Schools in rural Mexico

The life is completely different in rural Mexico than in most cities in the United States. This means that the school systems are adapted to the culture and way of life that the school children experience. In the article I researched (Bryan, L, & McLaughlin, H. J. (2005). Teaching and learning in rural mexico: a portrait of student responsibility in everyday school life. Teaching and Teaher Education , 21(1), 33-48) the researchers conducted a field study within the rural town of El Bosque, Veracruz, Mexico. In this small village, there is one teacher who is responsible for all grade levels. All of the students are taught in the same room at the same time. They usually attend school for four hours a day. The article discussed many different ways in which the Maestro taught the students in order to balance the age groups and culture of the classroom. Most of the results of the study found that the students had to practice self discipline and were expected to be responsible for themselves (behaviorally as well as academically.) In addition, the students were given responsibilities that students in the United States do not usually encounter- i.e. they were expected to help the younger students with their homework and they were given chores to do around the classroom such as clear out and clean the bathrooms.
These practices in El Bosque are likely to be similar in Irapauto. I hope to be able to work well with the schools in my rancho and the surrounding ones. This article first gave me insight into how the school systems are set up. It might be that I only have four hours out of the day to work with the kids and make observations in the schools. This concentrated observation will be much more helpful and easier for me than trying to observe only a few children at a time in their homes. In addition, the article noted that the students move more freely within the classroom. This is different than schools in the United States in which students sit most of the day for several hours. There have been findings that show that students in the United States find it difficult to sit up straight because they do not have the muscular stability to do so. This brings to light a couple questions, first- if needed would Mexican children be able to sit up straight for several hours?, second- if they cannot or even if it is not necessary, do they come across other problems due to their movement and activities within the classroom? third- what types of activities could be implemented in the United States in order to help the lack of trunk stability that is increasing within the schools?