a typical classroom in Nicaragua. I volunteer in this school twice a week. notice the gaping holes in the paint and open windows. there is no air'conditioning in the schools and on hot days, students carry their desks into the courtyard to work. and there is no electricity from 8 am to 2pm, and that means no running water. The school only has latrines. and no cafeteria. students in grades 1 through 3 attend from 8am to 1pm and then go home. students in grades 4 through 6 go to school from 1PM to 530PM...in the same classrooms as the younger kids. There are no textbooks and teachers must copy everything onto the classroom board. These teachers earn roughly $100 a month for their work, or roughly $5 a day. Students are required to wear uniforms, but many wear dirty, torn uniforms that are held together by safety pins. Parental involvement in students' lives is virtually nonexistent.
recess at the school where i volunteer. there is no playground, just a concrete courtyard. During recess, the students simply flood this courtyard to talk. A few boys try to play games with a deflated, old basketball.
student desk
the teachers "desk" and file cabinet. This is nothing more than a table and a plastic chair
the classroom. there are two fifth grade classes at the school. my class has 38 students. Yes, 38..in one classroom. The idea of doing participatory education is almost absurd; how can one find an activity for 38 students?! Moving 38 students around a classroom is chaotic. I can understand why teachers lecture for hours on end; it makes for easier classroom management.
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