Feedback

After 6 months spent helping at the Escolinha, it is time to draw up a little  review.

• First of all, our improvement in learning Portuguese – a language that we did not know a word of before coming to Brazil – has really helped our relationships with the teachers and above all with the children.

Indeed, we are now able to understand a whole conversation in Portuguese, even if sometimes we have to admit that our pocket dictionary gets very useful concerning technical words. That way it makes us more active in the help we provide to the school. For instance we have at present conversations with the Dance Teacher and the Sport Teacher that we could never have had before, given that they both do not speak a word of English, Spanish or French.

• However, as we have written above, not only is it a way to improve our relationships with teachers, but also an easier way to get in touch with the children.

It is always interesting to get to know them because their lives are pretty different than ours. For example, the vast majority of them have usually 6 or 7 sisters and brothers…

• Speaking about children, we are glad to witness their improvements in English. It is always a pleasure to see that our work pays off.

A little anecdote: last week was their assessment week; and at the top of the answer sheet, they have to write their name and also the teacher’s name. And most of them have written “Tia Hello” which means “Professor Hello” instead of “Liliane”, the real name of the English teacher (see her interview here). Liliane actually uses a little English song to start her class, which says basically “Hello to the world”, and it was funny to see that the children remembered that well.

• Lastly, helping the Esolinha weekly has also completed our viewpoint regarding the teachers’ working conditions.

We must admit that it is nothing comparable to France: working 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, teachers are exhausted and complain about that. Some of them live 2 hours by bus from the Escolinha; but with the rainy season it often becomes 3 hours minimum. As they told us, they have no interest in buying a car and coming on their own because in Brazil it is very expensive (cars are heavily taxed given that they are imported) and the gas will cost them their whole month wage. Sometimes, some teachers just stop going to the Escolinha without necessarily advising the headmistress of the school, Monica Galeao (see her interview here). For instance, last week, while we were here, she had to deal with a whole class of 6 year olds because the teacher suddenly stopped going to work.

Teachers during children breaktime

To put it all in a nutshell, during these 6 months at the Escolinha, we have participated in great events (the Carnival, Easter…) and have never seen children so happy to celebrate. We are deepening our relationships with the teachers on the one hand and with the children on the other hand, thanks to our improvement in Portuguese. Even if we are sometimes witnesses of a lack of motivation from the teachers, we feel that we are useful and we could not be more thankful for that. 

An Afternoon at the Museum

This Tuesday afternoon was not like it used to be as we brought 4 classes of children (aged between 7 and 8) to visit the museum of Ceara, located in the downtown of Fortaleza.

Waiting for the bus… and making some last minute preparations!

It may seem not so extraordinary for French pupils… but at the Escolinha, even if the great majority of them had already visited a museum, there were still some children to whom this place was totally unknown. For instance, one little girl asked a teacher what a museum was.

The children were particularly excited at the idea of going out from their usual school framework, and they were a little restless in the bus.

Ready and excited !

At their arrival at the museum, children were first welcomed in a specific room, where they were explained how they should behave and the different rules to follow in such a place.

Then, they were divided into four groups ; and each group formed a single line ready to start the visit of the museum. Not only was it an original way to discover the different rooms, but also a very efficient strategy to make sure that all the children could admire the works, (generally this is very complicated with a whole group). Besides, it was easier for the children to remain quiet and well-behaved. However we have to admit that it was sometimes difficult for us to assure that they were really paying attention and listening throughout the visit.

It sounded a bit cliché, but when we entered the Weapons Room, boys were particularly puzzled. These weapons were used in a military purpose in the seventeenth century.

Nevertheless, once in the Slavery Room where beautiful dresses were exhibited, girls were at their turn, totally amazed. These dresses represented costumes worn during   the « Maracatu ». The Maracatu is a dance on a rhythmic music practised at the Carnival parade. The Maracatu is a Brazilian tradition that goes back as far as the beginning of colonization and is inherited from the slaves’ history.

The famous Maracatu Dress !

This room is one of the most important in the museum as the State of Ceara was the first Brazilian State to abolish slavery, four years before May 13^th 1888, the official date in Brazil.

It is true that we had already visited this museum at our arrival in Fortaleza, but, it was a great (and very different!) experience to visit it one more time with Yolanda Queiroz school’s pupils; even if everything didn’t go as smoothly as we might expect. It was quite interesting to witness how children perceive their own history, and to listen to their wondering regarding Fortaleza’s construction.

Liliane – The English Teacher

On Air

Liliane has been the Escolinha’s English teacher for 10 years.

Thanks to her, about 670 children, from 4 to 10 years old, will have the chance to learn English this year; that is to say 26 classes. Working 8 hours per day, from Monday until Friday, it means a lot of pressure for the only English teacher of the school.

As you can see below, her schedule is tight and well organized.

Liliane’s schedule

Even if she doesn’t have to give any classes, she has to stay at the Escolinha: “I have to be there to plan” she said. That means preparing each lesson she will give into a big book, and then showing it to the Escolinha’s coordinator. Sometimes, it happens that the coordinator makes some suggestions, but generally he authorizes the whole lesson. Indeed, Liliane explains that every class has its own goal and she wants to be sure that children are memorizing her lesson “I want to feel that they really learned something. And they are usually very happy to prove it during the little test I give at the end of each class”. However, only the 7 to 10 year old children will be graded in April.

Sample of a english lesson, carefully written at first

Liliane insists on the fact that “English is as important as mathematics or geography”. Asked about the difficulties she is facing, she firstly talks about her tight schedule: as she has each class once per week, she has to be very organized. She also adds her difficulty to fill her role completely  in only a 50 minute lesson – which is very short when “you have to involve all the children and to finish at the correct time”.

Exemple of activities proposed by Liliane

At last, she mentions that handling the discipline was also a perilous part. Indeed, the younger the kids are, the more they are undisciplined. According to Liliane, it is not really necessary to teach English to children who are still in the kindergarten.

SMILE

A smile costs less than electricity, but it gives more light !

English Class at La Escolinha

English exercises for 5 years old children

 

When we went into the classrooms for the first time, the children kept asking us: “Você fala inglês?” – which means: “Do you speak English?”- even if they already knew we were French. Afterwards, they wanted us to chat in English with Liliane, their English teacher, and to recite and translate some sentences into English, in order to listen to a real conversation in Shakespeare’s language. They only asked for our names after this, and also questioned us about where we lived in France. They were entirely lost in admiration at seeing people speaking English.

 

6 years old kid learning the colors in english class

 

Indeed, we believe English is a universal and international language, which helps to communicate with nearly everybody and allows anybody to have a basic conversation. But, for the time being, in Brazil, it is not really the case: most Brazilians can only speak their native language.

For instance, when we arrived at the international airport of Sao Paulo, we discovered that all the Brazilians who were working in snack bars, inside the airport, were not able to translate their own menu and even indicate a direction in English! Furthermore, at Fortaleza University, everyday, we meet many students who do not speak a single word of English. The main reason for this situation is that languages remain optional in Brazil. Consequently, the Educational First (EF) Organization ranges Brazil 46 out of 54 in the ranking about the level of English skills.

source : http://www.ef.com.br/epi/

However, there are many reasons to think that the situation is going to improve shortly. First of all, there is the organization of the Football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic games in 2016. Besides, the need of English speaker workers has been increasing for one decade, as multinationals have started to settle down in Brazil. Still, according to the EF, Brazilian primary schools have been obliged to teach their fifth year pupils at least one foreign language, since 2010. As the pupils are free to choose the language they are going to learn, most of them generally opt for English.

More informations about the project to expand English language in Latin America on the EF website : click here

Therefore, the pupils of Yolanda Queiroz School receive English courses and are very proud and enthusiastic to show us their basic knowledge of how to start a conversation or count in English.

 

English Room

As far as we are concerned, we are glad to see that La Escolinha allows its schoolchildren to have a very complete education. Teaching these pupils English, even if it is only the basics, can contribute to give them a real chance for their future; a chance they will surely build on later.

Monica GALEAO – Escolinha’s Headmistress

Designated headmistress in January 2011,

Monica GALEAO has always wanted to work with kids.

For 15 years, she has been working in the field of education.

Monica GALEAO

• How does the school work?

I have two bosses: Carlos TUSFRASIO, who is at the head of the Social Responsibility Department, and the Vice Rector who runs the Student Community. I have to give them reports regularly on the school activity. However, I don’t have to take care of the financial part: accounting and finance are not part of my job.

• What does the foundation actually provide to the school?

First of all, the Edson Queiroz Foundation (EQF) provides social services to the whole community. For instance, at UNIFOR, there are dentists, psychologists, doctors and even a legal service that are free for every parent from the communidade. They don’t have to pay anything for their children’s health.

Furthermore, EQF brings all the school materials, such as uniforms, snacks, and books. EQF also pays the teachers.

Lastly, EQF allows children to participate for free to a lot of cultural events: theater, expositions…

• What are the main goals of La Escolinha?

Give quality education to the children, share the knowledge, and above all: stimulate the art. The art is a wonderful way to educate our pupils better. Most of the time, none of them has access to any cultural event. And I strongly believe that is very important to open the children’s minds to the world around them. That is why we especially pay attention to making them read a lot. Besides, when we bring them to cultural events, we talk with them a lot about the artist and his life; we make them react to the artist’s story because we want them to understand that there is a chance for everybody. At last, one of our goals is to transform them into citizens. We try to make them start to wonder about “who am I in this world?”, “what can I do to make it better” and so on.

• Do other schools of this type – totally financed by a foundation – already exist in Fortaleza?

Yes, for example there is the Bradesco Foundation’s School, which is even bigger than here! The foundation is the Bradesco Bank, one of the most famous in Brazil. It is not only a kindergarden as it also provides its students basic education. Moreover, this school offers professional courses for adults such as IT or English, which is very useful. Like here, the access to the school is free but there is a limited number of places. Each family who wants to apply for its kid has to fill out a file (like here also), and this file is carefully studied by the administration, that will decide the acceptance.

 

• What are the requirements a family needs to apply at La Escolinha?

There are a limited number of available places here. The child has to be a daughter or a son of any professional who works at UNIFOR. Or, the child has to be living in one of the communidade partners with EQF.

Secondly, the child has to be from 4 to 10 years old maximum. We don’t accept kids older, even if there are some because we made them repeat one or several years.

Lastly, we make the family fill out a big file to apply. Indeed, we really pay attention to the family. That is why we ask for a lot of details in the file: parents situation, how many people live in the house, how old are they… Indeed, we are aware that when the child is learning at school, it is his whole family who is learning with him indirectly. So we need to know who is actually behind the child. Thus we can find a way to work all together. For instance, we also organize a special meeting once per year where the teachers meet each parent and talk about each child. We give a lot of importance to this moment. We need to know if the child is sick (some of the children have mental illnesses), what is he afraid of… and it allows us to complete the child’s file. We try to focus on this link with the parents as much as it is possible. Moreover, there are parents who don’t really know how to take care of their child so we advise them. We also fill out the file with them, because the majority of them are illiterate.

Exemple of a FICHA DE MATRICULA

• Where do the children go once they become too old to apply to La Escolinha?

Once the child is more than 10 years old, he can go to another public school, Matos Dourado, which is also at UNIFOR. Unlike La Escolinha, it is the government that pays everything for the school – not the EQF. The problem remains that this is not the same teaching quality: the majority of the teachers are absent – sometimes without any reason – or late. Besides, the food quality is also lower… That is why children are often disappointed having to go over there, and would like to stay here! But we can’t accept them all…

• What are La Escolinha’s projects for the future?

We really want to get bigger, and to keep children here two years more. That way they will do their whole basic education in the same school. My responsibility is to finish this part of their education, because they started here. We need to finish the circle. That is why a new school has been recently authorized here, and will be able to welcome 800 children. This new school will replace La Escolinha, and I hope it will be built around the end of the year 2013. Unlike La Escolinha, it will be located outside UNIFOR. After we expand our activity, we plan to hire teachers. We would like to set up new courses.

• What are the main problems you have to deal with today?

I think it is the parents. Most of them really like the school and are thankful, but they tend to rely too much on us. Some of them make us entirely responsible for their child’s education. However, I keep saying that 50% of the education must be done at home! They can’t transfer so much responsibility on our shoulders.

Transfer of Responsibility