As the focus of the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program is to learn about other cultures and classrooms, much of our time in Brasilia was spent at briefings about the state of education in Brazil. We also were able to visit both a federal institute, (which is the equivalent of a community college in the United States), and a very swanky private school, that is funded by wealthy agri-business moguls. More on that in a bit.
History of Education in Brazil
After the “discovery of Brazil in 1500, the first (and only) teachers were the Jesuits. Much like the United States, during this time there was no schooling for Native Americans or African slaves. Overtime however, the Natives did develop their own system of education; one which focused on ethnobotanical knowledge and conservation. Unfortunately, according to Liberado, Native culture and values are still considered to be backwards and underdeveloped. For example, the expression “An Indian Night Out” means a night out where nothing happens. Fortunatley, much like with Afro-Brazilian culture, learning about Native traditions is becoming a necessary part of the curriculum.
In 1759, when the Jesuits were expelled out of the Portuguese Empire (that includes Brazil), there was wide debate over who to hire as teachers. Eventually, between 1816 and 1822, under the rulership of King John VI, there were a number of institutions established that laid the foundation for Brazilian education. These included the Royal Press, the School of Education, the Navy Academy, Surgery School, the School of Economics, and the National Library. By 1824, Brazil had its first law theoretically granting a free education to all. It was not yet possible to put this into practice however. Ten years later, there was another law that mandated the federal government would be in charge of higher education, and the states would be in charge of elementary and secondary education. In 1854, under the first of many Education Refrom Plans, a teacher education program was mandates, as well as primary education for all (except Natives and Slaves), between the years 5-15years old. In 1888, slavery is banned, and one year later, Brazil became a republic, setting the stage for the 20th century, when Brazil became an industrial powerhouse.
More recently, (1996) Brazil passed a law mandating free education for all between the ages of 4-7. The education system is very similar to the US, with preschool before the age of 5, elementary school for those between 6-14, and high school for those between 15-17. In terms of higher education, students ca attend a university program for 4-6 years, or a federal institute for 3-5 years. The federal institutes are less theoretical, and usually provide some sort of vocational training.
Public vs. Private Schools
As in the United States, there is a quaity of education issue throughout Brazil. In fact, there are many similarities in terms of privileged economic classes having access to better resources and better schools, while less privileged students often struggle to attend the best schools. In Brazil, private schools are getting more and more expensive. While it is advantageous for students to attend private elementary and high schools, at the higher education level, well funded public universities are better than the private ones. On our third day in Brasilia, we visited a Federal Public Institute. Because there is a transportation strike going on however, very few of the students were at the school. Transportation strike = snow day!
Ghost School
At the Federal Institute of Brasilia, we learned more about public education from the principal. Fun fact: In many schools throughout Brazil, the principal is elected by the other teachers within the school to serve a term of about 5 years.
An example of how the current sytems privilages the upper economic classes goes as follows: Elite students often go to private elementary and high schools, then do well on the examinations to get into the well-funded public universities, leaving little slots left for non-elite students who did not have access to these resources and now are forced to attend a private school, which often does not have adequate funding to run full programs. For example, they cannot have full Biology programs because they cannot afford the equipment.
Entrance to Sigma Asa Norte
The private school we visited (Sigma Asa Norte) had so many resources it seemed absurd at times. In addition to state of the art science labs and cooking facilities, they even have an entire room for circus training. You cannot make this stuff up.
Circus Class
No Joke...Clown Shoes
Facilities for Cooking Classes
After touring the school, listening to a panel of both students and teachers, we were treated to a cafeteria school lunch; admitedly it was pretty good.
Serving up some school lunch
school lunch
Curriculum
The question came up often over who was in charge of the curriculum, if there was a national curriculum, and if so, who had to follow it? Similar to the United States before the onset of the Common Core, Brazil has national guidelines, which have been developed by the Ministry of Education at the federal level. Individual states have the freedom to specify the curriculum to their local needs.
Teachers
Brazilian teachers have interesting schedules. Classes in Brazil can run from 7-12, 1-5, and 7-10 at night. Depending on how much a teacher makes at one school, they may have to work in multiple schools to improve their salary. For example, some teachers sign a 40 hour contract with one school, and a then a 20 hours contract (part-time) with another in order to supplement their income.
How does one become a teacher in Brazil? Similar to the United States, anyone who wants to become a teacher must undergo a mandatory 4 year teacher education program, pass multiple exams, and then participate in a screening process. On average, a state teacher makes $400/month and a federal teacher makes $800/month which is considered a middle class income relative to the cost of living. As in the United States, teachers get paid more with more education. Also, tenure exists in public schools, but not in private schools.
I found it interesting that Brazil seems to face many of the same professional challenges that we are facing in the United States. For example, there was talk of improving the quality of teacher education programs, increasing the hours of pre-service practice, improving wages so as to attract better professionals, and providing more opportunities for professional growth.
Teachers in Brazil also face many of the same challenges us teachers do in the U.S, such as student discipline (but not my wonderful AP kids:) ), trying to have students understand the “value” of certain subjects, and having access to school facilities and resources.
Panel of Teachers
Afro-Brazilian Education
In an attempt to deal with racial issues, Brazilian education has begun to emphasize teaching and learning about the traditions and cultures of its African roots. This month in particular, is Afro-Brazilian History month. Here are a few of the items I observed on one of our school visits.
Though we in the United States might find this somewhat offensive, Brazilians have an entirely different way of discussing race and racial issues. That is not to say that there's is better or worse than the United States, but that both countries struggle to find ways to deal with issues of race and cultrual sensitivity, albeit in different ways.
With this brief overview of Brazilian educaion, we are ready to go off ot visit our host schools and teachers.
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