Schools of San Pedro

So far we have had the opportunity of visiting many of the local schools in the area. Of the 17 student teachers here, 5 are going to be teaching at San Pedro High School. The High School has 500 students with about 30 in each classroom.

The Gym/ Auditorium is located outside, with only 1 completed wall, and the other walls were half walls so that the space was very open. Students were participating in a lightly structured P.E. class while we were there.

The school itself is separate from the gym and where the classes are held it is one solid building. There is no air conditioning at the High School so classes are taught with open windows and sometimes open doors. I have to say, that when I went to High School I wish I had the view these students have everyday. Located right on the beach the view truly is breath taking.

While we will only be doing our student teaching in 2 of the Elementary schools here, we have seen and learned a little about some of the other schools in the area.

The San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School is the only school considered to a public school. Each school requires a fee that is to be paid monthly for attendance, but the Roman Catholic school is the cheapest.

Because many of the locals can not afford to pay for school at the other Elementary Schools, the Roman Catholic School is heavily populated. Classroom sizes are close to 30, yet the rooms are very small.

The Island Academy is very much a Private School. The Students that attend are those whose parents are the more wealthy population of the Island. These families are generally from the United States, England, Australia, and Canada. They own many of the local properties and large businesses in the area, and the school was created to accommodate their children. The school is located right on the beach on the more resort side, with a fence surrounding the buildings. The school is very spacious with a few small building as classrooms and a large play area.

One of the Elementary schools we will be working in is Ambergris Caye. 6 of our student teachers will be teaching there during our stay. It is a very small school with only 50 students. Located on the other side of the island than the other schools, Ambergris is located in a large area with space for kids to run around during lunch and break.

There is a decent playground area with a wooden play set that is similar to what many have built in the states. The school is managed by a woman from the states who has lived in Belize for over 10 years. While degrees are not required to be a teacher, she does require at least a 2 year degree from all of her teachers. Students have to pay to attend the school. The price is much lower than that of Island Academy, but it is still more than many locals can afford. Classroom sizes are very small, with as little as 2 in a classroom to as many as 14.

The last Elementary School we have seen and the one I will be at with 5 others is called Isla Bonita. Slightly larger than Ambergris Caye the student population is 80. The school has more of an urban atmoshphere reminding me of schools located in some of the cities of the states. It is a closed off school surrounded by a fence and barbed wire.

There are 2 stories to the school, and each classroom size is small with an average of 8-10 students in each class. Just like Ambergris Caye, a fee is required for students to attend. Students who do not pay the fee are sent home from school and will more than likely move to the Roman Catholic School. During lunch many of the students go home since they can not afford the lunch provided by the school.

Primary school is slightly different here in Belize than in the states. Instead of grades, levels are separated by what are called standards. The levels are Infant 1, Infant 2, Standard 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Infant 1 begins at about age 4, although is is considered to be that of our 1st grade. At Isla Bonita I will be in Standard 1 which is linked with our 3rd grade with students aged 8-9.

English is the language of the schools even though many of the students speak spanish at home. The subjects they are learning in the classroom are similar to what students in the states are learning. In the class I will be in, some of the things my students have recently learned are matter and adjectives, and they will be focusing on subjects such as time and recycling as I step into the classroom.

Students in the area attend school no later than the age of 16. After graduation of High School, further education on the island is fairly limited. If they are able to even afford school, the only courses to major in are Tourism and Business. If possible some travel to the mainland for further education. Since money is not readily available to many of the locals, education generally ends after(or even before) high school completion. Jobs are taken around the island at many of the tourists traps, restaurants, stores or other local businesses. Some of the locals take jobs as teachers in the schools. There is no formal education required to be a teacher, and many of the teachers at the schools are as young as 16 teaching with only a high school level education.