Values and Virtues Involved in Education

Through the two-week observing, exploring, experiencing and learning, besides the great
impact of immigration issues in Mexico on me and my redefinition of equity and justice that will
stimulate me to have a thorough learning and research about migration issues and human right in
global contexts, I have also been greatly impressed with the values promoted by education in
Mexico and the virtues and cultural missions Mexican people demonstrate, especially the young
students positive attitude to learning and life, and their good qualities in local Guanajuato
schools.
The first day when I observed the class of the second grader in a public primary school, I
was surprised by about 33 8 year-old kids concentration on learning how to make a ship
according to the steps in their Spanish language class. Without exaggeration, none of them
distracted from the teachers instruction. They took very seriously their designated and showed
great respect for their teacher. More interestingly, most of them demonstrated the communication
skill and the collaborative skill. They helped their peers and cooperated with each other to find
out the best way to work the paper ship out. I was greatly surprised that they did this
automatically. When they were done with their products, I could see they were so happy with the
learning process and very proud of their efforts. In grammar class that most teachers and students
would think boring, they could listen to teacher carefully, take notes and think actively. In such
simple and poor learning conditions where there were no advanced facilities(there was even not a
computer in the classroom) and powerful teaching and learning resources, these little lovely kids
could still be engaged in learning and be thankful to what they have. Their resilience, optimism,
and persistence have had profound influence on my future learning and teaching.
In addition, I have been amazed with teachers and their commitment to teaching and
students in Mexico. Since I had an knowledge of education issues in Mexico, I have known the
tough situation of teachers in Mexican public schools---low salary, not high rank in society, not
enough involvement in education decisions, no professional and systematic training intended for
their profession development, and not sufficient teaching materials and resources to facilitate
their teaching, etc. In such challenging conditions, they could still be dedicated to their teaching
career. When I asked two primary teachers why they chose to become teachers in Mexico, they
told us it was because of the joy of teaching and the pride from facilitating kids to realize their
dreams. I was tremendously touched their simple but meaningful answers! When observing and

collaborating to prepare for the lesson teaching, I have found that the teachers have many
teaching approaches and helpful teaching skills I should learn from---students more involvement
in class, problem solving activities, inquiry-based exercise, and tasks to cultivate students
critical thinking skills, etc. For me, as a teacher who has much better working conditions and
more opportunities to learn, I should value what I have and make maximum use of the resources
and materials to improve my teaching skills, reform my teaching approaches to improve my
students learning outcome.
During my learning process in the local schools not only in Mexico city, but in
Guanajuato, I have been told that the values and virtues are the important factors that motivate
and encourage students and teachers to work hard and strive for their ambitions. Every class,
they are guided and facilitated to learn the values and virtues involved in education curriculum.
Based on the studies in recent years, Mexico has intensified its active search for democracy and
invigorated its match on the values that have been seen as necessary to be transmitted via
education. Those values are held as important by Mexicans.
Through my study abroad experiences, I have learned that Modern Mexico is a country
that has undergone many changes from domination and exploitation to independence and selfdetermination, and is still struggling to reconcile seemingly paradoxical value systems. So it
makes much sense that It needs to maintain values that are viewed as characteristic of Mexican
society.
Moreover, religion plays a decisive role in Mexican values. Throughout Mexican history,
the Catholic Church has played an important role, though sometimes unwanted role in the
shaping of Mexican identity. Though it has undergone challenges and changes in different
periods, civic values and cultural virtues have been being promoted and put in the center of the
public education curricula. Nowadays the values are concerned with social/global
responsibility,tolerance, modernity and cultural continuity, etc.
The school curriculum, which had dealt typically with values education through specific
subjects, such as social studies and Civics, currently integrates modern values across all
subjects. The significance of critical and independent thinking, the importance of problemsolving skills, the value of constructing a technologically advanced society and the importance of
individual independence and entrepreneurship are as important as the traditional values
supporting family and the nation---loyalty, obedience and hard work. More importantly, with the

impact of globalization since the mid-1990s, in Mexico, the respect of knowledge and others, the
virtues of being resilient and shouldering responsibilities, especially the emphasis of fulfilling
the missions of hard word, competitiveness, productivity and international literacy, are
becoming the mainstream in modern education systems in Mexico.
However, though Education reform has been in good progress, based on the article I read
a couple of days ago, there are about five important questions that still need to be addressed in
the development of a values education agenda in Mexico: the development of a coherent and
national policy regarding values; curriculum design and implementation as a vehicle education
and social capital formation; the pedagogical approach that should frame values education; the
need to include the views of teachers, students and parents in the values education debate;
Mexicos ability to enter a global dialogue on values education orientated toward the
development of a truly multi-cultural curriculum (Tatto, M. T., Arellano, L.A., Uribe, M.T.,
Varela, A.L., and Rodriguez, M., 2001). According to what I have learned from my Mexican
friends who are teachers, educators, or ambitious administrators in Mexico, I have confidence in
the greater improvement of Education in Mexico and do believe that it will be more flourishing
with the greater efforts of its resilient and strong-willed people and the encouragement of their
inspiring values and virtues.

Reference:
Tatto, M. T., Arellano, L.A., Uribe, M.T., Varela, A.L., and Rodriguez, M. (2001). Examining
Mexicos Values Education in a Globally Dynamic Context. Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 30,
No.2.