Reading, wRiting, and aRithematic in bRazil!

Reading, wRiting, and aRithematic in bRazil!

A highlight of our day was a lecture by public school teacher, Roberto Pinheiro.  It is common for teachers in Brazil to have several jobs.  Roberto is no exception.  Students attend school for a half day in Brazil.  Intermediate students are scheduled in the mornings and primary students in the afternoon.  Teachers are generally certified in one grade, so only work the half day they are in session.  Roberto teaches the English language to primary, intermediary, and university students.  He teaches in Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, and in the IBEU (Institute for Brazil and the United States at the university we are attending).  He meets with his public school students for fifty minutes once a week. Classrooms often have between forty to sixty students.

We learned that there is a national curriculum teachers are expected to cover.  Roberto said that students are missing the background knowledge needed to meet these expectations, so he must adapt and remediate to move students toward their goals.  He noted that his students seem to be concrete thinkers, and they struggle with abstract and higher-order thinking.  He said few public school students aspire to attend college, and therefore are not highly motivated to push themselves to achieve. He encourages them to work hard and have big dreams.

Roberto commented that discipline can be a hindrance to learning.   In comparing his experiences in public and private schools, he felt students in private schools were less respectful.  These students and parents feel since they are paying tuition, they are superior to the teacher.  Students in public schools are more respectful, but are unaccustomed to the social expectations of the classroom. He has had to balance his natural playful nature with being strict and establishing and expecting respectful attitudes. There are times when he needs to send students to the principal or coordinator; however he finds affectionate relationships often curb behavior issues.  He noted that in Brazil, students do not call a teacher by their last name, but as “teacher”, “uncle” or “aunt”.  They are always in awe if they see him out on the beach or in the community.  We sensed his warmth and can only imagine his wonderful rapport with his students.

Roberto said most students come from difficult backgrounds.  Their homes may lack adequate space and are subject to flooding.  Their parents are often illiterate.   The school tries to connect to families.  Roberto teamed up with a Science teacher to provide health training for families.  He said that teachers conduct parent-teacher conferences twice a year.  Along with this, they stay in contact by phone and may ask parents to meet at school if there is a specific need.

We asked about the technology that is available in his schools.  Roberto said email, Skype, and YouTube are helpful aids.  Teachers must share the limited computers and projectors.  When he needs them, they are often checked out.  He has ended up purchasing his own.  He has also purchased a voice amplifier.   Now when he is teaching up to 60 chatty middle school students, he can be heard without straining his voice. He also noted that as poor as most students are, they usually have personal access to internet and cell phones. 

It was incredible to hear all that public school teachers are able to accomplish with extremely limited resources.  I feel their wages are far from adequate.  In higher paying private schools there is little job security. Roberto was witnessing his more experienced colleagues being fired so that new lower-paid teachers could be hired.  He decided to make the move on his own to the public schools which are desperate for dedicated teachers. 

The conditions at schools hinder learning.  Most Brazilian class sizes are about double those in the United States.  They have limited equipment and what they do have is in disrepair.  They include all students in homerooms, including the learning and physically disabled, autistic, and gifted students.  They are told their class size will be reduced when they have students with unique needs, but this rarely happens. There are no special education teachers or para-educators to support these students.  Roberto was an example of someone whose passion is helping him rise above the obstacles in public education.  Listening to Roberto, you could sense his passion for his students.  He told us that he found it extremely rewarding to have students begin to recognize language and communicate in English.  Their success is his reward.  I was inspired to serve selflessly in my own teaching position and to keep students as my top priority.