This week we are traveling all around Lima to experience private and public schools. Yesterday, we traveled to a Jesuit school in the district of Surco, which is a wealthier district. We arrived towards the end of the day so the students were very rowdy when we visited their classrooms. The school is very interesting because they have a fully functioning zoo with crocodiles, leopards, bears, ostriches and more animals, as well as a water filtration plant on their campus. It was definitely one of the most extravagant schools I have ever been to!
In the afternoon, we had a presentation from the former Minister of Education in Lima. He shared a lot of information with us about the educational system in Lima. and how they have been working really hard to improve their education systems over the past few years; they have been making so much progress. We were shown how males and females are treated very differently in some regions and that women do not get a fair education because of how the boys treat them or because they need to participate in domestic chores in the home. Today we stated the morning by travelling to a public school in the district of El Valentino. This school was similar to some of the Milwaukee Public Schools I have been in. The parents of the students are very involved in the school and work hard to improve the conditions for the students. It was evident that the school has a very welcoming and community feel. The teachers and students almost appear to be family in the ways that they interact. I really enjoyed seeing this school since it contrasted so much with the schools we saw previously. I believe that my experiences in Peru help me answer todays blog question a little better. If you had asked me this question prior to this trip I think I would have answered it a little bit differently. I believe that high quality education is one that challenges and enriches the students no matter what background they come from. I do think that the basis is the same for all students, but should be catered to their needs, interests, and environments. Students should be learning skills and content that they can use in everyday life, and this means that it might be different depending on where they live. For example, someone from the Midwest will have a lot of knowledge about agriculture and cold weather and someone from the coast might know more about the ocean and marine life; however, both students are able to think critically about the topic and analyze it. High quality education is whatever makes the student successful in his/her goals and aspirations. It is also important to consider the student’s context and environment to help cater education to them more specifically. In terms of inputs and outputs, teachers need to consider all of these aspects in order for the students to have the most beneficial output and one that will make them most successful. So, this means that high quality education does look different for each student, but there is a common thread piecing each of them together.
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