School visits: a warm welcome

Today exceeded the expectations I had for school visits in Bogota. The teachers were excited to share their work with us, the students couldn't wait to speak English and ask us questions about the United States and in both school we could not have expected a warmer welcome.

Our first school visit was to Brisas del Diamanté. This is a school in the southern portion of Bogota, a neighborhood known for its low socioeconomic levels. Students at this school are part of the SENA program which helps train students in a skill they can use after graduation. Students are trained as chefs, entrepreneurs and in the hospitality industry. Throughout the morning students gave us a tour around the school, spoke to us about the skills they were learning and practiced their English. Despite difficulties accessing resources, the teachers and students at this school are enthusiastic about education and are trying innovative approaches to helping students learn. Below are some pictures of Brisas del Diamanté.

 

In the afternoon, we traveled to the northern part of Bogata to visit I.E. District Usaquen. This is a K-12 public school of 2,000 students which has several unique programs including an English learning lab, a focus on green policies to improve the sustainability of their school and a focus on active and progressive learning. We were kindly received by the head of school and were able to observe classes. I observed an amazing 11th grade philosophy class which focused on debating relevant world issues. Today the students were split into various interest groups and were debating the human rights violations that impacted each group. The class was completely student run with two students acting as the president and Vice President to facilitate the discussion.

Half way through the class the students turned to us, their guests and asked us our opinion about the recent NAFTA Colombian-American peace and trade agreements. After we presented our opinions the class erupted in a spirited debate about free trade and its impact on Colombia. It was incredible to watch students who were passionate about issues that impacted their developing economy and to listen to them present their ideas about how the United States could truly help the Colombian economy.

Afterwards we were treated to a concert and dance performance where we all tried, some more successfully than others, to keep up with the students' dance moves. They prepared an incredible spread of traditional Colombian food for us and had a question and answer session. We asked them what we should tell our American students about Colombia. The students and teachers said we should tell the world that Colombia is a safe place that has people who are full of energy and life, who are passionate and spontaneous and warm. They want people to celebrate Colombia's culture and see beyond their past violence and drug trade. I was truly impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and teachers we met today. They are trying to educate their students for the 21st century in a country that is optimistic about its future and where students feel that they are true stakeholders in the future. Below are pictures from our visit to I.E. District Usaquen.

A beautiful meal in Bogota