We had read about Colegio Teizcali online and on some of the expat forum blogs for Oaxaca: for the most part, the reviews were excellent and the school happened to be a short 15-minute walk from our house in San Felipe del Agua.
The school was based on a philosophy that believed that children learn best when working together on a project. Desmond's class had chosen to investigate which animals lived in the plains and which lived in the jungle. All of the traditional academic subjects were tied into this project. Above and beyond this format of learning, Des had several opportunities to learn and be a part of traditional Oaxacan culture. For example, one day we went to see him perform as a "zanahoria" (carrot) in a school play. In that same performance, he had to sing the Mexican anthem along with his Mexican classmates.
The school was based on a philosophy that believed that children learn best when working together on a project. Desmond's class had chosen to investigate which animals lived in the plains and which lived in the jungle. All of the traditional academic subjects were tied into this project. Above and beyond this format of learning, Des had several opportunities to learn and be a part of traditional Oaxacan culture. For example, one day we went to see him perform as a "zanahoria" (carrot) in a school play. In that same performance, he had to sing the Mexican anthem along with his Mexican classmates.
Making Dia de Muertos crafts.
We loved his teacher, Maestra Gaby, a pretty, young woman who was so kind to Desmond. Maestra Gaby made all of her students draw and write in their notebooks each evening, so that they could share their pictures with their classmates. At first, we thought this was a bit onerous and too much like "real" school to mesh with our more liberal educational values. However, Des really enjoyed drawing every night and his letters did improve in the 6 weeks that we were there.
For the days leading up to Dia de Muertos, his school organized a comparsa (similar to a 2nd line parade you would see in New Orleans) and a lunch for family. The morning of, we all donned costumes and walked down to the school. We followed his classmates along behind a Mexican band playing traditional Mexican Day of the Dead music. We walked for about 2 miles around our neighborhood and then back to the school.
For the days leading up to Dia de Muertos, his school organized a comparsa (similar to a 2nd line parade you would see in New Orleans) and a lunch for family. The morning of, we all donned costumes and walked down to the school. We followed his classmates along behind a Mexican band playing traditional Mexican Day of the Dead music. We walked for about 2 miles around our neighborhood and then back to the school.
Walking with some of his classmates during the comparsa. One interesting thing about children in Oaxaca dressing up for Dia de Muertos, they tended to dress up as traditional characters (witches, vampires. One boy was a mariachi vampire).
That same day, Des and his classmates made, from scratch, a huge batch of sweet corn tamales. They then stood at a table and handed them out to all of their families. It was the highlight of my trip to see Desmond surrounded by Spanish speakers, holding his own, offering Mexican food that I loved to strangers. Times like those when I really love our lifestyle.
Des and his classmates passing out tamales.
On his last day of class, we brought some cupcakes for the kids and flowers for the teacher to show our appreciation for how sweet and wonderful they were to our son.
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