Political and Ethical Teaching

Well, we have just hit our halfway point and I continue to be amazed with all that Lima has to offer! On Thursday afternoon, we went to El Augustino where we were a part of Encuentras, a program for kids to play and have fun, while learning how to take care of their whole self. The students played games like freeze dance and pass the rope over everyone while holding hands. They also learned how important it is to take care of their bodies and they learned how to do breathing exercises to calm themselves down after playing. In the evening, we went to a water park with students from the Jesuit University, UARM, where we saw a water show that included pictures and videos that were projected through the water and music to go along with it. It was beautiful with lots of different colors and different fountains.

Friday, we began our day at UARM where we had a lecture and lunch. In the afternoon, we visited Pachacamac, which was a museum and Incan ruins. We got to see what the Incan city used to look like and even some remains of bones. I was impressed with how well it has been preserved and how we could still see what the houses looked like. In the evening, we went to a dance show at Brisas de Titicaca. We got to see local dance groups and even got a chance to go up and dance ourselves! It was a lot of fun!

Saturday morning, we found a mall close to our house and had lunch at the restaurant, Tanta. It is run by a famous Peruvian chef and had delicious food! I got the lomo saltado which was a favorite at the restaurant, and it was full of lots of flavor. We also got Anticucho which is beef hearts on a skewer! I was surprised that it just tasted like steak and really enjoyed it!

As we get ready to head into our final couple weeks in Peru, I am intrigued to see what the Peruvian schools are like and compare them with what I have seen in the US as well as at Colgeio Roosevelt. Even in Peru, I have noticed that teaching is both political and ethical. It is political because the teachers have standards that they have to follow. In the US, the state chooses what the most important ideas are that students should learn in each grade. As Bill Ayers says, “when the aim of education and the sole measure of success is competitive, learning becomes exclusively selfish, and there is no obvious social motive to pursue it.” Often when teachers are told they need to follow a set of standards, they are limited as to what they can do with those. Teaching is political because some people believe that standards are necessary to assess where students are, however, others believe that it is just as important to let students use “initiative, courage, imagination, and entrepreneurship to encourage students to develop minds of their own.” The amount of autonomy students receive in the classroom can be just one way that teaching is political and ethical.

As a pre-service teacher, I think it is important to remember that there are always going to be politics and ethics in whatever I do. However, I think it is important to remain ethical to set a good example for my students. Yes, I want them all to do great on their standardized tests to show how much they learned in my class. However, going in and altering test scores is not the answer. As Robert A. Schaeffer stated in Blinder’s article, “people know that the test scores are flawed for a variety of reasons and that they cannot be relied on as the sole or primary factor to make high-stakes decisions.” In today’s world, we get sucked into having the best results and being at the top of the class, however, it is important to remember to show who you truly are. Standardized tests may be one way for students to show how much they have learned, however, there are also other ways to assess the teaching and learning that has been done. I think it is important for me to remember that there will always be politics and ethics in my teaching and that I should remain true to who I am and what I believe in. I should always do what is best for the students in the most ethical way possible.

Playing Jenga at El Augustino:

Water Park Show:

Incan Ruins:

Brisas de Titicaca:

Lomo Saltado and Anticucho at Tanta: