Country and School Setting & Objectives and Goals

I am very excited for my student teaching experience in Morelia, Mexico.  Morelia is the capital of Michoacán, one of the 31 states in Mexico.  The inland part of Mexico, which is where Morelia is located, has higher elevation than the coasts and includes some mountains.  I am excited about this, since I have only seen mountains once before in my life.

Mexico's climate varies from tropical to desert, and there are three seasons there, dry, rainy, and humid.  Fortunately, I will be there in the dry season, which lasts from Nov. to April.  In the dry season, the climate is arid and warm with very little rain.  When I am in Mexico from Jan. to March, the average low temperature will be about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and the high will be about 82 degrees Fahrenheit.  This will be a nice relief from winter in Wisconsin!

From what I've learned so far about the school in which I will be student teaching, Varmond School, I am really looking forward to my experiences there.  The name "Varmond" signifies a life of harmony in the world, which I think is a very important vision of the world and an excellent name for a school.  I can see how "Varmond" is perhaps a creative combination of these words:

• Life = "Vida"
• Harmony = "Armonía" 
• World = "Mundo"

The ideals of Varmond school are respect, equity, responsibility, civility, reliability, and love.  Their logo is a world inside a triangle to symbolize that when a person finds equilibrium between the three fundamentals of being a human (intellectual, emotional/spiritual, and physical), it makes the world a better place.  Varmond School's philosophy especially impresses me, because they are very committed to working in partnership with families so that students are learning the same values in both their home and school setting.  This sounds like a very different kind of partnership with families than what I am used to having in American schools, so I am very eager to learn more about it.  The academic mission focuses on viewing the students as an individual, looking beyond poor behavior, and seeing and strengthening the talents and gifts of each child.  All in all, I admire the vision, mission, and philosophy of Varmond, and I look forward to student teaching in this school.

Below are my objectives and goals for my student teaching abroad experience:

Cultural Development Objectives

I will: 

1. Learn about Mexican culture (their lifestyle, values, music, art, recreation, entertainment, etc.) from experiences with my host family, students, school faculty and staff, and traveling on weekends in order to broaden my perspective of our global society and be able to share what I learn with family, friends, and my future students in America.
2. Share my American culture with my host family, students, and school faculty and staff to educate them and help broaden their perspective of our global society.
3. Gain proficiency in my Spanish speaking and develop a more genuine accent so that I will feel comfortable using my language skills in future settings in schools and elsewhere.
4. Understand how my culture is viewed through the eyes of another culture so as to better understand who I am as an American within a global context.
5. Embrace the culture of Varmond School by striving to practice its philosophy and ideals in order to fully understand the context in which I will be student teaching.

Professional Goals

I will:

1. Understand how Mexico organizes its educational system and what Mexico values within education so as to open my mind to diverse ways of educating people in a society.
2. Observe, learn, and implement teaching methods, content, and classroom management strategies that are traditionally used at Varmond school in order to learn how to adapt to diverse educational settings and acquire new teaching strategies.
3. Share and implement some of my own ideas in my teaching strategies to enhance the education of my students.
4. Teach in a bilingual setting in order to learn how bilingual schools operate and what purpose they serve in Mexico.
5. Seek and accept constructive criticism, advice, and ideas from my supervising teacher, colleagues, and administration in order to improve my teaching.