SECUNDARIA Teachers who have graduated from the escuela normal or received the bachillerato from the preparatory school and who have taught successfully in the primaria for 4 years may enroll in the Escuela Normal Superior for work preparing them to teach in the secondary school. The Escuela Normal Superior, which is under the control of the Secretariat of Public Education, is free and its graduates are guaranteed placement in the secondary schools. If he prefers, the teacher may enroll instead in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and work for the degree of maestro in the subject or subjects which he plans to teach in the secondary school. An illustration of the specialized studies in a subject field is given in Table 16, p. 118. Upon completion of the maestro degree in language, history, plastic arts, geography, or other subject, which takes 3 years, he may take an additional year for the Maestro en Ciencias de la Educación. This rounds out preparation equivalent to the 4-year program of the Escuela Normal Superior. The plan of study for the degree in education is given in Table 11, p. 110. In the higher normal schools, located in the Federal District, Saltillo, and Monterrey, the course is for 4 years and comprises both academic and professional training taken at the same time. The teachers preparing Table O.—Academic requirements for secondary school teachers of mathematics and civics (Escuela Normal Superior, 1954) I. Subjects of the specialty: Mathematics Teacher 1. Supplementary arithmetic 2. Supplementary algebra 3. Supplementary geometry 4. Supplementary trigonometry 5. Descriptive geometry 6. Analytical geometry and differential and integral calculus I 7. Analytical geometry (differential equations) II 8. Numeration, graphic and mechanical calculus 9. History of mathematics II. Four related subjects selected by the student and approved by the director of the school III. Cultural background subjects: 1. A modern language (English, French, or German) I I. Subjects of the specialty: Civics Teacher 1. World history 2. Mexican history 3. Sociology 4. Economic theory 5. History of economic doctrines 6. General theory of law 7. Public law 8. Private law 9. Constitutional law 10. International law 11. History of political ideas 12. Economic and social problems of Mexico II. Two related subjects selected by the student from those available in the term and approved by the director of the school. III. Cultural background subjects: 1. Ethics 2. A modern language (English, French, or German) I for assignments in secondary schools may specialize in the following subjects: Spanish language and literature, physics and chemistry, biological sciences, geography, plastic arts, English and French, mathematics, civics, world history, and Mexican history. The normal superior also offers training courses for normal school teachers, educational directors and supervisors, and a doctorate in education. The required professional training includes courses in psychology and education of adolescents, vocational guidance and experimental educational psychology, history of secondary education, specialized teaching methods in the chosen field, and general methods. Students who have not graduated from the normal are required to take also a year's course in the science of education, general history of education, and the history of education in Mexico. A kindergarten, primaria, and secundaria are operated as experimental and practice schools in conjunction with the normal superior. In tables O and P are examples of the programs in academic subject fields. Table P.—Academic requirements for education specialists (Escuela Normal Superior, 1954) Course for Education Specialists I. Subjects covered by the specialty: 1. Advanced child psychology 2. Specialized course in the history of education in Mexico 3. Characteristics and instruction of adults 4. Psychology in vocational training 5. Comparative education 6. Philosophy of education 7. Organization and administration of schools and school systems 8. School hygiene 9. Experimental psychology 10. Techniques of teaching the basic subjects 11. Techniques of teaching the physical and natural sciences (1 semester) 12. Techniques of social science teaching (1 semester) II. Three subjects selected from the following for further specialization: Sociology applied to education Specialized course in extra-school education Theory and practice of pre-school education Technique of school inspection The teaching of handicapped students School legislation Children's literature Any other special subject related to education in Mexico III. Cultural background subjects: 1. History of philosophy 2. Educational and social problems of Mexico 3. Modern language (English, French, or German) I 4. Modern language (English, French, or German) II Students who have completed their course work in the Escuela Normal Superior may teach on a certificate of pasante in any school above primaria and below university level. To receive the degree of maestro or doctor they must take a professional examination within 3 years of the date of completion of the course work and present a thesis on some phase of secondary school teaching. Doctoral candidates must do orig inal research for the thesis. The Normal Superior can grant the specialized degrees in education, but the maestro and doctor in subject fields are conferred by arrangement with the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The following grading scale is used. 10 Excellent 9 Very good 8 Good 7 Fair 6 Minimum for passing 5 Failure, with the right to take a make-up exam- 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 Failure (Course must be repeated.) Since the first class of the Escuela Normal Superior in Mexico, D. F. left the school in 1939, the distribution of its graduates by subject fields has been as follows: In 1953 the total enrollment was 882 in the regular session and 703 in the intensive winter course given during December 1952 and January 1953. Since the higher normal schools have been established only recently, there is a lack of duly qualified teachers for the secundaria, so members of the liberal professions as well as holders of the higher normal school diploma are employed for part-time teaching in secondary schools. To encourage teachers to take advantage of short-term refresher courses and extension work, the acquisition of a specialist qualification in any secondary school subject entitles the teacher to a step up in seniority and a salary increase. The student of the Escuela Normal Superior use the facilities of the Escuela Normal de Especialización and of the Instituto Nacional de Pedagogía in the same way as the primaria teachers for consultation on special problems and during their specialization in the education of re tarded or handicapped children. There is also the Museo Pedagógico Nacional, established in 1946, with an excellent collection of books, documents, and codices illustrating education in Mexico from pre-Hispanic days to the present. The Museo works in cooperation with the Escuela Normal Superior and the other specialized teacher education institutions to make the study of educational developments more vivid and effective. Teachers may go there to prepare instructional materials, look at the exhibits, watch pedagogical demonstrations, and use the library and historical archives. All secondary school teachers of the same subject belong to a Specialist Academy, which functions under the guidance of the several directors of subject fields in the Office of the Director General of Secondary Education of SEP, for carrying on research and providing guidance on teaching problems in the subject. The Academy plays no part in questions of school administration. The meetings are held monthly and attendance is compulsory for all teachers in Governmental and private schools alike. Academy decisions, to be valid, must be approved by 50 percent plus one of the members present. STATUS OF TEACHERS The public-school teachers in Mexico are Government employees and as such have their salaries paid by the Federal or State Government, by a combination of the two, or by the Federal Government and a municipality or private group. The candidates for teaching posts are classified according to their qualifications and experience, and appointment is made by the education authorities on the basis of this classification. According to a report issued by secondary teachers are as follows. SEP in 1954, the legal obligations of 1. To be of good behavior on and off the school premises. 2. To be punctual at classes, not to dismiss classes without the prior permission of the school director, and to provide valid reasons for absence or tardiness. 3. To conform to the syllabuses in force. 4. To prepare lessons conscientiously and to teach their particular subjects in the perspective of the complete syllabus. 5. To devise and set the requisite question papers for regular and special tests. 6. To keep accurate attendance rolls and to submit monthly mark lists within 3 days of the date of the tests concerned. 7. To belong to the appropriate academy and attend its meetings. 8. To guide and advise their pupils in all their affairs, particularly school matters, with the achievement of self-reliance as the goal. 9. To maintain discipline among pupils in and out of the classroom and to share with the administrative staff the responsibilities relating to this important feature of school life. |