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I need to begin by saying I loved teaching in Southern California for three years. I made friendships with colleagues and students that will no doubt last a lifetime. I improved as a teacher while I was there. And I would do it all again without hesitation.

However, I knew all along that the school system in California did not value the education of the children. Nor did it value the working environment for its teacher or administrators or staff. Michael Moore recently made a film about the inequities and injustices of the US health care system. I wish he would do the same for education.

The fact of the matter is, if we truly valued the learning environment of our children, we would do things differently. We would have more schools, more rooms, more teachers, more counselors, more administrators, and fewer students per school. Never has this been more evident to me than it is now, because I’m at a new school.

And so I want to point out the differences between what I experienced in California, to what I’m experiencing here in Guatemala.

  • Teacher to Student Ratio:
    • California: 60 teachers for 1500 students
    • Guatemala: 200 teachers for 1450 students
  • Class size:
    • California: 32 students per class on average
    • Guatemala: 22 students per class on average
  • Teaching load:
    • California: I taught 25 periods per week and got 5 periods off
    • Guatemala: I now teach 14 periods per week with 10 periods off
  • Custodial Services:
    • California: Three custodians at one time, who take out the trash every night, but only vacuum twice a week.
    • Guatemala: More than 20-30 custodians at one time, who dust the entire room, mop the floor, and even wipe down desks EVERY DAY.
  • Collaboration:
    • California: Collaboration was supposed to take place among team members during the one free period we had each day.
    • Guatemala: Collaboration takes place at a designated time every week during the school day and does not interfere with free periods.
  • Administration:
    • California: Three administrators for 1500 students
    • Guatemala: Six administrators for 1450 students
  • Extra-curricular Activities:
    • California: We had basketball, soccer, video productions, anime, tutoringand a bible study group. Most of the teachers who did these activities were either volunteers or were paid by an outside organization.
    • Guatemala: We have basketball, soccer, swimming, track, cheer leading, tutoring, homework help, for elementary, middle school, and high school boys and girls. And the coaches or tutors are ALWAYS paid. I’m sure I’m forgetting quite a few activities we have as well.
  • Curriculum:
    • California: Standards based with a ton of testing and the elimination of arts for some students, and technology or music for others.
    • Guatemala: Skills based with opportunities to do projects. Students also take art, a THIRD language, life skills, AND technology! Notice I didn’t say OR.

One of the main reasons I decided to teach overseas was exactly so that I could see a different education system. I wanted to be able to compare my first experiences with something else. All along I knew that the school system in America was unjust, but I needed to have something to compare it to.

The argument can easily be made that this is a private school, and my other school was public. At the same time though, if we truly valued education the way we say we do, then we would find the money and the resources to create more schools, hire more teachers and staff, and eliminate the overwhelming stupidity of standardized tests. If we can suddenly uncover a gold mine for a war in Iraq, then we should be quite capable of uncovering one for education.