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Information Overview for Prospective TeachersIf you are interested in teaching at Mayatan Bilingual School, please click here. School Mission“Mayatan Bilingual School is dedicated to providing a diverse population of students with the best bilingual education possible that will allow our students to become active, responsible, informed participants in their local, national and global community.” History and Structure (Back to Contents)The school was founded in 1991 by a local mother, Nora Arita de Wélchez, who wanted to be sure her children had the opportunity to learn English. She encouraged other parents in the community to participate. Two other women who also wanted an English education for their children joined her in the management of the school: Maria Eugenia Aviles de Arias and Mayra Arias de Wélchez. For the past fifteen years, these three women, and their husbands, one the current mayor of Copán Ruinas, have been directors of a legal, non-profit organization, 'Mayatan Foundation' set up to more formally manage the responsibilities of the school. The school is private but not-for-profit. Fees are required for registration, books and monthly tuition. The enrollment for the 2007/2008 school year was about 300. Our school year runs from August to June, similar to schools in North America. We conform to and are regulated by the laws of Honduras concerning education. The school has no religious affiliation. The student body is made up of mainly Catholics or Evangelical Christians, and all but a handful of the students are from Honduras. Financial Support for Mayatan (Back to Contents)The school is entirely supported by school fees and donations. Around 40% of our students receive some form of financial assistance. A scholarship program assists those whose families can not afford the full fees. Please click the 'Sponsor A Student' link for more information. Student Population (Back to Contents)In the words of one of our board members, “We want to make this education accessible to children from all walks of life in Copán.” However, funding a bilingual school has never been cheap or easy. The school started out by filling its classrooms with students whose parents could pay the hefty fees, and then looking for children from poorer families to fill the classroom already in use. Once we had a teacher we were paying, it didn’t cost much more to invite a few more kids in for half price or for free. Over the years, our scholarship program has grown. In recent years, outreach and generous donations have allowed the school to increase the number of children receiving scholarship funding. Our teachers balance the variety of social, cultural and economic backgrounds while attempting to provide all children with the best education we can. In most cases, poor students and well-off students socialize easily with each other. At recess, on the soccer field and at lunch time it is common to see an easy banter and playful relationship between kids from different walks of life. Occasionally, this extends into weekends and vacations, though it can be difficult for kids to bridge those social gaps on their own. Treatment of your students should, obviously, be fair and unbiased regardless of economic background. Parental Involvement (Back to Contents)There is a Parents Association at the school and all grades have Parents Associations of their own. The grade associations exist so that the parents can do fundraising and planning for events such as graduations, field trips and class parties. These groups are also helpful in planning for Honduran holiday events since the main classroom teachers may not be familiar with local customs. It behooves teachers to know who the grade-level homeroom parent is to help with planning and contacting other parents for things like field trips or other special projects, as these people can be very helpful in getting the word out. Parents do not usually participate in class time unless teachers have asked them to come in for a special lecture or demonstration related to school work. The exception to this is birthdays; in primary grades it is not uncommon for the parent to show up with cake and soda or other treats to celebrate a birthday. The school has regulations on how and when this can take place, and teachers should be sure to review these regulations in the parent manual. Teachers and parents get together one-on-one for conferences at least three times a year to discuss the child's performance. By Honduras education law it is mandatory for parents to attend meetings of parents called by the school or by a teacher. Parents are usually enthusiastic about school projects. Bear in mind that many of the parents do not speak English and some cannot read or write and therefore can't give a lot of academic help. Some parents are very poor and therefore cannot contribute financially to projects or events. Parents sign an agreement at the beginning of the year that includes requirements such as to ensure that the child goes to bed at a reasonable time and that they give the child a good breakfast before they come to school. [Note that the school cafeteria opens an hour before school starts for students who cannot eat breakfast before they leave for school. Also the school maintains a “lunch fund” for students who cannot afford to pay for food at school.] We also encourage the parents to read to their children, whether in English or Spanish, since this is not a normal thing for Honduran parents to do. Resources (Back to Contents)The school supplies classroom furnishings, construction paper, dry erase pens, poster paper, etc. These beginning supplies are not endless, so bringing extra dry erase markers, permanent markers, double-sided sticky tape etc is a good idea. The students are required to bring their own school supplies; a list is sent home at the beginning of the school year. In some cases, the school may assist families with the purchase of materials. Many teachers bring posters and other visual aids and teaching materials to supplement their teaching and classrooms. Often previous teachers leave teaching materials that they have provided and these add to our collection of available teaching resources. A wish list is posted and updated on our website outlining current school supply needs. Curriculum & Class Planning (Back to Contents)Honduras education laws specify the subjects, and the number of hours per week per subject, that are to be taught. The major subjects in the Primary School (5 class hours per week per subject) are (in English): English, Reading, Math, Science, and Spelling. Honduran teachers cover Estudios Sociales and Español, the other two required subjects. In addition to the main academic areas, Mayatan teaches Handwriting, Oral Language Development, Art, Music, Physical Education, Computers, Values, Library and Home Economics. The school provides new teachers with an inventory of texts being used for each grade level. In some cases, we do not have texts for a particular subject or do not have enough copies of a text. We get a lot of our textbooks donated from schools in North America, either from contacts at a public school that is phasing out a particular text or from The International Book Project, a warehouse that stores old textbooks for donation. The only cost incurred for these books is shipping, which is expensive but still cheaper than new books. According to Honduran Law, teachers are required to hand in a “Year-long Plan” by October 1st each year. Each teacher is provided with last year’s year-long plan, as well as other curriculum guidelines, when they arrive for the training in August. Honduran law also requires that the Director check and initial weekly lesson plans, so teachers are asked to prepare and keep clear notes on a regular basis. Time is set aside during the school day for this preparation and planning. Class Sizes (Back to Contents)The school has a policy of limiting class size to 20. More times than not we exceed our class size limits in PreK and kinder and classes have been up to 23 students. Any more than that and we definitely start another class. The average class-size in the Primary School is 18, in the Secondary School 16. Age Groups (Back to Contents)We offer Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten in Pre-School. A child must be 4 years old by September 1 to enter Pre-Kinder. Add one year to the age requirement for each subsequent grade. We teach first through fifth grades in the Primary School and 6th through 9th Grades in the Secondary School. Due to the school being bilingual, new students who do not already speak English are not generally enrolled at Mayatan after first grade. There have been occasional exceptions to this rule when a student has attended another bilingual school previously or gets permission from the director to enter on a trial basis. Religious Affiliation (Back to Contents)The school is secular. However, most of the families are either Catholic or Evangelical. While the school does not subscribe to a particular religion, the community tends to be very religious. It is common to hear parents or students bring up religion in everyday talk or in the classroom. Teachers who tolerate and respect these attitudes will have an easier adjustment to this setting. School Hours (Back to Contents)Teachers report to school from 6:45 am to 2:40 pm, although primary students are released a bit earlier than secondary. We try to allow teachers 90 minutes of class-time free per day to prepare lessons and materials, correct student work or meet with other teachers. Please understand that scheduling constraints sometimes does not allow this. Occasionally teachers will be asked to use their prep to cover classes for an absent teacher when the Substitute is also absent or is already covering a class. The day also includes two breaks for recess and lunch, totaling in another 40 minutes. During one of these breaks, each teacher is assigned a supervisory role to watch kids while they play or eat. Generally, this is a relaxing duty with few problems. Primary teachers will be asked to support after school homework and ESL help sessions for their own classes. Teachers may also opt to do an after school activity like soccer or art club depending on their interests. Student Attitudes Towards Learning (Back to Contents)Overall our students are conscientious and work hard to do well in school. As in any school, there are some who are less motivated than others and we do have children who slack off or have a poor attitude. It is not uncommon for scholarship children to come from illiterate homes where parents are completely unfamiliar with school expectations. While families like these want a better life for their children, they don't always know how to help them. In some of the homes there is no electricity. In many, the room(s) of the home is (are) crowded. Neither of these conditions is conducive to conscientious homework. The majority of our students seem to excel; they have strong parental support and they are conscientious. Instruction in Spanish (Back to Contents)It is school policy that our foreign teachers teach in English to their students. It's great to be able to speak Spanish to talk with parents and others in the community, but, to help the students become more competent in the English we require that you speak English all the time while at school. This includes to all Honduran staff that speak English. Students need to hear English all the time. The school grounds or your classroom are not places for you to practice your Spanish. Contract Extensions (Back to Contents)If both you and the school are happy with the arrangement, Mayatan would be delighted if you would choose to stay for another school year. You would have the option to teach the same class (in the next grade) if you wish. You would also be paid a bonus of two months pay. Housing (Back to Contents)In general, the accommodation for teachers is smaller than typical American apartments but average for Copán – there are houses in town that are simpler but others that are much nicer. Much of your perception of the housing will probably depend on your previous experience in developing countries. Those who have lived in India, rural South America or Africa or come with images of four walls, a cement floor and a single light bulb dangling from a tin roof usually find themselves quite pleased. In any case, it's very important to come prepared knowing that you'll not be living in a Bed Bath and Beyond showroom; even though Copán is a lovely town, it is still in a developing country where the average monthly income is $50. Some of the unusual housing features include plastic garden table and chairs for the kitchen, beds for living room couches, mix-matched kitchen supplies, no hot water in kitchen or bathroom sinks, the occasional leaking roof, roof terraces with no railings, flashing light bulbs during rain storms. Some of the unusual living features include electricity power cuts every few days for a couple of hours during the rainy season, water shortages in the dry season. You will also co-habit with ants that come in sizes mini to large, periodic cockroaches, and spiders, none harmful, but all annoying. If you come prepared to laugh off these little oddities, your experience here will definitely be much more satisfying. All the houses are within a 20 minute (uphill) walk of school and only 5-10 minutes from each other. Teachers may use (for free) one of the several school busses or mini-vans that transport the kids up to school - all of which pass within a few blocks from teachers' houses. Teachers are responsible for electricity, tap water and any phone bills. Telephones (Back to Contents)About half of the houses that we rent have a landline that teachers can use. A call to the U.S. is about 50 cents a minute, but if you arrange for a phone card from home you may be able to get better rates. There are also internet cafes in town that charge less for internet calls. New teachers can purchase cell phones. Incoming calls are free to receive, and you can buy a card locally to make outgoing calls. If you’d like to bring your cell phone from home to use it here you are welcome to try, but you’ll need to have a code to change the SIM card and you’ll most likely have to take it to San Pedro Sula to a technician to have it set up for you and there is a transfer cost. Internet Access (Back to Contents)Mayatan has a wireless internet service. There are also several cafes in town that charge $0.80 - $1.10 per hour. All are good although the speed can vary depending on if it is dial up or wireless. Remember that bad weather / power cuts will affect the service. Some of the teachers have recommended making the most of the access you have now to research good sites with teaching materials and ideas for you to use while at Mayatan and to even bring print-outs of anything you may want to use as a resource in your classroom. Laptops (Back to Contents)Several teachers have brought laptops and found them to be very useful for working at home with and watching DVDs but they are not essential. It is safe to bring them in the sense of as safe as bringing a camera or anything else of value. For those teachers that have a phone at home, you may be able to connect to the internet at home, which is really nice for communicating with family and friends, but you are responsible for the phone bill. If bringing a digital camera, make sure to bring all software and cables. A small printer is also a good idea, but not a necessity. Bring extra ink cartridges, they are expensive and the type you need may not be available. Health Insurance (Back to Contents)Foreign teachers are covered under the same private health plan as our local Honduran staff, which covers accidents, illnesses and emergencies. The insured pays the first L1,000 and after that the insurance company picks up 80% and the insured pays 20%. There is no dental or optical coverage. There is a bilingual doctor in town, a public clinic and several small private clinics in addition to a basic emergency center about 5 miles from town. In case of hospitalization or bigger emergencies, there are excellent hospitals in San Pedro Sula, a couple of hours away by ambulance. You will get a copy of the health insurance plan during orientation with all the details of coverage. The Policy does NOT cover evacuation to your home country, so the school recommends you take out this coverage if you feel it is necessary. Also consider having some sort of coverage for your home country in the event of a serious emergency or illness and treatment back home would be preferred. Immunizations (Back to Contents)Honduras has no immunization requirement, but you may want to consider immunization for the various forms of hepatitis. If you go to the coast during time off you may want to consider taking malaria pills but malaria is not a problem near Copán Ruinas. The rest of your normal shots should be up to date, for example for tetanus, typhus, typhoid. Money (Back to Contents)The Stipend for 2008-09 teachers is L6,000 (about $315/month), paid at the end of each month from August through May. (Note that August and June are short months and that you will be paid partial salary for each of these months.) This is enough to live on in Copán. With moderate eating out and entertainment, laundry, and occasional taxi ride, teachers seem to live quite reasonably. Note: This is not even enough to pay the bills at home! Teachers will need some money to get by until the first payday, which will be on August 30th, and probably some to cover part of September since the August 30th pay will not be a full month. It is probably best to bring about $300 in cash or travelers checks and have access to a bit more until getting settled in. ATM machines are plentiful (there are two in Copán) so you can easily access your account. It might be good to make sure before coming out your bank doesn't charge for transactions abroad. L6,000 is not really enough to travel with on long weekends, at holidays, etc. Former teachers have suggested budgeting at least $70-90 for a weekend trip to the Caribbean coast, Lake Yojoa or Antigua in Guatemala, for example. In addition to this there are two longer breaks at Christmas and Easter to consider. Also, several former teachers would advise new teachers, in addition to the cost of their airfares, having at least $1,000 (per person for couples) in savings before coming out. Bank Accounts (Back to Contents)Opening a bank account in Honduras is straightforward and can be done in US$ or lempiras (the currency of Honduras). During Orientation Week the school will open a lempira account for you, into which your monthly stipend will be deposited. The account will include a debit card and there is an ATM machine in the center of town for easy withdrawals. Visas (Back to Contents)When entering Honduras, you will receive a tourist visa for 90 days. Teachers are not technically working but volunteering for the school. The pay is a stipend, money to help cover food and other living costs. The process for obtaining an ID card will begin as soon as you get here. We will send you details on documentation you need before your arrival. Flights (Back to Contents)We ask our foreign staff to pay their own airfare. For a non-profit organization such as Mayatan, the cost of the flight is considerable on top of the monthly stipends, housing and other benefits of working here. We have found that this does not seem to deter applicants, they consider the cost of the flight a worthwhile investment for the opportunity to live in Copán Ruinas for a year, to improve their Spanish, etc. Look for special deals, student discounts, and so on, to reduce the cost of the flight. STA seems to offer good deals for students and teachers and the school can provide a letter stating you will be teaching with us if necessary. The nearest cities with international airports are San Pedro Sula (3 hours by bus from Copán Ruinas) and Guatemala City (5 hours) and San Salvador. Before you leave you will be given detailed information on how to get to Copán Ruinas, depending on which airport you are arriving at. What to Bring (Back to Contents)You will be sent more detailed information if offered a post but the following should give you a general idea:
Dress (Back to Contents)Conservative attire and personal grooming are taken much more seriously in Honduras than in the United States. It is important for Mayatan Bilingual School's relations with parents and with the community that our faculty respect local standards of proper attire and grooming. Further, teachers are role models for the students, who are required to wear uniform. General statement: think neat and fairly conservative. Teachers will be provided with two school polo shirts and the other two we ask you to buy. Each day of the week is assigned a color and you can wear these shirts with trousers or skirts. This actually makes packing a little lighter since you only need weekend clothes. Fridays are 'Jeans and Mayatan PE shirt' days. You will probably want to bring one dressy outfit for special occasions, ie., graduations. The school would prefer no visible piercing (other than - for women - earrings or a discreet nose pin) and no dreads. Hondurans associate dreads with drug use and consider them unhygienic. Tattoos are also frowned upon by local people and will need to be kept covered. Donations (Back to Contents)The library has a very impressive collection of children's books in English with more boxes coming in from donors every month. The school could really use more reading books in both English and Spanish, though, so if you know any serial thrift shoppers maybe you could ask them to keep their eyes open for the school. Due to some weird twist of market demands, it is ironically more expensive and difficult to find good Spanish Language books in Honduras than in the States! Also, one of the next projects in the pipeline is improving the science lab. If you have any connections who might be able to send eye wash kits, flasks, beakers, test tubes, stoppers, thermometers, etc. please let us know and we can send the full 'wish list'. Safety (Back to Contents)Copán Ruinas is a safe community. It is normal for women and children to walk around town and the Central Park in the evening hours after the sun goes down. The streets of Copán Ruinas are well lit (except when the power fails) and as long as you are smart about where you go you should have no problems. When hiking in the outlying areas, it is advisable to go in a group, but even in the rural areas, the worst that has happened in recent months is that a few tourists have had their wallets taken. Social Activities (Back to Contents)There are no night clubs, theaters or symphony orchestras in Copán Ruinas. There is a movie theater about 6 miles outside town that shows first-run films that operates on weekends. A local restaurant/bar shows films on Sunday evenings. The local cable TV has a few channels in English (including CNN) or in Spanish with English subtitles, and the pizzeria in town boasts direct TV with all the big sporting events broadcast for the crowd. There is a swimming pool available to the public. There are several restaurants, and a few bars (local and tourist). Aguas Calientes, a hot springs area is about 45 minutes from Copán. Every day new spots open and there are certainly more things to do here than in most small Honduran towns. In short there is not a lot to do and we are two and half hours from San Pedro Sula. Although not officially designated hiking or running trails, the roads and mountain paths in and around Copán Ruinas serve the purpose admirably. For runners, traffic on the main roads is extremely light here. If you would like to bring a bike (most airlines accept boxed bikes free on international flights), the area has superb opportunities for mountain biking. Bikes are also available for renting at a local tourist spot. If you have hobbies that are portable bring them along. Board games and DVD’s are also fun. Holidays and Breaks (Back to Contents)In 2008-2009 there will be a 2 week Christmas vacation(could be longer depending on how the days fall…you will know in June when the calendar is set) along with a 1 week+1 day Easter vacation (Semana Santa), when there are some absolutely breathtaking religious celebrations – and serious partying – going on throughout Central America! School will finish around the end of the second week of June. There are also several 3 and 4 day weekends in the first half of the year. You will receive a calendar in August during the orientation time. Mail (Back to Contents)The mailing address is: Your Name, Escuela Mayatan, Copán Ruinas, Copán, Honduras. Teachers are reporting that a letter generally takes 7-10 days to arrive, small packages in envelopes about 2-3 weeks, and bigger boxes about 3 months if sent by freight carrier (rather than airmail). Your local post office can give you rates and approximate amount of time that the package will arrive in Honduras; once it reaches the country, it will most likely take a little longer to get to Copán. Only one teacher from 2004-2005 reported a package being lost and never arriving Studying Spanish (Back to Contents)Your Spanish will definitely improve just by living in Copán Ruinas, however for more formal instruction there are two Spanish schools which offer one-on-one teaching to Mayatan teachers at discounted rates. Many teachers also make private arrangements with Spanish teachers or exchange Spanish lessons for English. Keep in mind that it is entirely possible to come here and learn no Spanish at all, since you will have the chance to speak English at school all day and you may opt to live with another teacher. There are many business owners in town who know some English as well. How much Spanish you learn depends entirely on the amount of time and effort you put into it. Weather (Back to Contents)The weather is wonderful. You can live year round with the windows open without air conditioning and without heat. On the coldest mornings (in December and January) you will want a warm jacket or a heavy sweater until the sun comes out. There are days when the sun doesn't come out, and you will need the jacket for the whole day. On the coldest evenings/mornings it might get down to 55 degrees F. but most of the time it is mid 70's to 80's (23-30 degrees C.). For those of you coming from northern climates, this may seem like shorts weather, but keep in mind that your house will not be insulated and 55° feels cold when you’re lying in bed at night, so socks and a few long-sleeve shirts or sweatshirts are a good idea. During March and April, the temperature is frequently very warm, but even on the hottest days there is often a breeze. It never gets as uncomfortable or as humid as say the coast of Honduras. Copán Ruinas is situated at an altitude of 2,000 feet, about 4 hours by bus from that coast. In the rainy season, June to November roughly, there is typically sunshine in the morning followed by clouds and a short but intense rain-shower in the afternoon or evening. Geography (Back to Contents)The local geography is mountainous. Green steep hills, fast running brooks and few roads make this an absolutely beautiful setting. If you ride horses or like to hike or mountain bike, you can get up into the mountains and see beautiful scenery and out-of-the-way indigenous villages. Stability (Back to Contents)The government of Honduras is stable. National and local elections were last held in November 2005. Nationally, there was a change in the political party in power and the transitions were made peaceably. The mayor of Copán Ruinas, recently re-elected, is the father of two of our students and a member of the Mayatan Foundation Board. Statistics (Back to Contents)Copán Ruinas is a municipality covering an area of 366 square kilometers. The municipality of Copán Ruinas is a part of the Department of Copán. Several departments (like provinces) make up the country of Honduras, which is about the size of Ohio. In 1992, the most recent year for which stats are available, the population of the municipality was 29,593. We often use the term Copán Ruinas to refer just to the urban area, where 5,970 people live. Here are some other statistics about the Municipality of Copán Ruinas from 2002.
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Mayatan Bilingual School serves the neighboring community of Santa Rita (about 6 miles away) as well as Copán Ruinas. We also have a few students from outlying aldeas as far as 3 miles out of town. Relations with the town are good. A significant number of the town's citizens are, of course, parents of students. We keep in close contact with the public department of education and are required to follow many of their regulations. The Head of the Department of Education has her daughter and a niece in Mayatan Bilingual School. Several public school teachers are among our parents. The school gives performances from time to time in the town's Central Park, for example, the annual Christmas Carol concert. The lights on the Church and in the Park are lighted promptly after we finish singing. Mayatan Bilingual School marches with the other schools in the annual Independence Day parade. Our teachers volunteer at the Children’s Museum, the Public Library and at kindergartens and orphanages in the town. Our secondary school students serve as translators for medical brigades that come to Copán Ruinas to put on medical clinics in the town and in outlying aldeas. All of our teachers develop friendships with local Hondurans. It is an option for teachers to live with local families. If you are interested in teaching at Mayatan Bilingual School, please click here. |