Job Discussion Forums

[NinaNina]

Greetings, everyone.

I've been living in Oaxaca City for three years and am exploring the idea of starting an alternative preschool and primary school, loosely based on Waldorf, more based on constructivist philosophy. My question is if anyone else here has done something like this, and how they dealt with SEP or INEA certification. I have a Waldorf-trained bilingual preschool teacher, students, and rented property.

Many thanks for any input you can share.

Best wishes,
Serena
Have You Seen the Dog Lately? blog
http://haveyouseen.blogspot.com/

[MotherF]

There is a primary school in the town of Tlaxco, Tlaxcala that you might want to contact to talk about their expriences with. I'm not finding the name of it, but it's run by the sister of the people who run this course http://www.proyectosanisidro.com/proximos-cursos/escuela-y-ecologia/
And a preschool that sounds a lot like what you have in mind in the charming little town of Malinalco, Estado de Mexico.

http://nierika.info/ecomundi/

[AGoodStory]

There are several Waldorf schools in Mexico which might be able to provide useful information:

In Cuernavaca:
Escuela Waldorf de Cuernava

In Guanajuato:
Instituto Villa Educare de Guanajuato A.C. (I think this now may be Colegio Yeccan Waldorf)

San Miguel de Allende:
Colegio los Charcos
www.waldorfsanmiguel.org

Tlaxcala:
Centro Educativo Waldorf

Valle de Bravo:
Los Caracoles
www.waldorfloscaracoles.org

Playa del Carmen:
Escuela Ak Lu'um
www.akluum.com

Mexico City: (2)
El Bosque de Micael
Centro Educativo Goethe
www.waldorf.com.mx

There is also the anthroposophical society in Cuernavaca which runs the Waldorf teacher training course every summer:
Centro Antroposifico de Mexico
www.antroposofiamexico.org

[Phil_K]

The SEP website is very unclear (like most government website!) about the process for obtaining accreditation. As usual, the best option would be to go down to your local SEP office and make an enquiry there.

I have a feeling, though I may be wrong, that the person who applys, and holds the accreditation, would have to be a Mexican national.

[TheLongWayHome]

[NinaNina]

Many thanks for the advice. Someone from my group visited some of the schools you listed, as well as the Anthroposophy Institute. She loved the school in Cuernavaca, which is SEP certified.

The issue rises with what Phil K said: SEP is unclear. The other issue is that SEP Oaxaca is strikingly different in its "interpretations" of policies than SEP in other states. It is very good advice to send a Oaxacan in our group to the SEP office rather than my going. I am curious if anyone has attempted something like this in Oaxaca, and how they handled it. SEP has approved some alternative programs, most notably those in rural areas in which students combine their farmwork or artesania work with schoolwork.

Gracias a todos.

Serena
http://haveyouseen.blogspot.com
Have You Seen the Dog Latley? blog

[MotherF]

Serena,

I forgot to say that the school in Tlaxco, Tlaxcala (Not Taxco, Guererro) operates on kind of a don't ask don't tell policy with the SEP. When in contact with them the SEP, It's all Oh yes, yes, yes. But once they are out of sight they do what the want, not what the SEP says. Like most things in Mexico, there is little actual oversight--the risk is recieving a denuncia from some disapproving third party, a parent, a neighbor, the competition...

[NinaNina]

Gracias for the input, MotherF. I am considering operating off the radar, as we are a small group. However, I also want the group to be as integrated as possible, rather than being comprised of the children of expatriate parents, and most Oaxacan parents seek SEP or INEA certification. Perhaps I will contact the Tlaxco school and ask how they successfully do outreach to Mexican parents to get their children enrolled at the school. Thanks so much for the suggestions.
Saludos,
Serena
http://haveyouseen.blogspot.com/
Have You Seen the Dog Lately? blog

[MotherF]

Serena,

The school in Tlaxco, which is a primary not a pre-escolar, is only Mexican students, no expats living there. It's a private school out on the edge of town run by some of Mexico's top environmentalists. They do their best to keep tuition costs as low as possible. Not strickly Waldrof, nor any other set style, but it's small and most of the students live in the area around the school. They have gardens on the grounds and do a lot of whole family education in sustainable living.

The school I posted in Malinalco has a mix of expat and local students. The offer parents a chance to volunteer at the school to keep tuition acessible for the local families.

[MotherF]

Serena,

This is that school,

ALFONSO CERVANTES GOMEZ
Clave 29PPR0160U, Turno MATUTINO
ALBA�ILES NO. 20, TLAXCO
TLAXCO, C�digo Postal : 90400
Tel�fono 6-03-03-
Director: LOURDES P. CABALLERO CERVANTES
Servicio que ofrece esta escuela: PRIMARIA PARA NI�OS EN EDAD ESCOLAR
Sostenimiento PARTICULAR
Responsable SECRETARIA DE EDUCACION DEL GOBIERNO DEL ESTADO

I know the director's sister Alejandra Caballero Cervantes who runs adult education courses in green building and sustainable living.


Oh I found a web page http://www.ieimc.tlax.com/cgi-bin/index.pl

[NinaNina]

Wow, MotherF, what an absolutely wonderful-looking school. It incorporates so much of what my group has endeavored to create, including the ecological and art concentration. And it mixes age groups! Absolutely fascinating. Thanks so much.

Serena
Have You Seen the Dog Lately? blog
http://haveyouseen.blogspot.com/