Day 8~ FTGC 🪶

On Sunday we started the morning learning about the Yanesha indigenous community here in Oxapampa. We went on a walk to learn about dance, songs, plants, and about wakon in the Yanesha traditions and culture.

El Wakon Yanesha Walk

The Yanesha created patterns from animals and natures. The photos above show the geometric patterns/ designs and its connection to an animal or natural thing.

These designs are on clothes, bags, and straps on headbands. We stopped by an artisan store owned by Claro who is known for her designs using natural materials in the Yanesha tradition.

For lunch we went to Picaflor, which serves Yanesha traditional foods. Picaflo means hummingbird in Spanish, and in Yanesha it is Chomoth.

Otarech

I tried the Otarech dish, which is a fish dish served with yuca and two different local potatoes, red onions, and tomatoes. It was very delicious!!! 😋 

It was an honor to be able to learn about the Yanesha community. We next went to a viewpoint which also highlighted the Yánesha and Asháninka communities. 

The Yánesha were broken into 48 communities across different regions.

Entrance to the stairs to walk up to the Oxapampa viewpoint.

Day 7~ FTGC 🌿

Today we got to visit the COAR Pasco school!! ☺

If you're interested in learning more about COAR schools in Peru, here's the website: https://www.minedu.gob.pe/colegios-de-alto-rendimiento/.

COAR Pasco school has about 250 students in grades 3° - 5° Secondary (Ages 15 - 17). They can enroll up to 300 students, but since this location is quite remote many students prefer Lima or some have left the school.

They have 48 teachers because half teach the1st half of the day, and the other half teach the 2nd half of the day. Students go to school Monday to Friday from 7:20AM to 7:20PM, and on Saturday from 7:20AM to 12:20PM. 

This COAR is an IB school, which is interesting because when we talked to some of the people who gave presentations about education in Peru said IB is only taught at private schools? Maybe I heard wrong??

We visited the school on Saturday morning and received a tour of the school and went to see all the classes for each grade level!!  Our host teacher Miss Elizabeth is currently interim principal!! The new principal will arrive July.🌞

Books donated from Seattle World School Library!! 🗺

Grade 3° Classrooms

Grades 4° and 5° Classrooms

After visiting the classes, we went to see where the students live when they aren't at school. The student housing was about a 5 minute walk down the road from school. The dormitory is separated by gender. There is a dining hall, nurse's office, laundry washing area, and one study building.

Housing Entrance

I've never visited a boarding school school, but this reminded me like living on campus in college but with security. There are some adults who live on campus with the students who are like residential assistants. We also learned that students have like a "big brother" or "big sister" grouping made up of one student from each grade level to help with adjusting living away from home.

We did see some parents waiting to pick up kids to go home because on Saturday students can go home for one night, but must return by Sunday evening. Majority of the students stay in town, and only a few go home. When we visited the COAR Lima, almost ALL the students went home since it's located closer to the city.

All the housing and food is paid for by the Ministry of Education of Perú. Our host teacher said they are supposed to have a new building being built for the school, but they've been told that since the school opened in 2015. They are currently using part of another school's buildings.  Also, the students were supposed to be given uniforms and they have not received those as well. 👀

It's interesting to be able to have this insight!! There are challenges in educational systems everywhere, and I think it's illuminating to see how education is viewed, valued, and implemented in any school! It's even more interesting to see it in another country. Even the "same" school (COAR) is different from Lima to the one in Pasco. Just like the schools in Seattle vary within the same district.

Day 6~ FTGC ✈️

Travel day to our host communities!! ✈️  🚌 

8 of us flew to Jauja, Perú (https://goo.gl/maps/WVfEN2mU93Cgft34A).
2 of us flew to Moquegua, Perú (https://goo.gl/maps/DJujMyMV66vQ8jMNA)
6 of us stayed in Lima. 

Myself and 2 other educators (Peggy from Virginia, Kristin from Florida) had a 50 minute flight from Lima to Jauja, and then we had a 5 hour drive to the town of Chontabamba (https://goo.gl/maps/XiDsoAXn2wFJ68b27).

We arrived around 3:30PM and checked in our cabin hotel!

Elfen Hospedaje

There's a bigger town about 15 minutes from Chontabamba called Oxapampa. The difference with these towns to other places in Perú is that there was a large German/ Austrian population here back in the mid 1800s. It is said that they came to settle here because they were not allowed to marry in their home countries, so they came to Perú. The climate here is an "eternal spring." The lowest temperatures in the 50s and the highest temperatures in the 70s. It is beautiful here!!

Plaza Chontabamba

Luckily our host teacher is very flexible!! She gave us some time to rest and get settled before coming to meet us and take us to a welcome ceremony. I tried to make a short video collage of their wonderful performances. The students performed various songs and dances for us. 🧡

I feel so lucky to be here!!

☺❤

Day 5~ FTGC 🥔

 

Today we got to enjoy different cultural activities around Lima!!

First, we had a Downtown Lima tour. We went to a popular park called Parque del Amor in Miraflores. The artist was inspired by Guadi Park in Barcelona, Spain. 

Parque del Amor 🧡 

Next, we went to the main downtown area of Lima. We started at Plaza San Martín and walked to Plaza de Armas de Lima. This is where the Government Palace is, where the President is located. We also saw the Lima Cathedral.

Palacio de Gobierno del Perú

Day 4~ FTGC 🌐

 

On Thursday morning we heard from folx from Enseña Perú (NGO), Ministry of Education, Peace Corps. Peru, and Funglish Education Specialist.

We heard about the new perspectives on teaching and learning in Peru, and its challenges

I think there are various organizations that are wanting to create opportunities to better support education throughout Peru. I appreciate how there are different structures of Basic Education, Special Education, Alternative Basic Education (Adult Education), and Bilingual Intercultural Education are in the public school system. 

There are many similarities that the U.S. have with the struggles of education in Peru. One panelist mentioned one difference of how individualistic views in the U.S. is higher than in Peru, therefore students still have respect for their teachers. Peru is more collectivist and they think about their community needs more than their individual needs. 

Panel on Education Policy, Practice, and Innovation 🇵🇪

Day 3~ FTGC 🌞

 

JER School Visit #3

JER = Jornada Escolar Regular
Double Shift School
7 hours per day

This school we visited was located in Pachacamac. It was about an 1.5 - 2 hours drive from our hotel. The name of the school is Roxanita Castro Witting. They had a very warm welcome for us, and decorated the school with flags and balloons everywhere! This school has a teacher who is a Fulbright Alumni, and she was super excited to have us visit their school.

Decorations in 1 of their classes!

Students wrote in their agendas that we were visiting!!

I got to visit a 1° grade secondary Social Sciences class with about 28 students.

I also got to see a 2° grade secondary Health Class with about 39 students.

AND I got to visit a 1° grade secondary Math class with about 29 students.

Day 2~ FTGC 🇵🇪

 

JEC School Visit #1

JEC = Jornada Escolar Completa

9 hours per day

Blended Learning

Urban Areas

The first school we visited was located in Chosica. The name of the school was Josefa Carrillo y Albornoz. It was about an hour and a half ride from our hotel to the school. We got to visit a 4° grade secondary science class (15 years old), science labs (biology, chemistry, physics), and a 2° grade primary class (6-7 years old). 

The secondary students were shy to speak English or say hi, but the primary school students immediately greeted us and showed us 2 coordinated dances!! 😂

4° de Secundaria

2° de Primaria