Monday, March 5, 2018

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!

2 comments:

  1. Fernanda Tessaro DeschampsMarch 5, 2018 at 8:31 PM

    É um assunto polêmico, eu creio. Quando eu era pequena estudei em escolas particulares, mas também em públicas. As escolas particulares na minha opinião são mais engajadas com a qualidade do ensino e com o envolvimento da família nesse processo. Percebo também hoje com meus filhos que estudam em escola particular a valorização do exercitar o pensamento e não entregar pronto ou apressar uma tarefa ou aprendizagem. Quando eu era pequena e mudei no meio do ano escolar para uma escola pública lembro que de repente eu não sentia mais necessidade de me esforçar para aprender ou estudar. Era como se eu tivesse voltado um ano. A escola particular me instigava mais, dava maior aprofundamento nos estudos de cada matéria. Por outro lado, quando fui para o ensino médio federal, o ensino se igualava ao de uma escola particular. O mesmo notei nas universidades públicas. A má qualidade de ensino na grande maioria ainda está no ensino fundamental municipal ou estadual, infelizmente. Agora a qualidade de aproveitamento de cada criança, independente de onde estude, depende bastante da atenção e importância que a família dá para a educação e de todos os aprendizados complementares que a família proporciona. Talvez aí esteja um dos pontos importantes que faltam para melhor qualificar a educação pública básica no Brasil.

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    1. Agradeço muito sua resposta Fernanda. Concordo que tem uma participação dos pais fraco na escola pública (que estou tentando melhorar) e também a escola está com medo de convidar os pais. Não existe a escola perfeita mas acredito, como tu, que todo pai/Mae tem a responsibilidade de educar e participar com a escola - uma coisa que não acontece.

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