Yesterday we took a tour of the public school located in La Cienega, Before we toured the school, we had a question/answer session with the principal of the school. He explained to us that there are approximately seven hundred and fifty students in the whole school. The school goes from preschool to twelfth grade. The students that attend the school either attend a morning session or an afternoon session, much different than in the United States. The morning session is from 8-12 and the afternoon session is from 1-5. In a four hour period, the students learn nine different subjects. This has it's obvious disadvantages. However, the Dominican Republic is currently changing the length of the school day from four hours to eight hours. After we had a chat with the principal, we toured the school. The hallways are located outside, and there are many windows in the classrooms allowing for maximum air flow for the students and teachers. In many of the classrooms, only about half of the students had workbooks or notebooks. This is because of the extreme poverty in La Cienega. Something I found interesting, was the students are not allowed to attend school unless they are wearing their uniform and have a pencil. However, this could be a problem for some who are living in extreme poverty.
After we toured the school, we had the opportunity to sit in on a class. The class I sat in on consisted of students around the age of twelve. They were working on Spanish, reading a poem and discussing the usages of commas, periods, exclamation points, and question marks. Although not all of the students had books, the students that had books paired up with students who did not have books. As the teacher asked for students to read, or as she asked them questions, I noticed there was a high volunteer rate. They raised their hands with enthusiasm, obviously wanting to be called on. It was quite obvious the students respected the teacher for the most part. The majority of them were attentive throughout the lesson. I noticed other than their books, notebooks, and pencils, there weren't many other materials throughout the room.
This experience made me realize how much students in the United States take their education for granted. Students in the United States complain about going to school, when in reality, they don't realize how privileged they really are. They are provided with so many materials at school to help them learn, especially technology. They get to go to school for a full day, and because of this, get to enjoy extra classes such as music, art, gym, and technology, that the students in La Cienega don't have the opportunity to enjoy. Despite everything they are lacking, the students at the school were full of life. Their smiling faces and friendly attitudes made me realize that you don't necessarily need material items to be happy. This applies to everyone in La Cienega. While we walk throughout the community to go to lunch, we are surrounded by smiling, welcoming faces. The people and children say hello, smile, and wave as we pass by. It is so important to appreciate the little things in life, and unfortunately we need experiences like this to be reminded of that.
After we toured the school, we had the opportunity to sit in on a class. The class I sat in on consisted of students around the age of twelve. They were working on Spanish, reading a poem and discussing the usages of commas, periods, exclamation points, and question marks. Although not all of the students had books, the students that had books paired up with students who did not have books. As the teacher asked for students to read, or as she asked them questions, I noticed there was a high volunteer rate. They raised their hands with enthusiasm, obviously wanting to be called on. It was quite obvious the students respected the teacher for the most part. The majority of them were attentive throughout the lesson. I noticed other than their books, notebooks, and pencils, there weren't many other materials throughout the room.
This experience made me realize how much students in the United States take their education for granted. Students in the United States complain about going to school, when in reality, they don't realize how privileged they really are. They are provided with so many materials at school to help them learn, especially technology. They get to go to school for a full day, and because of this, get to enjoy extra classes such as music, art, gym, and technology, that the students in La Cienega don't have the opportunity to enjoy. Despite everything they are lacking, the students at the school were full of life. Their smiling faces and friendly attitudes made me realize that you don't necessarily need material items to be happy. This applies to everyone in La Cienega. While we walk throughout the community to go to lunch, we are surrounded by smiling, welcoming faces. The people and children say hello, smile, and wave as we pass by. It is so important to appreciate the little things in life, and unfortunately we need experiences like this to be reminded of that.