Job Discussion Forums

notamiss · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject:

I think the smoke is a sign of fire; that the assumption doesn’t hold. I think the perception is based on personal experience – I’ll bet there is hardly anyone who hasn’t experienced this personally or if not personally, then at least at first remove.

Throughout this discussion, I was thinking how different the prepa and university experience described in this thread was from that of my kids, who went to public schools. studied hard, and worked hard to earn their grades. Then I remembered the prepa teacher of one of my kids, who assigned each student a book (on the subject of the course) they had to buy for his personal library at the end of the year. If they didn’t give it to him, they didn’t get the final mark they had earned for the course. So in this case, it wasn’t grade inflation, it was payment for carrying out the process that should have been part of his job. Sad

There were also a few teachers who had written a textbook for their course (none of which were very good), which the students had to buy because it contained material not central to the subject but essential for passing the course.

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:27 pm Post subject:

MotherF · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:35 pm Post subject:

I have twice been offered bribes by a student in my 16 years as a public university teacher in Mexico. I believe that it has not happened more often because I do not teach a make-or-break subject for my students.

I also witnessed an extrotion scandal on the part of a teacher at a public university, the teacher made demands on the students to not fail them, regardless of the results of their exams. (Not an English teacher)

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:02 pm Post subject:

I think a lot of these observations come from people who live/have lived in Mexico City, which is VERY different from the rest of the country. I live in a small town now and it is like night and day.

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

Dragonlady · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:21 am Post subject:

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

Dragonlady · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:53 am Post subject:

Boomer you're right. I should MYOB.

I read more into your thread than you likely intended ~ that being students in Mexico for the most part weren't interested in learning as long as they could pay to pass. And well, that rather irked me given the thousands of American, Canadian and British university students found guilty of academic misconduct each year.

So, in answer to your question, in 3 years of teaching at a private Segundaria in Veracruz, I only knew of one teacher (maths) who demanded payment. I know the other teachers were aware of what he did and almost certain admin did as well, however the amount was low enough that students wouldn't necessarily have to involve parents.

His cost was 200 pesos for what he called a pre-exam tutorial class which even his top students had to 'register' for. Attendance wasn't mandatory (and no one attended). On average he had 30 kids a class, 3 classes a day (different levels), 2 'key' exams per semester. At 200 pesos a pop that would be about a 36,000 peso 'bonus' per semester.

He had another scam whereby a student got an automatic pass and didn't have to write the final school exam, but did have to write the state exam. My students tried to explain to me how it worked but I couldn't really grasp it.

A few jokers in my classes would come to me before an exam holding an open book with a 200 peso note laying inside... and a big grin on their face Smile

DL

I should add that his bonus was likely only part of his haul, as he, like most teachers, taught at more than one school.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 10:17 pm Post subject:

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

The last one sounds good. In D.F., you can tell them the exact street and they still don't know where to go!

boomerexpat · Joined: 15 Apr 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Mexico

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:33 am Post subject:

It's not a "pitch" just my observations. Not sure how foreigners are treated, as far as I know there aren't any here. There are lots of American born children of Mexicans, some of whom don't really speak Spanish, and I think they are treated differently, at least in schools, but not in their own families. There is also a Mennonite colony one town over, so people are used to seeing blondes or lighter people. I have heard that foreign spouses are not fully accepted and I know a few cases of people who feel that way, but in some cases I think it is less a case of not being accepted as people being curious and asking lots of questions about where they are from, and that is converted into lack of acceptance. I am half Mexican/half Irish and lived in the US for many years, though I have lived more of my life in Mexico than in the US, and I never felt that in spaces I have lived long term, though in Mexico City - especially in touristy areas - I would sometimes have people think I was a tourist, but living for many years in the same neighborhood in DF, I never felt I was treated any differently by people who knew me well. As for here, people in the north of Mexico tend to be taller and a light lighter, so I am not a standout in anyway, I am asked sometimes where I am from - as in what part of Mexico - not what country as the accent from DF is pretty different from the sing-songy kind of accent here.