Educación Publica en Costa Rica

Translated: Public Education in Costa Rica
For the third time I find myself in Costa Rica for some educational purpose... and I feel like it is time to reflect on the Public Education system that I have come to know so well. I know many of you may have interest in this, but for those of you who do not... feel free to not continue reading :)

I will reflect on public, not private, education systems - public systems are regulated by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) at the national level. Each teacher in the country is therefore independently contracted by MEP. There are 4 basic cycles, as seen below in the table.

Cycle (education type)	One (primary: general basic education)				Two (primary: general basic education)		Three (secondary: general basic education)			Four (secondary: diversified education)
Approximate Age	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Grade/year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Diploma received: must pass national standardized tests to receive at each level						Primary Education Diploma					Bachillerato (high school diploma) Required for post-secondary education	Technical/ specialty diploma
Attendance Required	Obligatory				Obligatory		Obligatory			Not obligatory

Secondary education (which I thoroughly researched for my undergraduate thesis) is a little different than in
the U.S... here is a diagram to explain the structure.

Within these structures, MEP mandates academic standards to all levels with a hierarchical system (overarching themes, unit goals/objectives, lesson objectives). Apart from this structure, there is no requirement or common resource for teachers. The annual school year schedule for public education in Costa Rica includes 200 school days. The school schedule follows the calendar year in that students move to the next grade level at the start of the calendar year. The school year is split into three time frames or “trimesters.” The first trimester runs from February to May. The second runs from June to August, with no vacation between the first and second. The third trimester begins in September after a 20 day vacation and runs into the start of December, thus allowing for approximately 2 months of vacation before the start of the new school year. However, within these 200 school days, there are numerous "feriados" or holidays in Costa Rica - at least 2 per month where there are no classes. Additionally, in small schools, class may be canceled for a day or two if a teacher is not available. Thus, I would estimate students are only in school about 170-180 days a year.

From now on out I will mainly reflect on my current observations of the local school where I am working, but I also have experience in another rural (technical) secondary school. Lesson planning does not seem to be very common an action from my observations. Teachers do seem to be resourceful when it comes to activities. One example is the use of standardized curriculum books for all classes at the rural primary school where I am working. The students literally travel to and from school with 5 or 6 workbooks and their individual class spiral bound notebooks. These notebooks do allow for student-centered instruction or group work, nonetheless, much instruction comes from reading or lecture.

For Social Studies, 5th grade students are asked to highlight then summarize info in graphic organizers

Backpack full of books and notebooks! A lot to carry around every day!

What else is unique about the education system here? One would think that Costa Rica, being a Latin American country, would not have many resources or technology, but it is the richest/most developed country in Central America and does not have a military - thus funnels much of its economy into education. Teachers are valued in Costa Rica... it is interesting to compare the US with CR in this respect. Mainly because, while teachers are respected, the value of work is completely different.

(Reflection time)
I was surprised that a comment arose over this topic today when I was talking about my future plans with some friends at the University. They noted how different the "priorities" are between here and there... I said I was ready for whatever God had planned for me (meaning I would get to travel or work in something exciting rather than get married and start a family right away - especially since I am single). I will put it straight: life is so "Pura Vida" here mainly because people do not idolize their jobs the way they do in the United States. Idolizing means that, in the U.S., many people define themselves by what they do from 8-5 everyday. The "American Dream" has caused us to be constantly focused on how to climb the career ladder and increase this feeling of value that comes from having a satisfactory job. Bringing this back to Costa Rica, I have found that people don't get so worked up over their jobs nearly as much as they do over their family and friends... what is so wrong with that? Well, I agree that there are many benefits of being fully dedicated to our jobs (i.e. progress, economic gain, development), I often feel they take over our lives in ways they shouldn't. As I reflected last time... at the end of the day, what really matters? That you did a really good job in the workplace or that you positively influenced a life?

Here is the hitch... agriculture teachers (and educators in general) get to do both at the same time! So how exciting is it that, while being dedicated to your career (which, if you are in education, is STUDENTS) you are serving as a positive influence on countless lives? Well, I have come to realize that this is the case in Ag Education, but nonetheless feel that we all, even in ag education, can forget that our jobs do not define us. Personally, my identity is found in Christ Jesus, and the faith in Him that disseminates to all areas of life.

So, let's pull this back to public education in Costa Rica (note blog title). Many teachers know that they are valued and that education is important, but it sometimes seems that they do not realize the potential that they have in planning and developing relevant and challenging educational experiences. This is a problem in the States too, mind you, so now I am bringing it home in another way. However, I cannot deny that, after spending time at an outstanding agriculture program where the curriculum and lessons are meaningful and relevant, I get frustrated watching teachers simply teach from a book. The laid back atmosphere of Costa Rica can also be seen in the relaxed schedule, where lessons often start late or do not even start at all because another lesson is still occurring or students did not work diligently enough... or because the teacher leaves for a meeting during the school day (see previous blog). Don't get me wrong - this public primary school that I am working with is outstanding because it provides low SES students with a place to be and grow. The teachers are loving and care for them, and they get nutritious meals and technology/resources they would not get otherwise. However, we, as positive agents of change, should always be looking for improvement opportunities!

Speaking of the technology, here is a photo of the "computers" that the students all get through this rural grant program, "Conectandonos."

Each classroom (3 total) has WiFi for the students to "connect" if they need an online resource or if they simply want to play a game during free time. 

5th grade classroom

So, throughout all of this educational reflecting, I have come to accept something... or at least I am recognizing something from my past few days of working with these kids.

I don't think I am cut out to be an elementary educator... at least not in Costa Rica. Maybe it is just from the initial shock of a "gringa" being in their school (I am sure many of these kids have never seen someone from the U.S. before), but when I try to explain something to these kids, I often get blank faces.

I know I often struggle with appropriate explanations for content, but I figured that, given my level of Spanish and their levels of curriculum, it wouldn't be so bad for me to help out with some math problems or individual geography work, but I swear these kids think I am an alien! I get blank stares and minimal responses when I talk to them... maybe it is my poor explanation skills in Spanish, maybe it is my white skin... maybe a combination! Either way, I have been mostly unsuccessful with these elementary school kids.

Oh well! Still moving ahead and hoping that it gets better as I attempt to love on them!

Thanks for listening to my rambling of thoughts regarding public education and my philosophy of such! I hope you learned something :)