School in Brazil - it's no carnival!

Today I’m going to tell you about school.

As this blog is written in English I’m sure I’m writing to an audience who (likely) send their kids to UK or USA public or private schools.

Today I want to tell you about our school choice here in Brazil and how it is affecting our family.

We have chosen to send our 6 year old (year 1/first grader) to a state public school in the south of Brazil where we live. It is in a good neighbourhood and should be a go to school for the community around it. But it isn’t. Our son is in a class of 13 children. At the introductory meeting six families were present from a potential 40 (one class study in the morning and another in the afternoon).

Why, you may ask. Well so far we have felt the school has given little or no information. We are not welcome inside the school except once a year on family day (or the odd open day). We must drop our tiny 6 year old off at the main gate to make his way amongst giants (14 year olds) to find his classroom in a place that he has yet to be familiar with. This in itself has caused several stressful departures and afternoons of sensory play and swimming (which he luckily has full access to at home). When asked about parent participation, the school were curious to understand what this might be!

So why do we send him there?

Well, we want to believe that the country we live in and that they were born in can provide what they need. We are not foreigners passing through. We are members of this community, town, state and country and we want it to be better and desirable. And, the other options open to us are costly but do not bring a significantly better option. Private schools offer bilingual programs (not necessary for the boys) and perhaps some extra tech courses but overall the basic education is the same.

Why is this school so bad then?

Well, it’s not! Unfortunately this may be the standard. Unfortunately it may be ok to speak to people in this manner and disregard children’s emotional needs. But it shouldn’t be this way.

So, for now our child attends this school and not at his risk but because legally he must attend school and this is the one we choose. We will be addressing all the issues and fighting for change. Because without this parent force nothing will change. We will protect him, help him and comfort him through all the adjustments like any parent and child have ever done and he will thrive and blossom. I wish I could say this for all his peers and every member of that school, but at this time I cannot confidently tell you that.

So why have I written this to you today?

Because many people think things cannot be soooo bad in other countries. That’s true on some level. But my experience here is that this school should be on another level and nobody is working towards that. I want to help all children to have a fair, balanced and fun education and that needs to start right here.

If you want to know more or have conflicting views I really want to hear from you. I want the best for my boys and for all the kids that will pass through the system. Let’s make this work!

Fantastic quote from Roald Dahl's charlie and the chocolate factory

This is currently my favorite quote from a children's book. The Oompa-Loompa's song about Mike Teavee from Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl


“The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set–
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all the shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink–
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK–HE ONLY SEES!
‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY…USED…TO…READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic takes
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and–
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole–
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks–
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start–oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hears. They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,
We very much regret that we
Shall simply have to wait and see
If we can get him back his height.
But if we can’t–it serves him right.”