In April, my two sisters and I traveled to the Lake Chapala area for an opportunity to celebrate the future, specifically the upcoming nuptials of our youngest sister, Dorian. Our trip also allowed us an opportunity to connect to our past, retracing the footsteps of our grandparents, Jean and Ralph Carmichael, who had wintered in […]
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More than 8 million people in Mexico, about 6% of the total population, speak one or more of the country’s 68 original (indigenous) languages. [1] Najo’obiñ’eje, Welcome, bienvenidos, in Mazahua. Pjiekak’joo, “We speak”, the name of the critically endangered Tlahuica language. Despite an official proclamation following the Mexican Revolution of the elimination of racial prejudice […]
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New Worlds for the Deaf: the story of the pioneering Lakeside School for the Deaf in rural Mexico by Gwen Chan Burton (Sombrero Books, 2020) In 1982, Gwen Chan Burton, who had previously taught in government secondary schools in Australia and Canada for 12 years, was faced with a big career decision. Burton (whose name […]
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Roosters crowing, church bells clanging, dogs barking, street vendors broadcasting their products, brass bands serenading wedding parties in the streets… the soundtrack to life in Mexico is not the reality for every Mexican. In Mexico the most prevalent disability is deafness. Three out of every 1000 babies are born with some degree of hearing loss. […]
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Más de 8 millones de personas en México, aproximadamente el 6% de la población total, hablan una de las 68 lenguas indígenas originales del país. [1] Najo’obiñ‘eje, Bienvenidos, in Mazahua. Pjiekak’joo, “Hablamos”, el nombre de la lengua Tlahuica que está en peligro crítico de extinción A pesar de, una proclamación oficial posterior a la Revolución […]
Continue ReadingWhereas the Canadian and US educational systems have been influenced by their British ancestry, the Mexican educational system is based on its French and Spanish ancestry. The different beginnings have produced different approaches. For the Mexican, the educational base is deductive reasoning; moving from the global towards the particular. However the last critical step of […]
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Mexican schools will welcome you as a foreigner – to a certain extent. Your kids have had a blast in Mexico. You have as well. They’re sold, you’re sold. Everyone is caught up in hyper-speed towards relocation until you realize… yikes! It is time to pull back on the south-bound, super-shuttle throttle – your children […]
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