Striking increase in Haitian students in Dominican public schools

[josh2203]

Teaching is a special skill. Just because you know something doesn't necessarily mean you can teach it well.

Exactly, and that's why a university degree is required to even teach in the EU. It's not about the subject matter, it's all about pedagogy. There are also good and not-so-good teachers. Now there's another thing learning by example, which usually passes from parents to kids by accident, but that's only for things the parents actually do, not just teach.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

Teaching is a special skill. Just because you know something doesn't necessarily mean you can teach it well.

Teaching hasn't happened in decades. Besides, you can't teach kids how to think, no matter how much homework you give them.

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."
- Albert Einstein

 

[JLSawmam]

If it costs NO money and NO time spent that could be used on others to educate someone, then no one is harmed. If it costs money and takes time, then it is money and time that could be used elsewhere and someone is indeed harmed.

Maybe they should take that to the extreme and not waste time or money on teaching the slower students too...and no, I am not being serious.

 

[bob saunders]

Yep, I realize this. It's really amazing the attention they get nowadays. Even if there was a fight in the school in my childhood, parents were only informed when someone almost died (I'm kidding), but today for every little thing tons of messages and everything. Parents are really made to participate.

My wife rarely involves parents in any discipline issue, unless it is a repeat or very serious offense. Every offense is recorded, and the student must read it and sign it. That way a pattern (record of naughtiness) is available for discussion with the parent if behavior doesn't improve.

 

[bob saunders]

I have been on the inside of this for years. There are many threads on this issue. The public school system is a bureaucratic cesspool filled with incompetent funcionarios, administrators and teachers. The issues are so numerous it will take decades of reform to pull out of this. The next main issue is they cant put out a clear, functional curriculum. They spend their time and money putting incompetent teachers through endless workshops that yield zero results for students. Class schedules suffer and are horrifically inconsistent. School is basically 3.5 day/week deal as a result. The schools participate in overreach also with respect to students' outside/personal/family lives. Constantly lecturing parents as if they were students. It's so classic in terms of they can't get their own house in order but they slime themselves into the personal lives of students and their families.

The next issue is that there is this stunning lack of respect from the current student generation. A fatherless society of young males that feel the female is a subservient, lower social class. They bring drugs and white arms into the schools, rip the teachers new ones, verbally abuse others and fight like animals. The incompetent teachers and administrators are not prepared nor trained properly to remediate these situations and basically the whole dynamic runs on fear.

The issue is far from illegal Haitian kids in the schools. That's simply one (of many) of the narratives used to deflect from the incompetent, corrupt actors that run public education.

Latest is the government will be hiring those teachers that failed the government exam as assistant teachers at 30,000 a month.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

Latest is the government will be hiring those teachers that failed the government exam as assistant teachers at 30,000 a month.

Winning

 

[windeguy]

Maybe they should take that to the extreme and not waste time or money on teaching the slower students too...and no, I am not being serious.

They should just take it to not teaching illegal aliens.

 

[anisa.lewis]

There can be no debate that overcrowding means less time a teacher can interact with each student or even learn where an individual student could be deficient. That's undebatable.

One teacher can't maintain control of the classroom. When I was in school spit-wads or rubber bands were how we annoyed people when the teachers back was turned. I remember one fellow student throwing a paper airplane that flew and stuck into the hair on the side of the substitute teacher's head - that set her off.

But from what I see there is no shortage of pregnant Dominicans also helping over crowd the schools.

Solution of course is to build more schools, and I see some being built nearby but as long as you staff it with poor quality and disinterested teachers, even less crowded schools won't give children a decent education.

This is why private schools do well in DR.

The parents know the public schools are little more than walled babysitting services. But only those with money are able to get their children help in private schools. And I see many Haitians working their tails off also putting their children in private schools too. I know several Haitians doing that.

Overcrowded schools & alternate private schools for wealthier families is a world wide phenomenon, so at least DR is on par in that regard.

Overcrowding is definitely an issue, but blaming specific groups won’t solve it. Better funding and teacher support would help more than stereotypes.

 

[anisa.lewis]

Josh- teaching methods have changed since years ago when we went to school. And social norms have changed, too. Education was more or less mass produced…..a lesson was taught to all. The bright kids got it. The slower kids didn’t, but the teacher moved on to the next lesson.

Now teachers are supposed to teach to the child, instead of teaching the material. Current thinking is that a good teacher will individualize all lessons to meet every child’s needs and development level.

To teach this way, it is impossible to have classes with 30 students.

Now this is veering off topic but it is touching on one of the many problems in education here. Teachers attend workshops where they are taught how to individualize and are expected to do so. But the classrooms of many (here in Jamao anyway) have 30-35 students. In addition, classrooms are not equipped with the materials necessary to implement the methods taught in the workshops. So teachers teach to the group without any differentiation. The smart kids get it and the slower ones will always lag behind. And that is the way it is.

It is worth noting a significant increase in the number of Haitian students attending Dominican public schools. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of students increased by 78%, from 105,021 to 186,975. This surge emphasizes the growing educational needs in the region. For students facing academic challenges, resources like https://onlinepaperhelp.net/ offer valuable support. Such platforms help with various academic tasks, ensuring that students can succeed in their studies. Addressing these educational requirements is crucial to creating a brighter future for all students in the Dominican Republic.

Tying this together with the point about Haitian children causing overcrowding in schools….it is a biased conclusion. I could say the slower learners are causing the problem because either they make the teacher’s results look bad or are causing the teacher to move slower introducing materials and holding up the smart kids. Likewise, I could say (and have heard this complaint several times from teachers) the smart children are causing the problem because they become bored and begin to cause problems or make more demands on the teacher.

So how one views the “overcrowding” depends on which lens is used to view the problem.

Class size matters, but blaming one group oversimplifies the issue! Schools need better resources and support so all students can thrive, not just some.

 

[chico bill]

Class size matters, but blaming one group oversimplifies the issue! Schools need better resources and support so all students can thrive, not just some.

You can throw all the money (resources) you want at education - just look at the US - but it doesn't improve outcomes unless you can cull poor teachers and staff protected by unions or cronies.

 

[windeguy]

Class size matters, but blaming one group oversimplifies the issue! Schools need better resources and support so all students can thrive, not just some.

Teach people legally here. Start with that.