Teaching whether you are in the United States, Mexico, or anywhere else in the world can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. I began my teaching career just two and a half short years ago. I remember how petrified I was when I first arrived to my classroom of thirty-five screaming fourteen and fifteen year olds. I had had no formal teaching experience only a few months teaching TOEFL in a small school near the Zona Rosa. I must say that I had to get tough quick or those kids would have rolled me over like a steamroller.

Now, two and a half years later I have had the opportunity to take several classes in teaching and also to let my patience grow. I found out right away that students in Mexico are more informal with their teachers than students in the States. I told my students from the start that they had to call me Miss McCoy. This was a big mistake because my students automatically labeled me a cold fish that lacked the warmth of their other teacher that allowed them to call them by their First names. 

Soon, however I became known as just McCoy and as I would be walking through campus I would hear students yell out my name. The other thing that I was amazed about was how well the students spoke a language other than their own. In the U.S., there is not as much emphasis put on learning another language. 

I must add though that I realize that the life my students lead is not the reality of Mexico and unfortunately not all Mexicans have the same opportunity to a bilingual education.

There is an increasing awareness in private schools about this harsh reality in Mexico. Students and teachers are now creating programs where our students from private schools can adopt a public school and help the students learn basic English. Definitely a step in the right direction.

I was asked to explain some of the differences between Mexican and American students. One major difference is the workload. High school students in the United States play sports, hold down part-time jobs and participate in many extracurricular activities. Mexican students for the most part do not have part-time jobs and maybe only participate in an extracurricular activity only until five o'clock in the afternoon. Once again more emphasis is put on learning a foreign language in Mexico.

I guess I never thought that when I left the U.S. three years ago just to learn another language that I would find such joy in teaching. Now, I am not saying that it is all a bed of roses. There have been days when the kids have destroyed my classroom, soaped my eraser, and put hair gel all over my desk. But there have also been days like my birthday when the students brought me flowers and threw me a surprise party

And other days where a kid that didn't have the confidence to speak in front the class finally gets up a with a nervous smile gives his or her presentation.

Yes, teaching is definitely a rewarding and challenging experience especially in Mexico.

Join Our Mailing List to Receive Updates:

©1999-2009 Inside Mexico All rights reserved. All articles, images, pictures and design contained in this website are the property of Inside Mexico and protected by copyright law. NO part of this site can be used without previous authorization. We will be glad to authorize educational projects and request that a credit be given  to Inside Mexico and a link to our site.
may@inside-mexico.com