Inside a Guatemalan

Pre-School

The open doors in the Father Gregorio School carry the children's laughter in a small town in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. Most children walk to school every morning with their parents or an older sibling. Some arrive on a motorcycle or a Tuk Tuk, which is the primary way to travel in this town. This school is unlike most in the area as it teaches the Montessori Method. This year the school has 640 children ranging from Pre-School to 6th Grade. To attend this school families must pay a one-time fee of  40 quetzals ($5.10)  for registration and 10 quetzals ($1.27) a month. Although most of the children only pay the registration fee due to their low income. Other children get scholarships in order to attend school. Kids are required to attend school up until 6th grade. Most parents think only boys need to go past a 6th-grade education. About 20% of girls will study further and the other 80% will work at home.

Ms. Jenifer teaches the Pre-Schoolers who are 4 to 5 years old. She has 23 students in her class and is the only teacher. The natural light shines through the open windows and doors and shows an array of colorful murals and decorations on the walls. It is bright, welcoming, and full of love. Each child greets Ms. Jenifer good morning and gives her a hug. The students put their bags on the hooks and start their morning activities. Every child grabs a floor mat and activity from the shelves and works independently until every child arrives. Ms. Jenifer does not tell any of the children what they should be doing as they are in a routine and know what is expected of them. In Jenifer's words they are very “self-sufficient”.

Jenifer started teaching the traditional method in 2009. Years later, Father Greg implemented the Montessori Method which Jenifer was unfamiliar with. She worked at a college to develop a curriculum for children ages 4-6.  The theme of the method is “Kids explore, you guide.” Her biggest challenge when implementing a new teaching method was teaching the parents to understand the learning outcomes and why this method increases the ability to learn. She says “Hands are the tools for life and should be involved in the learning process.” In her classroom, you will find things around a typical Guatemalan house that children are not always allowed to use. Things like tools, sewing needles, glass bottles, cooking supplies, and more. She teaches the children how to properly and safely use these items. 

The five routines the students learn in her classroom are; standing correctly, sitting nicely, listening intently, watching whos speaking, and not interrupting other students learning. She focuses not on “who can't” but on “who wants to”.

Ms. Jenifer creates a space to be themselves, learn, and explore at their own pace.

As a tiny finger clicks the old radio play button, magically the kids get into a circle. The kids start singing and dancing to the music as if they were going to perform on stage. The morning routine has started. Ms. Jenifer joins the circle and leads them in the routine.

After the children have had enough time to shake out some energy, Ms. Jenifer starts her lessons. The children watch as she explains an activity that she will be putting on the shelf for the children to try after today. The first activity she displays is how to properly cut fruit and vegetables with a knife. She uses plastic food and a knife for the children to try. Her next activity is a box with red shakers and blue shakers. Each red shaker has different amounts of rice that will match the rice in the blue shaker. She shows the children how she picks up a red shaker and shakes it near her ear. She then selects a blue shaker and shakes it near her ear. The shakers do not sound the same. She selects another blue shaker which sounds like the red shaker. They are a match so she pairs them together. Ms. Jenifer continues to match shaker to shaker. She purposely chooses the wrong match and the children notice. She explains how to correct the problem and that everyone makes mistakes.

After the morning routine of lots of music and laughs the kids are ready for a snack. The children line up to wash their hands and grab their lunch boxes. They each grab a plastic chair from the room and bring it outside. They line the chairs up at the outside wall and start to eat the snack that they brought. Each child must bring their own snacks and lunch for school as the school does not offer the ability to buy lunch there. 

Jeshua is a 6-year-old in Ms. Jenifer's class. He enjoys his snack of Oreos, apple juice, bread, and beans. He is a very smart kid who is excelling in his class. His dad works at a pharmacy and his mom stays home to take care of the house. He finishes his snack and spots his older sister Destiny who is in 2nd grade. Jeshua loves school, his family, and his friends. He dreams of being an astronaut one day.

Once the children are finished eating they must brush their teeth before they are allowed to run around the courtyard which is the central location of all of the classrooms. Each child is responsible for getting their toothbrush, toothpaste, hand towel, and water cup. The children brush their teeth outside and rinse with their water cups. Ms. Jenifer expresses how important it is that these kids learn to take care of themselves. After brushing their teeth they must clean the cup and put everything back where they found it.

After playing with their friends outside, the children head back inside for the last 30 minutes of school. Before they go home the children participate in a prayer and some songs. Ms. Jenifer selects one child at a time to retrieve their backpack and gets them lined up at the door. She then walks the children outside of the school where moms and dads are waiting to ask their children how their day was.