover food scraps or biodegradable waste in the trash can, reconsider it as your garden’s next meal. Little by little we can each do our part to return what’s left of the gifts that Mother Nature has given us.

As global competence becomes increasingly favorable in the workforce, studying and traveling abroad has become an interest of the millennial generation. The new and trending study abroad adventures are followed with trips to the United States with hopes of obtaining a “western” education that looks amazing on a new graduate’s resume. These beliefs, along with the ideal Hollywood perception of a U.S. college life, are compelling reasons for Mexican students to study in the U.S.

For a better illustration, after China and India, Mexico sends more university students to the United States than any other country (2015 statistics “From the Field: Trends in Study Abroad for Mexican Students”). Mexico sent only 14,779 students to U.S. higher education institutions in school year 2013-2014, compared to China’s 274,439 students and India’s 102,673 students. But with influence of the Obama administration’s Proyecta 100,000, “an initiative designed to send 100,000 Mexican students to U.S. universities and to enroll 50,000 U.S. students at Mexican institutions by 2018”, things can really change the ballgame for Mexicans students looking for a university educational experience across the border. In terms of the new administration in the United States under President Donald Trump, there is no news of the removal or termination of this program agreement between the two governments.

Mexico remains one of Latin America’s largest education markets. “Despite continuing fluctuations in the rate of inflation within Mexico, and similar ups and downs in the exchange rate between the Mexican peso and other major world currencies, the economic outlook for 2017/18 is for relative stability and continued growth in demand for study abroad” (“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?”). Alongside other reasons to pursue education in the United States, the most popular reason is learning the language.   In Mexico City, as the financial capital of all of Latin America, English is required for business transactions.  What better way to perfect one’s communication skills than to study in an English-speaking country?

 “While the US will remain a leading destination for students, there is an increasing interest in other English-speaking destinations, including Canada.”

(“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?”)

Currently, due to rocky international relations between Mexico and the United States, we are actually witnessing Mexican students choosing to go to countries such as Canada (as stated above), Australia, UK, and Ireland instead of the U.S. “I don’t want to go to the USA because they treat us badly,” said a Maria, a seventh grader. Asked to elaborate, she continues, “well they think we can’t speak English and that we are dumb people.” Though only a 12-year-old, Maria has a point to the stereotype imposed on Mexicans in the United States, both those with legal documents and those without. In tutoring an English class, we read news articles by the New York Times, BBC, CNN, the Telegraph, and The Los Angeles Times for two reasons: (1) to think about social and political issues along with the practice of following the media, and (2) for English practice to enhancement their already astounding vocabulary.

It’s commonly said that a student learns best when challenged until the breaking point. Important to note, excelling students like Maria are among dozens of outstanding students in English classes speaking English as well as many American student. There are small grammatical errors that are commonly found with many U.S. middle schoolers.  As we note the common trend of interest in entering U.S. higher education institution, we are also witnessing a shift, as the next generation of leaders are looking for education elsewhere.

Works Cited

“From the Field: Trends in Study Abroad for Mexican Students.” Icef.com. ICEF Inc, 26 Jun. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2018.

“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?” Icef.com. ICEF Inc, 20 Nov. 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2018.