Cusco Reflection

After observing in schools in Lima for 3 weeks, it was refreshing to see the very different, yet similar Cusco region. In the school and after school programs that we saw in Cusco, the students all appeared excited to be in class and felt like they were valued and belonged. The teachers were all very warm and quick to give their students hugs or words of encouragement. Andrade believes that this effort to create “deep and caring relationships” is the key to effective teaching. He talks about how students “don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” I found this prevalent in the after-school programs that we attended as well as the Fe y Alegria school where the students were valued for who they are. The Fe y Alegria school in Andahuaylillas focused on shaping the whole person. They want their students to believe that they can achieve anything they put their minds to as they are giving them the resources to do so.

While these schools and after school programs do not have all the monetary and building needs that would make them as successful as they could be, there is no doubt that they have hope that their students will thrive and be successful. In particular at the Fe y Alegria school in Andahuaylillas, the woman who gave us a presentation on their school noted that the facilities that the students have are not adequate. They have classrooms with a tarp ceiling and are not receiving much, if any, government funds to help them succeed and provide the students with better learning conditions. However, while they do not have all the monetary resources from the government, they are not “blaming the victim or social services.” In this way, they are challenging the view of hope deferred that Andrade talks about. The school is instead continuing to educate their students in the best way possible and they hope to go to Lima in October and share all their great work. The school is having students write poetry and they are going to present it to leaders in Lima and University students to show how well they are educating their students. Because of the lack of resources, it would be easy for the teachers at this school to say that it is the governments fault that the students can’t receive the best teaching. However, they challenge the idea of hope deferred and continue to succeed.

When listening to the presentation from the woman at the Fe Y Alegria school, I was intrigued in their teacher preparation program. They recognize that there is a dominant culture in these schools, and many times the teachers are not coming from the same context as the students who attend these schools. Because of this disconnect the administration at the Fe Y Alegria schools take their teacher preparation seriously. They have the teachers come in and dive into their culture and their background so that they can create a classroom that will connect to most students. Carter talks about the disadvantage students are at when the teachers and students are not on the same page and come from different backgrounds. He says that “low-status and minority pupils experience their greatest difficulties in the classrooms of high-status teachers, who evaluate these pupils as less mature and less capable.” I think by preparing the teachers and working with them throughout their first few years, this school will set up successful classrooms for both the students and the teachers.

While I believe that Carter’s thought on cultural capital in the classroom will be beneficial to the Fe Y Alegria school in Peru, I also believe that it will be important for me to remember in my first years teaching in the United States. In the Milwaukee schools that I have observed in so far, I have experienced teachers who are trying to teach to the dominant culture and the students respond poorly to what is being taught or how it is being taught. However, as a future teacher, I think it is important to remember that the dominant culture that my students experience outside of school is probably much different from what I am used to. I will have to do my best to get to know their culture and to recognize that each and every student has great potential. If they present themselves differently in the classroom, I have to remember that it is their culture and that it should not impact the way I treat them or teach them. I have a feeling that this is easier said than done, however, I hope to create a classroom where my students recognize that I am “an authoritative teacher who demonstrates her “care” for students with faith in their abilities and a large dose of “tough love.”