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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
Also Dennis talking about Mexican schools and English, how much Spanish did you remember from high school before you moved or traveled to Mexico?
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I remember every word and concept. I remember the tests I took and the conversations with the inept teachers who'd never crossed the border.
I remember that which I taught myself, mostly.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Most people from the U.S. cannot carry on a meaningful conversation after high school Spanish, just like most Mexicans can't speak English. I must
say that the young doctors I met from Tijuana though speak a heck of a lot more English and some fluent than the doctors in Ensenada, who hardly speak
English at all. | Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
Also Dennis talking about Mexican schools and English, how much Spanish did you remember from high school before you moved or traveled to Mexico?
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I remember every word and concept. I remember the tests I took and the conversations with the inept teachers who'd never crossed the border.
I remember that which I taught myself, mostly. |
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DavidE
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Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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I was cajoled, threatened, begged and browbeaten into learning at an early age. It is the PARENTS responsibility to insure their child is not
"skating". Hell yes I'm mean. My two grandchildren learned at a tender age that going shopping with me means a constant exercise in mathematics. How
much for this and that and "¿cuanto vale cada gramo?" Dalia makes vendors in tianguis weigh the proposed purchase, obtain a price then determines
value per gramo or kg. She at age six would stand there with her hands on her hips and snort "It costs less in Soriana or la Bodega!". Hell on wheels
those two kids. There's Pilar figuring out the weight of barbecued chicken in Pollo Feliz then comparing it to the price of chicken in the mercado. Of
course they use calculators.
When Pilar wanted an MP3, I asked her to write me a "correct" letter, stating why she wanted one, and why the memory was so important. She wanted way
too many "gigs" and was shocked when she was forced to learn how many songs could be crammed into 8 gigabytes. "By the time you even begin to start
filling it up nieta you will be tired of the old music and want to erase the canciones". Allowing children to USE what they learn in a fashion that
has a carrot for the right answer is to me one tool that really works. "When you want something, write it to me in CORRECT español and I will respond"
month, was a hoot.
Not one freakin' CRUMB of this delicious chocolate cake I baked until your homework is finished and I review it...
Then there is Ingles. If they answer questions in Ingles week comes around, they earn recompensas. I want both of them to have an opportunity to get
their mitts on gringo dinero when they go out into the world.
Heidi, a friend told me, "David you are soooo German, it is funny" (she is from Bavaria, Petr comes from the same area as my Dad's forefathers:
Swabia) Well hell my great great uncle was Erwin Rommel, and the name Rommel has passed down through many generations - my middle name.
The sciences are a disclipline.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
I must say that the young doctors I met from Tijuana though speak a heck of a lot more English and some fluent than the doctors in Ensenada, who
hardly speak English at all |
They were probably raised in the states.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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bajalinda
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Registered: 6-7-2008
Location: Pacific Coast, BCS
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Sadly, I have to say that the calibre of the schools in this neighborhood is not at all great either. We do not have a "prepa" close by, (have to go
to either La Paz or Las Pocitas for prepa) but the secondaria is really not good, with the primarias perhaps only slightly better.
The teachers are often absent on Monday and Friday - of course with no advance notice, so our neighbors drive the 5 or 6 kms to take their their kids
to school only to find out there is no school that day. Then you have the numerous meetings/in-service days, personal days off for things like
doctor's appointments and that doesn't leave many days of actual instructional time in class. Our neighbor got so fed up with the frequent no-shows
of one teacher that she and a couple other moms started a log tracking how often the teacher actually showed up for work and presented it to to the
teacher's supervisor. The supervisor's comment: "Oh, don't worry - the teacher won't be paid for those missed days." !!!! That's the attitude
these parents faced when trying to improve the situation for their kids, plus having to deal with the displeasure of the teacher afterwards.
Our neighbor's youngest kid now goes to secondaria in La Paz and English is part of the curriculum. No idea how good the teacher's English is though.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajalinda
Sadly, I have to say that the calibre of the schools in this neighborhood is not at all great either. |
State schools are dismal. This comes to mind every time I see a post here from someone who wants to bring their family down here and rely on public
schools to teach their kids.
Private schools, folks. Do your kids a favor.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Could be, though many speak good English because of cartoons they watched as a kid as they told me. All Mexican schools have English in their
curriculum, as we have Spanish in the US in the curriculum as a foreign language. A very good high school in Ensenada is Tecnica 20, but I wouldn't
have considered it for my daughter because the English program is very poor. | Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
I must say that the young doctors I met from Tijuana though speak a heck of a lot more English and some fluent than the doctors in Ensenada, who
hardly speak English at all |
They were probably raised in the states. |
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Osprey
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Doctora, were you a good teacher for your daughter?
"This is the going rate for any parent that wants her child to get a good basis in English".
How about "..any parent WHO." "wants her child to get a good basic beginning in English?"
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BajaLuna
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Private school would be great, IF you can afford it. We recently checked into sending both of our elementary school Grandsons to private school, not
that I don't believe in the public school system but because I was not impressed in the district we put our own kids through, which they would go to
also, we live in a rural area, it's not a high density area, hence there is not a lot of money in this district. Anyways, at almost 7 Grand a year per
grandchild, it was just out of the question. The sad thing is, they are both above average but have to fit into the cookie cutter mold of what the
public school teaches, and so consequently they are not challenged enough or taught on THEIR level.
Since I homeschooled my youngest Son for several years, I now am doing a lot of teaching with our Grandsons, although they are still and will continue
to be in public school fulltime (unless we win the lottery), I figure whatever I can do on the side to advance them, all the better! We are now doing
Spanish flash cards too and they have to learn several new words every couple of days, and at the ages of 6 and 8, they are picking it up so quickly,
woohoo!
Should it be up to us as tax paying citizens to have to do this, whatever we can to educate them more than the school is?, NO....but if ya can't
afford private school than whatever it takes for the kids! Many public school systems are great, we were in one we really liked in SoCal, but some are
not, and that's the reality of it!
I wish they taught foreign language in like 5th and 6th grade, kids are like sponges, why wait till high school?
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Bajaboy
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Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaLuna
Private school would be great, IF you can afford it. We recently checked into sending both of our elementary school Grandsons to private school, not
that I don't believe in the public school system but because I was not impressed in the district we put our own kids through, which they would go to
also, we live in a rural area, it's not a high density area, hence there is not a lot of money in this district. Anyways, at almost 7 Grand a year per
grandchild, it was just out of the question. The sad thing is, they are both above average but have to fit into the cookie cutter mold of what the
public school teaches, and so consequently they are not challenged enough or taught on THEIR level.
Since I homeschooled my youngest Son for several years, I now am doing a lot of teaching with our Grandsons, although they are still and will continue
to be in public school fulltime (unless we win the lottery), I figure whatever I can do on the side to advance them, all the better! We are now doing
Spanish flash cards too and they have to learn several new words every couple of days, and at the ages of 6 and 8, they are picking it up so quickly,
woohoo!
Should it be up to us as tax paying citizens to have to do this, whatever we can to educate them more than the school is?, NO....but if ya can't
afford private school than whatever it takes for the kids! Many public school systems are great, we were in one we really liked in SoCal, but some are
not, and that's the reality of it!
I wish they taught foreign language in like 5th and 6th grade, kids are like sponges, why wait till high school? |
They do teach foreign language in elementary school. Our son is enrolled in a dual immersion program that now continues through high school. His day
care was bilingual as well. Private school is not necessarily the answer. I firmly believe that the foundation of education begins at home. Too
many people are quick to blame the system instead of themselves.
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BajaLuna
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that is just awful, BajaLinda
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajaboy
| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
| Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
Are you sure that English is a requirement in Baja California schools? Diane, could you be wrong about that? Or, said another way "How and where did
you learn English was required in Baja California schools." |
We have been told by local parents that English is a requirement at the secondary level. Have I checked the official Mexican Department of Education?
No. My information is strictly from the local parents in Bahia Asuncion.
And, a while back they were in the process of requiring the teaching of English in all Mexican schools beginning at the elementary level, but there
was some opposition to that so I do not if it is being done or not. Again, it was a topic of conversation with local parents after I read it
somewhere--- sorry, I don't remember where. The locals were the ones who explained from where some of the opposition was coming. Again, did I go
out and poll the country to verify? No.
And have I personally checked out the science textbooks at the university in Ensenada? NO --- again, it is just what local parents have told us.
Do I know that the students were not being taught English worth a darn in Bahia Asuncion? Well, I did not work with every student in Bahia Asuncion,
just some very bright ones. They were very good students with very good grades.
[Edited on 10-5-2013 by DianaT] |
Things have changed....they are teaching English at the secondary level...we just had this conversation last week with some friends.
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They have been "teaching" English at the secondary level in Bahia Asuncion at least since 2007 when we were first there.
The thing that I hope has changed is that they have hired a teacher who speaks at least some English.
I guess it is too expensive to have many of the books, especially science books that are used in college translated into Spanish, so English is very
important unless their goal is to stay in BA and work in either the family business or for the co-op.
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BajaLuna
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Location: Pacific Northwest/Bahia Asuncion
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I wish that were true up here BajaBoy, no offering of foreign language in elementary school here.
I agree with you that education begins at home, absolutely. and that was one of my points, that if you are not happy with what your school is doing
and think it is not enough, then don't leave it up to JUST the teachers. One shouldn't just leave it up to them anyways, even if your kids are doing
great, it takes a village and everyone working together! yes, I blamed the system, because of our own experiences with it...but not the teachers,
there is a difference there. Teachers do the best they can!
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DianaT
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Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaLuna
I wish that were true up here BajaBoy, no offering of foreign language in elementary school here.
I agree with you that education begins at home, absolutely. and that was one of my points, that if you are not happy with what your school is doing
and think it is not enough, then don't leave it up to JUST the teachers. One shouldn't just leave it up to them anyways, even if your kids are doing
great, it takes a village and everyone working together! yes, I blamed the system, because of our own experiences with it...but not the teachers,
there is a difference there. Teachers do the best they can! |
If it was not so important for the students to learn English if it was not that the colleges use so many English textbooks. And English is now the
universal language; the language of business, politics, computers, etc. Back in the dinosaur age when I was young, the international language was
French, but that has changed.
There are a lot of political reasons behind English not being taught in Mexican schools, but that is a different subject.
The Mexican school systems are quite different than the ones in the US as are the hiring practices. Knowing the right person is very important.
When we were teaching in the International system, the schools in Mexico, in contrast to almost every other country, were required to have fewer
foreign teachers.
Yes, it would be good to have more languages taught in our elementary schools.
On edit --- Lencho, I agree
[Edited on 10-6-2013 by DianaT]
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Oh really? So I guess I am not an expert of grammar, so that is why I sent her to a good school. I am not claiming I am a grammar expert. | Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
Doctora, were you a good teacher for your daughter?
"This is the going rate for any parent that wants her child to get a good basis in English".
How about "..any parent WHO." "wants her child to get a good basic beginning in English?" |
[Edited on 10-6-2013 by EnsenadaDr]
[Edited on 10-6-2013 by EnsenadaDr]
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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I also want to respond to this in another manner. My son was living in Rosarito when he was 11 years old, before that we lived in the US. I put him
in Colegio Reina Isabel. I was very spoiled with my son. He was a human sponge and after 2 months he received the Math award at this school, which
is considered one of the best primary and secondary schools in Tijuana with an excellent program called the AMCO program. He is constantly working
and learning. My son is an over achiever, and is brilliant. My daughter is very sweet, and timid. She loves to watch Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus
videos. She likes to do anything else but study. I spend most of my time telling her to study, and she likes me to do her homework. Math and
Science are not her forte. So, I was the same mother to both of my kids but both definitely have different temperaments. I will help my daughter but
then again she needs to cut out wasting her time and I simply will not do all of her homework so she can go back to watching the latest makeup
videos. | Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
Doctora, were you a good teacher for your daughter?
"This is the going rate for any parent that wants her child to get a good basis in English".
How about "..any parent WHO." "wants her child to get a good basic beginning in English?" |
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BajaBlanca
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I wasnt sure why La Bocana wasn't on the list of good schools since i had heard they did pretty well on the standardized testing...today I was told
that this list included secundarias and not telesundarias. Oh well....
None of the teachers for middle schools whom I have met, speak any English. Thank goodness, two of the La Bocana teachers did classes with me last
year and this year they are teaching their own grade levels! The 9th grade teacher who just arrived is now learning as well, so that he can teach
English to his grade level next year.
I am shocked at how little time is spent in school, short hours, many holidays, Dec. is a waste of time, as is June. Teachers are often NOT in the
classroom and no one cares. Different than in the US for sure!
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