Answers from the Students in Mexico Spring 2013
Greeting | School | Home | Monarch

I first visited San Jeronimo Pilitas Secondary School.

1. How many days do you go to school each year?
Cuántos días tiene el año escolar?
Students: Each School Year has 260 school-working days.
Cada año escolar tiene 260 días de trabajo en la escuela.

2. What time do you go to school?
Students: We go to school from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon.
Vamos a la escuela de las ocho de la mañana a las tres de la tarde.

3. Do you have a lot of homework?
Haces tarea? Si es así,  cuantas horas te ocupa hacerla?
Students: "Yes. It takes me about half an hour to do my homework," one student answered.
"Si, me toma media hora hacer mi tarea (contestó un alumno).
Students: "Yes, it takes me about one hour to do my homework," another one said.
"Sim me toma cerca de una hora hacerla," (contestó otro).

4. What do you wear to school? Do you wear a uniform?
Qué ropa usan para ir a la escuela? Visten uniforme?
Students: "Not always. It is not mandatory to do it. Mostly we dress up in ordinary clothes."
"No siempre. No es obligatorio hacerlo. La mayor parte del tiempo vestimos ropa normal."

5. Is there a cafeteria in your school?
Students: "No. It is normally not a concept included in the construction of a public school in our country, only in private schools."
"No. Normalmente no se incluye ese concepto en la construcción de una escuela pública, excepto en escuelas privadas."

6. What do you do at recess?
Qué haces en el recreo?
Students: "We talk and play foot-ball mostly. Even we girls play foot-ball nowadays, which was not common years ago."
"Platicamos y jugamos foot-ball casi siempre. Aún nosotras las mujeres jugamos foot ball, algo que no era común hace algunos años."

7. What do you have for lunch or snack time?
Teacher Efraín reported: "They normally bring their own lunch from home, consisting of a torta  (similar to a  sandwich for Northamerican children.), a small baguette filled with scrambled eggs and chili or with smashed beans with chili."
"Casi siempre ellos traen su propio lunch, que consiste en una torta (similar a un sandwich para los niños Norteamericanos.) rellena de huevo ó frijoles con chile."

These are the questions I asked Emiliano Zapata Elementary in "Pancho Maya" Community.

1. What is your favorite subject in school?
Cuál es tu materia favorita en la escuela?
Most answered:
"Science, because we learn about animals and nature's behaviour in general.  We like History and Math as second and third options."
"Ciencias Naturales, porque aprendemos acerca de los animales y el comportamiento de la naturaleza en general. Nos gustan Historia y Matemáticas como segunda y tercera opción."

2. What do you do during break if it gets too hot outside? Qué haces durante el receso si cuando hace demasiado calor afuera?
Students:"We do not have that problem, since our temperatures do not go over the 28 centigrade degrees in the hottest days of the season."
"No tenemos ese problema, pues nuestras temperaturas no rebasan los 28 grados centígrados en tiempos de calor."

3. What kinds of music do you have at school?
Tocamos nuestra música tradicional regional Mexicana para realizar muchas de nuestras actividades escolares (contestaron los maestros Efraín y Vicente).
Teachers Efraín and Vicente reported: "We play our traditional regional Mexican music for many school activities,"
"I do not like music very much," answered Christian, 4th. grade.
"I prefer Cumbia music," responded Paola, 3rd. grade.
" I like Rock music," said Fabián, 3rd. grade.

4. Can you read English?
Puedes leer en Inglés?
Teachers Efraín and Vicente reported: "No, only students at secondary school start to learn some very basic English but they are only able to read sentences when they finish secondary school."
"No, sólo los estudiantes de secundaria comienzan a aprender Inglés básico, pero cuando terminan la secundaria sólo pueden leer algunas frases" (contestaron los maestros Efraín y Vicente).

5. Have you ever raised butterflies in your classroom?
Has criado mariposas alguna vez en tu salón de clases en la escuela?
Students: "No, we have never done that."
"No nunca lo hemos hecho."

6. Do your history studies include prehispanic Mexico? Do you take trips to historical sites?
Cuando estudias Historia en la escuela que tan atrás en la Historia investigan? Hacen paseos a sitios históricos?
Students: "We study History of México since our prehispanic times mostly, and general Universal History in a minor extent."
"Estudiamos Historia de México desde nuestros tiempos prehispánicos mayormente, e Historia General Universal un poco menos."

7. What kind of technology do you have in your school? Do you use computer, ipods, ipads or tablets? Do you have the internet?
Qué clase de tecnología tienes en tu escuela? Usas computadora, ipods, ipads or tablets? Tienes internet?
All respond in chorus:
"We have a conventional computer, a projector and a printer at school only. We do not know ipods, ipads or tablets; we have heard of them and seen them only through television."
"Todos responden en coro: Tenemos una computadora convencional, un projector y una impresora en la escuela. No conocemos las ipads, ipods or tablets en vivo; hemos escuchado de ellas y las hemos visto por televisión."

Students at San Jeronimo Pilitas

Our Teacher at Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata Students Eager to Answer

All Attention on Estela at Vincente Guerrero Elementary

Our Classroom Technology: Computer, Projector, and Printer

Vincente Guerrero School

Estela's Trusty Car, Rocinante at Vincente Guerrero School