Gimnasio Cantillana

My school placement in Colombia is at Gimnasio Cantillana, an all-girls, K-11 private school in Bucaramanga (schools in Colombia go through 11th grade; starting in 2019 school will move to a K-12 system).

The school is partnered with Cambridge University in England and Cambridge provides them with their curriculum and an international partner for exchange programs. Gimnasio Cantillana has a wonderful bilingual program where girls are taught in English starting in first grade. By the time they are in high school the girls are fluent in English and take classes in French as well. There is a strong commitment to global understanding. All girls must take a two-year course called Global Perspectives that address issues such as conflict and peace, trade and aid, sustainability, and poverty and inequality. Students then choose one of these issues and write a capstone paper that is part of their graduation requirement.

The Cafeteria

The school day is long. Girls begin classes at 7:00 in the morning and finish at 3:15 in the afternoon. Resources are readily available in the school with technology and school supplies in ample supply. The lunch is excellent - yesterday for lunch we had fish, mashed potatoes and ajiaco, a tradional Colombian corn soup. Classes range from 10 - 23 students and both students and teachers seem very happy and excited to be at school.

Core Values

The campus of the school is beautiful. It was constructed eight years ago and funded through generous parent contributions. It is a Catholic school and all girls get communion, go to mass and have religious classes and counseling throughout the year.

2nd grade classroom

Much of the private school culture feels similar to that in the United States. It is interesting going to classes and interacting with the girls who are warm, welcoming and excited to talk to the American teachers touring their school. Our host teacher, Sandra is the coordinator of International studies and teaches classes in history and English.

Sandra in her office

In addition to observing classes that range from topics about the Colombian healthcare system to food around the world, we have met wonderful people including two students who asked if we wanted to try a Bucaramanga speciality, big bottomed ants. So we did, when in Rome...

Big Bottomed Ants

Down they go

Being here also makes me appreciate MELS and its commitment to progressive education and the structures we use to facilitate learning and critical thinking for teachers and students. Students at Gimnasio Cantillana have a high level of global understanding and grasp of the English language however it still surprises me to see the prescribed lessons teachers use from their partners in Cambridge. I am so grateful for the thoughtfulness of MELS teachers and the agency we have over our curriculum. I appreciate the level of engagement from our students, the ways in which we use the city as an extension of our classroom and our commitment to teacher education as a way to improve student learning. This visit is a wonderful way to reflect on MELS and acknowledge its commitment to innovation and empowering students to be agents of change.