Teaching South American Students

[s0830887]

Hey guys. Just wondering if anyone could give me some basic/general information about their experiences or understanding of what it's like teaching South American students. For the purposes of what I am after, generalisations are totally fine - I understand the limitations associated with generalising/stereotyping but I'm interested in an overall picture of these students. For example, I *generally* found Asian students quite diligent but always tired, and I *generally* found Arab students to be quite difficult. I would be delighted to hear any information you may have about your experiences with these students.

Thanks in advance!

[Dredge]

South American 'international' schools are GENERALLY:

1. Not international
2. Homogeneous in student body
3. Not English immersion (I have never heard to students willingly, or purposely, speak English to each other
4. Focused on social gatherings, appearance, social status, materialistic
5. Not staffed with complete international staff, often less than 50%, often in middle management or above
6. Divisive between local and foreign hires
7. Like country clubs for rich

All of this mirrors how the students generally are:

1. Friendly, but whiney and complainy all the time about everything
2. Rasict, classist, sexist, entitled (you could view these things as just cultural differences if you want)
3. Poor logical skills, maths skills and science skills (math and science are negotiable here)
4. Super chatty, can be good or bad thing
5. Exclusive to everywhere they go in the city
6. Generally, lower English skills, but some are exceptional because they love US pop culture
7. Have parents who can be bullies because they went to the school, as well as their parents, their grandparents, so they feel entitled
8. LOVE TO festejar and are not shy about bragging, in Spanish of course, about their weekend binge drinking around teachers
9. Generally LOVE their school and traditions
10. Put academics as second to all other functions of the school

THESE ARE gross generalizations and I can't speak for students in the more developed SA countries, but I believe my gringo colleagues would all agree with what I stated. You have to be really flexible and at the same time self-assured to enjoy teaching here. It can be a love-hate.

[chilagringa]

Can we generalize out to the rest of Latin America? I'm more experienced in Mexico/Central America.

I would agree with the generalizations, actually. However, in my experience in a school with a good culture of discipline, they students are perfectly teachable and it's not a bother. In a school with little discipline, though, watch out! I've been in both situations in LA.

I'd disagree on the putting school second - in both the schools I've worked at in Latin America there are a lot of kids (girls especially) who are really obsessed with getting good grades. Of course, if you let them, they will chat all the way through class and then stay up all night at home working on their projects. So... good classroom management is a MUST.

[Dredge]

I agree that they care about the number they receive for their grade, but few care how that number is achieved. Copying and cheating is rampant on assignments, then 75% fail the tests as if they were never in the class. I promise, I truly am not bitter. It's just what I have seen at two different SA schools in two different countries and conferred by numerous colleagues.

[chilagringa]

Ah, yes, well I've heard that's true at the HS level where I'm at. In the Middle School where I'm at they aren't quite smart enough to get away with plagiarizing most of the time, so I don't get too much of it.

I dunno, I like my job. The students have the natural tendency towards brattiness but I have good classroom management AND (and this is the kicker) the admin back the teachers up. Behavior isn't something I think about most days, as a result. I would say a good school with good reputation/admin will be a good experience here provided you are good at classroom management. An administration with no backbone, though, will quickly filter down to the kids become entitled monsters.

[global_nomad]

Dredge has pretty much nailed it from my experience in South American schools. The students, while a bit lazy, pampered, and entitled, actually weren't the worst thing about working in that part of the world. It was the parents who could be absolutely dreadful- Big fish in a small pond who like to throw their weight around. My worst experience was in a school where it seemed like most of the parents were alumni and would just hang around school all day, gossiping about teachers who didn't treat their "little darlings" right. It was awful. You could count on Administration taking the parents side 95% of the time.

[Dredge]

@global__nomad. You must have worked at one of my schools, except that the administrators are former students, who are now current parents..... Ahhhhh, stop the insanity.

[Mike]

Dredge is right on the money!

Throw in the local teachers and you will know your place in these schools.

If you don't have your own kids in the system and like to leave school at 3:30, it can be a very nice life!!

[PsyGuy]

I concur with @dredge.

[chilagringa]

Maybe it gets worse south of the Darien gap because my experience isn't that bad.

[Dredge]

@chilagringa... It is such an easy problem to solve from an administrative perspective. All they have to do is just hold the students accountable. However, then the administration isn't 'cool' anymore.

Here is a true story:

During one of my prep periods the other day, I was walking to make some copies. There were two administrators hanging out in a common area on the way talking when one of my senior students walked by. One administrator puts an arm around the other administrator moving her hand up and down for my student to take assessment and says to my student, 'Oye *name of student*, quien es mas flaca?' I witnessed the whole thing and they definitely were not shy about it.

If this is the type of behavior that is acceptable by administration, we teachers have no hope in the classroom.

[PsyGuy]

@dredge

I would just do the minimum, never be late, collect the coin and hit el caliente cantina.

[Dredge]

@psyguy... It's almost impossible to do anything but the minimum here.

[PsyGuy]

@dredge

Now if only the coin would improve in LCSA; I know a lot of ITs that would describe their ideal appointment as one where they are compensated well for doing the minimum.

[chilagringa]

Yes, if the salary was better here I would never leave! The lifestyle in Latin America is the best.

Preferably I'd go somewhere with a better salary (savings potential of 15k+ a year) in Latin America, but seems like there are only 2 or 3 schools that meet that criterion.