A Whole Different Class

5/28/14

On Tuesday of this week we got to visit a “one room schoolhouse” in the small farming area of St. Luis, in Costa Rica.  This school is host to 24 students and is separated into two groups which are 1^st-4^th grades and 5^th-8^th grades.  The school hours are from 7:20 to 1:30.  All of the students are from farming families.

We separated into groups of 2-3 students.  I was working with the 1^st and 2^nd graders on counting and learning how to say their numbers in English. 

Several things surprised me about this schools is that they have a 1-1 ratio for computers to students.  The principle and main teacher is Tito Angel.  They also have a computer/English teacher who is there 1 day a week, and a volunteer teacher who is there 1 day a week. 

Breakfast, lunch, and a snack are free for each student, but the school relies heavily on donations to make this happen.  They use the recreation building as a community building and for fund raisers to help fund the school.

There are no manipulatives or visuals in the classrooms.  Also, there is little to no classroom management being used.  Several of the students, even when working in small groups seemed to do anything to get out of learning, such as washing hands, sharpening pencils, asking the teacher questions, getting a drink of water, etc.  In my classes for special education, we are taught that “escape” is a means of avoiding difficult situations, or fulfilling needs that they are not getting within the lessons. 

So far, because of the teacher strike, we have not been able to speak to a special education teacher, therefore, it is proving very difficult to get my research questions about special education and about autism answered.  I asked the principal/teacher about special education.  He explained they currently have two students who have special needs and that he tries to work extra with them to keep them on an even level with the other students.  I asked him if he knew anything about autism interventions in Costa Rican schools and he told me he had never heard of autism.

I asked the computer/English teacher about autism and she said that students with special needs have it written in their files when they come to the school that they may need extra help with testing.  This is all the information she had about special education.

Our bus driver Janco, explained to us that he went to this school when he was a boy.  He also explained to us that as a small child, he fell and suffered a traumatic head injury, and because of this could not speak until he was five years old.  He had to work very hard to learn how to read and write.  He told us that he worked very hard to become a bus driver, and because of bus driving, he is able to see more of the world, than just his little farming village.  He also said that he takes his job very seriously, because he knows that our lives are in his two hands and that his job is very important.

We will be returning to this school on Thursday of this week.